RP develops virus-resistant banana plants

By Mediatrix P. Cristobal

MANILA, Jan. 7 — Researchers at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), College of Agriculture, Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB), have successfully developed lines of ‘Lakatan’ banana with built-in resistance against the bunchy top virus (BBTV).

The team, led by Dr. Olivia P. Damasco of the Crop Science Cluster, used biotechnology-assisted mutation breeding, through gamma irradiation, to improve bananas’ resistance to BBTV.

The country is among the top five producers of fresh bananas in the world. Philippines' fresh bananas are exported mostly to Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, as well as the Middle East.

Banana is considered as the country's prime fruit commodity in terms of its commercial value and the size of the area it is planted.

However, the banana industry is beset with low productivity due to BBTV, which causes sclerosis, stunting, bunchy top growth, leaf malformation, and premature death among banana plants.

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCARRD) said BBTV was the most destructive virus disease of bananas

The researchers carried out mutation in tissue-cultured banana plants by irradiating them Cobalt 60 gamma rays.

The PCARRD said that results showed that gamma irradiation treatments successfully improved the resistance of ‘Lakatan’ bananas to BBTV.

Of the 7,366 regenerated plants screened for BBTV resistance, 29 lines were found to be highly resistant to the virus while improved agronomic traits included bigger, heavier, and sweeter fruits.

The treatments also led to the production of plants with varying heights, giving breeders a wider choice for selection.

The availability of tissue culture and regeneration procedures for banana facilitated induction, selection, and multiplication of mutant lines.

The six-year project, funded by IPB, DoST-PCARRD, and the International Atomic Energy Agency-Vienna, is almost complete.

The project, titled “Biotechnology-assisted development of banana bunchy top virus resistance in banana by mutation breeding,” won the coveted Philippine Agriculture and Resources Research Foundation, Inc. Award for outstanding research and development study during the 2008 National Science and Technology Week celebration of the Los Baños Science Community Foundation, Inc.

The team of Dr. Damasco is now conducting multi-location tests in farmers’ fields and is close to producing BBTV-resistant lines for commercialization for ‘Lakatan,’ and other important banana cultivars.

The research team, is also composed of Dr.Teodora O. Dizon, Dr. Felipe dela Cruz, Dr. Evelyn Mae Mendoza, Ms. Judith Estrella, Ms. Leila Cayomo, Mr. Efrelito Jay Guitlap, and Ryan Rodrigo Tayobong. (PNA) RMA/MPC

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