Effect of Auxins, Cytokinin and Activated Charcoal on In Vitro Propagation of Plantains Barraganete and Curare ( Musa AAB)

The response to the application of auxins, cytokinin and activated charcoal (CA) on in vitro propagation and ex vitro acclimatization of two plantain cultivars ( Musa AAB) was evaluated. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium was used for crop establishment and the shoot multiplication. For rooting, MS medium was used with different auxin levels combined with CA. For acclimatization, in vitro plants placed in germination trays containing sterile substrate were used. In the establishment phase, low contamination was shown in both cultivars. During the in vitro multiplication phase, the highest average number of shoots per explant was obtained using 3 mg L −1 BAP + 0.1 mg L −1 IAA in the Curare cultivar and 4 mg L −1 BAP + 0.1 mg L −1 IAA in the Barraganete cultivar. The best treatments for in vitro rooting of both cultivars were MS + 0.3 mg/L IBA + 1 g/L CA. The two cultivars showed optimal levels of survival during acclimatization. There were, however, differences between the two cultivars for plant height and leaf emergence. The use of auxins in the rooting phase was important because of the number of physiological functions they regulate, while the use of CA induced rooting in both cultivars.