Full Length Research Paper
Payebo C.O, Ogburia M. N, Adel
Abstract
Conventional plant breeding is the development or improvement of cultivars using conservative tools for manipulating plant genome within the natural genetic boundaries of the species. This is aimed at producing plants that are more superior, in terms of quantity and quality, to the pre-existing ones. However, the success of conventional plant breeding depends completely on the fertility status of the two parent plants involved in the hybridization program. The genetic breeding of plantain and banana through hybridization is limited by the occurrence of sterility in most cultivars. This results in low production or complete absence of seeds. Seed set after pollination is an indication of fertility of both male and female parents which can be used to develop hybrid seeds of commercial varieties and wild relatives. The main objective of the present research was to identify the fertility status of seven (7) plantain hybrids which include USTPx/01/01, USTPx/01/02, USTPx/01/03, USTPx/01/05, USTPx/01/06, USTPx/01/07 and KM5 using ex-situ and in-situ method of screening for fertility. Staining of pollens from the different species was made using 1% acetocarmine glycerol jelly solution. Different interspecific crosses were made. Result from both in-situ and ex-situ method indicates that six (6) species were fertile apart from USTPx/01/07 which does not produce seeds and pollen grains. The highest value of seed set, percentage fertility and mean seed set were obtained from USTPx/01/01 and USTPx/01/02 as male and female parent with 1076 seeds, 61.6% seed set and mean of 107.6 and 1346 seeds, 77.0% seed set and mean of 134.6 respectively. The highest value of mean and pollen grain percentage fertility from the ex-situ studies were obtained from USTPx/01/01 with a mean of 19.0 and 95% fertility.