Acclimatization of tissue-grown Grand Nain banana seedlings using Zeolite rocks

• Asmahan Shaial Abdulkareem1, Aqeel Hadi Abdulwahid1 , Ahmed Zaer Resan1 , Khudhair M. Al-Kanany2

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        Bananas are the fourth most economically valuable fruit crop worldwide. As bananas lack economically viable seeds, they are mostly propagated using vegetative means and tissue culture techniques.  Tissue-cultured plantlets experience significant difficulties during the acclimatization stage, limiting their establishment rate. The purpose of this study is to enhance the acclimatization of Grand Nain tissue cultured plantlets by determining the most effective growing medium. Seven growing media were examined in the study: 100% zeolite; zeolite, peat moss (2:1); zeolite, peat moss (1:2); zeolite, peat moss, sand (1:1:1); zeolite, peat moss, sand (2:1:1); peat moss, sand (1:2); and zeolite, peat moss, sand (1:2:1). It was found that zeolite, peat moss (2:1) medium was the most effective in supporting vegetative growth, providing maximum shoot length (23.66 cm) during the final acclimatization stage. At the same time, 100% zeolite proved to be the least effective for seedling growth. The maximal leaf number (6.66) was observed on zeolite, peat moss, sand (1:2:1) medium. From the results, it appeared that addition of peat moss into growing medium increased water retention capacity and promoted plant growth and acclimatization. Moreover, the chemical composition of growing medium considerably affected the endogenous hormones levels in leaves. In conclusion, the experiment has shown that the mixture of peat moss and zeolite is ideal for growing tissue-cultured Grand Nain banana plantlets.

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