A young scientist at Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute in Uganda is set to boost banana production in the east African nation.
Priver Namanya, tissue culture supervisor at the research centre has extracted cells from the male bud of local banana varieties from which, plantlets of the same genotype can be reproduced.
Some plantlets have already been planted out in experimental plots and Namanya hopes it will now be possible to control constraints such as poor resistance to drought, pests and diseases that have frustrated scientific innovation in local banana varieties because they do not seed.
Namanya's innovation is a great scientific boost to the improvement of highland banana varieties. She was recently honoured as the best young scientist of 2004 in the region by the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa.
“It is an achievement for the National Agricultural Research Organisation and other stakeholder institutions that provided guidance and financial support towards the success of my initiative,” Namanya said on receipt of the award.
The director general of NARO, Otim Nape, said the cell suspension system is a big contribution to banana development using bio-technology.
He said, it is now possible to introduce the desired gene to the cells and generate thousands of banana plantlets which are resistant to pests, diseases or any other production constraints.
“The absence of bio-safety laws is our only limitation to developing the first genetically modified bananas in Africa,” said Dr Nape. “We have the capacity to manage genetic improvement of bananas.
Our colleagues in the Diaspora have identified some of the desired genes, which if incorporated in our indigenous bananas, will save us from most if not all diseases, pests and weevils,” he said.
NARO’s efforts to improve bananas in the past using conventional means were unsuccessful as the banana does not produce seed needed in conventional breeding.
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