Propagation of Disease-Cleaned Suckers

Propagate Success with Clean Suckers

The propagation of disease-cleaned suckers involves two main techniques: field-based and detached corm methods. Field-based techniques include complete and false decapitation, stimulating lateral production of sucker buds by destroying the meristematic corm. Partial decapitation involves making a hole in the pseudostem to destroy the meristem. Detached corm techniques use excised buds or plants resulting from stem fragments, producing a higher number of seedlings with greater growth uniformity. It's crucial that starting material for macro-propagation is free of pests and diseases. Clean knives and hardened sprouts are essential for all methods to prevent disease transmission. Additionally, a propagation chamber of specific dimensions is used, filled with a substrate mixture sterilized by steam to ensure optimal conditions for growth.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•8

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 8/9

Positive or neutral impact

Adults 18 and over: Positive high
The poor: Positive high
Under 18: Positive medium
Women: Positive high

Positive or neutral impact

Climate adaptability: It adapts really well
Adaptability for farmers: It helps a lot
Biodiversity: It helps them grow and thrive
Carbon footprint: It reduces emissions a little
Environment: It makes a big difference
Soil quality: It makes the soil healthier and more fertile
Water usage: It uses a lot less water

Problem

Contaminated Planting Materials: Natural regeneration often results in contaminated banana and plantain planting materials, harming productivity and lifespan.
Limited Access to Quality Seedlings: Farmers depend on local markets for suckers, limiting access to high-quality, disease-free seedlings crucial for optimal growth.
Reduced Productivity and Lifespan: The use of contaminated planting materials contributes to reduced productivity and a shorter lifespan of banana and plantain plants.
Financial Barriers to Seedling Acquisition: Farmers face financial barriers when acquiring planting materials, impacting their ability to invest in sustainable agricultural practices.
Lack of Uniform Growth: Traditional methods result in non-uniform growth, affecting the overall efficiency of banana and plantain cultivation.
Stress-Prone Plantlets: Conventional methods may lead to stress-prone plantlets, negatively impacting their adaptation and performance in the field.

Solution

Disease-Free Seedlings: Macro-propagation ensures the production of banana and plantain seedlings free from pests and diseases, promoting healthier and more resilient crops.
Affordable, High-Quality Seedlings: By offering a cost-effective method, macro-propagation addresses the challenge of limited access to quality seedlings, allowing farmers to acquire high-quality planting materials at an affordable price.
Enhanced Productivity and Lifespan: Macro-propagation contributes to increased productivity and prolonged lifespan of banana and plantain plants by providing disease-free and robust seedlings for cultivation.
Financially Accessible Planting Materials: This technique reduces financial barriers by offering a low-cost method of obtaining disease-free seedlings, enabling farmers to invest in sustainable agricultural practices without excessive financial strain.
Uniform Growth Promotion: Macro-propagation ensures more uniform growth of banana and plantain seedlings, improving overall efficiency in cultivation and resulting in a more consistent crop.
Stress-Resistant Plantlets: The method produces stress-resistant plantlets, enhancing their ability to adapt and perform well in various environmental conditions, contributing to successful crop establishment.
Effective Pest and Disease Management: Macro-propagation incorporates effective control measures against pests and diseases, addressing the inefficiencies of conventional practices and improving overall farm health.
Predictable Crop Establishment: By moving away from natural regeneration, macro-propagation provides a more predictable and reliable method for crop establishment, reducing uncertainties in the farming process.

Key points to design your ORG TEXT

ORG specific text

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Cost: $$$ 1500 USD per 8000 plantlets

Nusery four months maintenance

ROI: $$$ 725—1050 USD

Net profit per cycle

340 USD

2,500 plantlets shade house

2,300 USD

Cost of chamber of 8,000 plantlets

IP

Open source / open access

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested

Countries where the technology has been tested and adopted
Country	Tested	Adopted
Benin	Tested	–Not adopted
Burkina Faso	Tested	–Not adopted
Burundi	Tested	–Not adopted
Cameroon	Tested	–Not adopted
Côte d’Ivoire	Tested	–Not adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Tested	–Not adopted
Ethiopia	Tested	–Not adopted
Ghana	Tested	–Not adopted
Kenya	Tested	–Not adopted
Malawi	Tested	–Not adopted
Mali	Tested	–Not adopted
Nigeria	Tested	–Not adopted
Rwanda	Tested	Adopted
Somalia	Tested	–Not adopted
South Sudan	Tested	–Not adopted
Tanzania	Tested	Adopted
Togo	Tested	–Not adopted
Uganda	Tested	Adopted
Zambia	Tested	–Not adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid	–	–	–	–
Semiarid	–	–	–	–
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 1: no poverty

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

False Decapitation:

a. Select a 6-month-old banana or plantain plant.

b. Incise the pseudostem at 20 cm from the ground level, creating a square hole.

c. Angle the bottom side of the hole slightly downwards to collect water and sap.

d. Leave the decapitated plant for at least one month to allow for sprouting.

e. After sprouting, detach suckers with three to four leaves and transplant them to the field.

Complete Decapitation:

a. Choose a 6-month-old plant.

b. Cut down the plant to ground level.

c. Excise the middle 5 cm of the softer meristem, leaving the harder corm intact.

d. Cover the cut stem with soil to promote sprouting.

e. Within three weeks, four to seven suckers will emerge.

f. Detach suckers with three to four leaves and transplant them to the field.

Detached Corm Technique:

a. Collect healthy suckers between flowering and harvest.

b. Cut roots from the suckers and wash them.

c. Peel the leaf sheaths from the suckers.

d. Submerge the whole corm in boiling water for 30-40 minutes or use fungicide for 20 minutes to sanitize.

e. Scarify the corm by making a shallow incision at the top.

f. Let the corm air dry for 24 hours.

g. Plant the whole corm in the weaning chamber at a 30 cm distance or split it into 2 or 3 fragments/buds and plant at a 10 cm distance.

h. Cover with 2 cm of sawdust.

Weaning Chamber Preparation:

a. Create a propagation chamber with dimensions 1.5 m wide, 5 m long, and 1 m high.

b. Cover it with transparent polyethylene, ensuring at least 50% shading.

c. Fit plastic covers to maintain high humidity and temperature.

d. Fill the chamber with a substrate mixture of soil, composted manure, and sawdust or other materials at a ratio of 6:3:1.

e. Steam-sterilize the substrate by placing it on top of a metal drum containing boiling water.

Knife Sterilization:

a. Clean knives with boiled water before use to avoid disease transmission.

b. For the detached corm technique, ensure that knives are specifically cleaned when using hardened sprouts.

Propagation Unit Setup:

a. Determine locations for macro-propagation units and nurseries.

b. Develop a timeline for unit setup.

c. Mobilize materials and resources for unit setup.

d. Specify activities involved in setting up and maintaining the units.

e. Establish a plan for sharing/distributing planting material.

f. Ensure financial and environmental sustainability of the unit.

Last updated on 22 May 2024

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
John Derera

Technology originally documented by

ProPAS

Commodities

Banana/Plantain

Sustainable Development Goals Details ›

Subcategory

Seed system

Value chain step

Production

Solution for

Vegetative propagation

Best used with

Tested/adopted in Details ›

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested

Where it can be used Details ›

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones.

Target groups

Farmers Seed companies