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Various Cavendish selections have been made in SA banana plantations over the past 10 years. Some were derived from somatic mutations – which are natural changes that occasionally occur in stable plantations of conventionally-propagated bananas.

Somaclonal variation is the genetic change that may take place during the process of micropropagation (tissue culture). The phenomenon gives rise to some off-types but also enables the selection of elite plants which are genetically superior to the parent plant.

Du Roi elite selection programme
The programme is based on somaclonal variation. In 1999, Du Roi Laboratory had a collection of superior selections of the main Cavendish cultivars, namely Grand Nain, Williams and Chinese Cavendish. The best selections were multiplied by tissue culture and the progeny re-established in rows in a 2 ha evaluation block on Leeways Farm in Letsitele Valley, Limpopo. All plant material was indexed for viruses before being established in the evaluation block.

Under optimal horticultural management, different selection rows were compared with each other for three successive cropping cycles, with agronomic data taken from each plant over each cycle. Individual elite plants from the best rows were identified from four cycles of field data, making the best use of the somaclonal variation potential within each selection (single clone selections).

Each of these single clone plants is multiplied by suckers and a new nursery row is established from there, meaning each row comprises “carbon copies” of each elite single clone.

Benefits of the programme include elite single clone selections conforming to the morphological norms for each cultivar; increased yield potential (up to 20% higher than unselected plantations); increased uniformity and stability of TC progeny, with fewer undesirable mutations; clean material, indexed against all the major banana viruses; and traceability back to specific nursery mother plants. (INIBAP / ARC)

Yield increases will only be achieved if the grower’s level of management is of a high enough standard to achieve optimum growth.
Du Roi improved single clone selections of popular cultivars