Collecting banana germplasm from the AAA genomic group / Cavendish subgroup
Francisco Ricardo Ferreira and Sebastião de Oliveira e Silva
Bananas for export are supported by only one clone of the Cavendish subgroup, the ‘Grande Naine’. The vulnerability of a monoclonal crop is obvious. The objective of this paper was to report on collection of banana germplasm from the AAA genomic group/ subgroup Cavendish, in large and small plantations, for conservation, evaluation and selection studies. Two collection expeditions were carried out in the States of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Fifty-six samples were collected that showed several variations among the clones, ranging from plant height to fruit size and shape. The material was registered in the Brazilian System of Genetic Resources Information (SIBRARGEN). The suckers were submitted to phytosanitary treatment, and then sent to Embrapa Cassava and Fruit Crops Center, in Cruz das Almas, Bahia State. The banana germplasm accessions were added to the banana active gene bank (BAG), where they will be evaluated for superior genotype selection.