Bananas.org - View Single Post - How to kill fungus and bacteria on seed before germination

Gabe15 · 01-14-2019, 12:02 AM

Normally just dipping the seeds in anhydrous lab-grade ethanol is enough to sterilize for embryo extraction. Are you sure your techniques are adequate to keep everything sterile? Have you had success culturing other things besides these banana seeds? And what is "Javen"?

What is your set up like? Are you are using proper sterile techniques for the entire process, including sterilizing your medium, vessels, tools and workspace?

I would try ethanol, and then if you are absolutely sure you are not introducing contamination from another source due to technique (and there are many different ways that could be happening), there is the slight chance that the seeds could be containing endophytic fungi, which is known to occur in at least one Musa species, M. ingens.

Can you post a photo of the plants you collected from, or at least describe them? There are a number of species in Vietnam, and some are really quite distinct from others.

01-14-2019, 12:02 AM	#17 (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 : 13,504,497 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 8,246 Times in 2,201 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 8 Times	Re: How to kill fungus and bacteria on seed before germination Normally just dipping the seeds in anhydrous lab-grade ethanol is enough to sterilize for embryo extraction. Are you sure your techniques are adequate to keep everything sterile? Have you had success culturing other things besides these banana seeds? And what is "Javen"? What is your set up like? Are you are using proper sterile techniques for the entire process, including sterilizing your medium, vessels, tools and workspace? I would try ethanol, and then if you are absolutely sure you are not introducing contamination from another source due to technique (and there are many different ways that could be happening), there is the slight chance that the seeds could be containing endophytic fungi, which is known to occur in at least one Musa species, M. ingens. Can you post a photo of the plants you collected from, or at least describe them? There are a number of species in Vietnam, and some are really quite distinct from others. __________________ Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.