The role of mutation techniques and genomics for banana and plantain (Musa spp.), major staple crops in the tropics

Bananas and plantains are produced in 126 countries throughout the tropics and sub-tropics, on an area of 12.5 million acres (5Mha), with annual production exceeding 100 million tons. Dessert bananas exported as one of the most widely eaten of the 'five-a-day fruits' in the industrialized countries, with a value of $US 4.86 billion and underpinning the economy of many developing countries, account for 15% of this total. The remainder provide a staple food and major source of income for as many as 400 million people in developing countries. The banana export industry relies on genetically closely related clones of the Cavendish sub-group (sterile triploids, AAA). Though high-yielding, this sub-group of cultivars is extremely vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses and, due to high levels of sterility, is very hard to improve though classical breeding. A high quality genomic sequence of Musa has immediate application in assisting localization and identification of genes and alleles related to biotic (pest and disease) stresses, to abiotic (environmental, including drought, flooding, wind and salinity) stresses and to fruit quality (including post-harvest processes and nutrition). The latest information on activities and resources developed by the Global Musa Genomics Consortium will be presented. It will be demonstrated that by organizing the Global Musa Genomics Consortium (currently comprising 37 member institutions from 24 countries), duplication of effort can be minimized and the results of Musa genomics research are rapidly made accessible to taxonomists, breeders and the biotechnology community. (author)