Banana Breeding Progress and Challenges

General Plant Morphology of Musa
Deborah Karamura, Eldad Karamura, and Guy Blomme

Evolution and Genetic Relationships in Banana and Plantains
Uma Subbaraya, Marimuthu S. Saraswathi, and Michael Pillay

Genetic Resources for Banana Improvement
Markku Häkkinen and Richard Wallace

Genomes, Cytogenetics, and Flow Cytometry of Musa
Michael Pillay and Abdou Tenkouano

Genetics of Important Traits in Musa
Eli Khayat and Rodomiro Ortiz

Major Diseases of Banana
Guy Blomme, Simon Eden-Green, Mohammed Mustaffa,
Bartholemew Nwauzoma, and Raman Thangavelu

Integrated Pest Management of Banana
Thomas Dubois and Daniel L. Coyne

Reproductive Biology
Jeanie Anne Fortescue and David William Turner

Breeding Techniques
Abdou Tenkouano, Michael Pillay, and Rodomiro Ortiz

Mutations and Cultivar Development of Banana
Shri Mohan Jain, Bradley Till, Prasnna Suprasanna, and Nicolas Roux

Biotechnology in Musa Improvement
Leena Tripathi

Genotype by Environment Interaction and Musa Improvement
Rodomiro Ortiz and Abdou Tenkouano

Quality Improvement of Cultivated Musa
Edson Perito Amorim, Sebastião de Oliveira e Silva,
Vanusia Batista de Oliveira Amorim, and Michael Pillay

Postharvest Processed Products from Banana
Cherukatu Kalathil Narayana and Michael Pillay

Propagation Methods in Musa
Michael Pillay, Christopher A. Cullis, David Talengera, and Leena Tripathi

Hybrid Distribution to Farmers: Adoption and Challenges
Abdou Tenkouano, Michael Pillay, and Ousmane Coulibaly

Molecular Breeding of Other Vegetatively Propagated Crops: Lessons for Banana
Michael Pillay, Abdou Tenkouano, and Rodomiro Ortiz

Future Prospects
Rodomiro Ortiz, Michael Pillay, and Abdou Tenkouano

Index

Biography

Michael Pillay, Ph.D. is an associate professor at Vaal University of Technology in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa.

Abdou Tenkouano, Ph.D. is a counselor at the Research for Development Council at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Croydon, United Kingdom.

At last, a book that focuses on banana breeding. Not only are Musa breeding techniques, strategies and philosophies detailed in ways not done before, but there are also comparisons made with breeding three other clonally propagated tropical crops and the lessons they can teach banana scientists. In addition, there are chapters by various authors covering such topics as Musa genetic resources, morphology, pests and diseases, fruit quality, propagation and dissemination of hybrid cultivars, as well as the latest developments in biotechnology and genomics. They complement one another and point the way forward to the development of new cultivars with disease and pest resistance, while satisfying consumer expectations.

The chapters reflect the personal and practical experiences of the authors and the editors are to be congratulated on compiling an excellent new resource on bananas and banana breeding. This book provides basic as well as advanced information for those interested in learning more about banana, as well as those pursuing further research in the crop. Excellent bibliographies in many chapters provide a valuable documentation of the diverse research activity that has taken place in the past few decades and should be of use to serious scholars. I recommend this book to all interested in the genetic improvement of tropical crops, particularly those interested in banana breeding and production.
—Mike Smith, Experimental Agriculture, 2011