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Gabe15 · 10-12-2018, 11:57 PM

The coloring of the plant is correct for the dwarf Iholena, however the stature and height is wrong, and it seems a few other folks have had similar plants. Environment always plays a role, but I doubt it would have this type of effect.

I think what may have happened is something that is all to common, Agri-Starts does not periodically field-verify starting material and initiate new tissue culture lines, which inevitably leads to the production and mass distribution of off-types. It seems possible that they are now a distributing a sort of tall-reversion off type from the original dwarf. Since the mutation to dwarfish is fairly simple and common, the reversion back to a tall form is not that far out, and this type of mutation (changes in height/stature) happen frequently in tissue culture labs with subpar quality control.

10-12-2018, 11:57 PM	#15 (permalink)
Gabe15 Moderator Gabe15's Photo Gallery Location: Oahu, Hawaii Find me on the map! Zone: 12 Name: Gabe Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,892 BananaBucks : 13,504,507 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 8,248 Times in 2,201 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 8 Times	Re: Iholena?? The coloring of the plant is correct for the dwarf Iholena, however the stature and height is wrong, and it seems a few other folks have had similar plants. Environment always plays a role, but I doubt it would have this type of effect. I think what may have happened is something that is all to common, Agri-Starts does not periodically field-verify starting material and initiate new tissue culture lines, which inevitably leads to the production and mass distribution of off-types. It seems possible that they are now a distributing a sort of tall-reversion off type from the original dwarf. Since the mutation to dwarfish is fairly simple and common, the reversion back to a tall form is not that far out, and this type of mutation (changes in height/stature) happen frequently in tissue culture labs with subpar quality control. __________________ Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.