Banana agronomy – can unravelling the Musa genome help?

Unravelling the Musa genome allows genes and alleles linked to desired traits to be identified. Short stature and early flowering are desirable agronomic features of banana, as they are of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum). In wheat they were achieved through knowledge of the physiology and genetics of vernalization and photoperiod during development. Bananas and plantains have a facultative long-day response to photoperiod, as do wheat and wall cress (Arabidopsis thaliana). Using keyword searches of the genome of Musa acuminata 'Pahang' we found homologues of the genes of either T. aestivum or Arabidopsis that govern responses to vernalization and photoperiod. This knowledge needs to be interpreted in the context of plant development. Bananas have juvenile, mid-vegetative and reproductive phases of development. Leaf and bunch 'clocks' operate concurrently throughout the juvenile and mid-vegetative phases. In the mid-vegetative phase the plant becomes sensitive to photoperiod. Increased sensitivity to photoperiod reduces the overall pace of the bunch clock without affecting the leaf clock. Separation of the clocks changes the link between leaf number and time of flowering. The 'critical' quantitative trait for the time of flowering is the pace of the bunch clock up to bunch initiation. For bunch size it is the duration of the subsequent phase of female hand formation. Plants with either a short juvenile phase or a faster bunch clock in the mid-vegetative phase will produce fewer leaves and bunch early. In turn, independent manipulation of hand number per bunch and/or fruit per hand will provide manageable bunches with appropriate fruit size. Using published data we explore relationships between plant height, leaf number, bunch weight and hand number among bananas and plantains. Identifying and then manipulating the appropriate genes in Musa opens opportunities for earlier flowering, leading to plants with desirable agronomic qualities.

Musa spp. banana and plantain

This chapter discusses the botany and history, importance, breeding and genetics, molecular genetics, micropropagation (to control viruses), somatic cell genetics, genetic manipulation and cryopreservation of banana and plantain.

Single gene resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Race 4 in the wild banana Musa acuminata subsp. malaccensis

Fusarium wilt of banana, caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), is one of the most destructive diseases of banana. A particularly virulent strain of the pathogen, tropical race 4 (TR4), presents an emerging threat to banana producing regions throughout the world. No commercially acceptable banana cultivar is resistant to TR4 and, as with all strains of the Fusarium wilt pathogen, there is no effective chemical control. Genetic resistance to TR4 has been observed in the diploid wild banana Musa acuminata subsp. malaccensis, which has consequently received attention as a potential source of Fusarium resistance genes. The aim of this research was to determine the pattern of inheritance of the resistance trait by screening plants for resistance to Foc subtropical race 4 (SR4) and TR4. Our results showed that the F1 progeny of self-fertilized malaccensis plants challenged in pot trials against SR4 (VCGs 0120, 0129, 01211) and TR4 (VCG 01213/16) segregated for resistance according to a Mendelian ratio of 3:1 which is consistent with a single dominant gene hypothesis.

Incidência de fungos em pós-colheita de banana 'Prata anã'(Musa AAB)

Este trabalho teve por objetivo determinar a ocorrência e a freqüência de fungos em banana 'Prata anã' e elucidar o agente causal das podridões em pós-colheita de frutos provenientes do norte de Minas Gerais. Dois métodos de isolamento foram adotados: diluição em placas, a partir da lavagem de frutos verdes, e direto de frutos maduros. Os fungos Colletotrichum musae, Trichoderma harzianum, Fusarium equisetii, Penicillium sp. Aspergillus parasiticus, Trichothecium roseum, Colletotrichum acutatum, Alternaria sp., Cladosporium musae e Curvularia lunata foram os mais freqüentemente associados aos frutos. A patogenicidade desses fungos foi testada pela substituição de discos da casca de frutos verdes por discos de micélio. Colletotrichum musae apresentou área média lesionada em torno do ponto de inoculação igual a 5,8 cm², enquanto para os demais fungos testados não passou de 1,50 cm². Os resultados mostraram que C. musae é o agente primário das podridões dos frutos examinados com 100 % de incidência e os demais fungos limitaram-se a necrosar os ferimentos em torno do ponto de inoculação. O modo de infecção latente, causada por C. musae, parece favorecer, primeiramente, a colonização interna dos tecidos e, posteriormente, a ação dos fungos oportunistas, que aceleram as podridões nos frutos e na coroa.

Efeito da aplicação continuada de biosólido na compartimentalização de metais em solo cultivado com banana (Musa spp).

EFEITO DA APLICAÇÃO CONTINUADA DE BIOSÓLIDO NA COMPARTIMENTALIZAÇÃO DE METAIS EM SOLO CULTIVADO COM BANANA (MUSA SPP). MA040 Germana Breves Rona1; Fernanda Ardilha1; Fernanda Serrenho1; Sarai de Alcantara1; Daniel Vidal Perez2; Luiz A.S. Melo3., germanarona@hotmail.com 1Instituto de Química/UFRJ, Av. Brig. Trompovsky, s/nº, Cidade Universitária, CEP 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro (RJ); 2Embrapa Solos, R. Jardim Botânico, 1024, CEP: 22460-000, Rio de Janeiro (RJ). 3Embrapa Meio Ambiente, Caixa Postal 69, CEP: 13820-000, Jaguariúna (SP) (INTRODUÇÃO) O lodo de esgoto é rico em matéria orgânica e nutrientes, podendo substituir, ainda que parcialmente, os fertilizantes minerais. Graças a essas características, esse resíduo pode desempenhar importante papel na produção agrícola e na manutenção da fertilidade do solo. Entretanto, esse composto apresenta materiais pesados em sua composição. Assim torna-se necessário ponderar as variações das formas disponíveis desses elementos. Nesse sentido, a extração seqüencial é uma metodologia que permite avaliar o destino principal de dado metal no solo em função de suas preferências de ligação química na matriz organomineral. No entanto, essa análise consome muito tempo e reagente. A possibilidade de relacionar essa extração complexa com uma mais simples seria interessante. É o objetivo do presente trabalho, portanto, avaliar a relação entre uma metodologia de extração seqüencial e os dois métodos de extração simples mais usados no Brasil, Mehlich 1 e DTPA. (METODOLOGIA) As amostras foram coletadas em um ensaio instalado no campo experimental da Embrapa-Meio Ambiente (Jaguariúna, SP) em um Argissolo Vermelho- Amarelo. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos ao acaso com 5 repetições. Os tratamentos estudados foram: 1. fertilização mineral (NPK), com base na análise de solo; 2. aplicação de lodo de esgoto com base na sua concentração de nitrogênio e mantendo a metade da quantidade aplicada na fertilização mineral (N/2); 3 aplicação de lodo de esgoto mantendo a quantidade de N aplicada na fertilização mineral (N); 4. duas vezes a concentração de lodo de esgoto aplicada no tratamento 3 (2N). Dois tipos de lodo foram aplicados: entre 2000 e 2004 usou-se lodo originário da região de Barueri (SP), tipicamente industrial.; em 2005 foi aplicado lodo originário do município de Jundiaí (SP), que pode ser considerado de característica doméstica. Ambos foram fornecidos pela SABESP, na forma adequada para aplicação agrícola. As amostras de solo foram coletadas na profundidade de 0-20 cm no ano de 2006. A extração seqüencial foi a descrita por Wasserman et al. (2005). As extrações simples, DTPA e Mehlich 1 seguiram a metodologia da Embrapa (1997). A determinação de Fe, Cu, Zn e Cr foi realizada por ICP-OES (PE OTIMA 3000). (RESULTADOS) As extrações simples de Fe, Cu, Zn e Cr correlacionaram-se positiva e significativamente com as principais fases do solo ligadas à biodisponibilidade. Os elementos Fe e Zn, extraídos tanto por Mehlich 1, como por DTPA, correlacionaram-se com mais significânica com a Fase 1, ligada à CTC do solo. Já os elementos Cu e Cr, correlacionaram-se melhor com a Fase 3, relacionada à matéria orgânica. O Mn extraído por DTPA apresentou melhor correlação com a Fase 1. (CONCLUSÃO) Todos os metais analisados apresentaram uma tendência em aumentarem sua concentração total em função da dose de lodo aplicada. As fases 1 e 3 apresentam importância neste sentido, sendo este um motivo de grande preocupação, por serem frações biodisponíveis, podendo agravar seriamente, os riscos de contaminação pelos metais em questão. No entanto, as concentrações encontradas são bem menores que aquelas recomendadas pela CONAMA no375/2006. Agradecimentos: CNPq, FAPERJ, FUJB, Embrapa

Uso de la papilla de plátano (Musa paradisiaca) más hidratante como complemento en la alimentación de lechones en lactancia

Tesis (Zootecnista). -- Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Programa de Zootecnia, 2013

Eficácia da folha da bananeira (Musa sp.) no controle de Monogenea, parasita de tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum).

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficácia da folha da bananeira (Musa sp.) no controle de monogeneas, parasitas de tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum).

Respostas fisiológicas do tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) alimentado com rações contendo farinha de folha de bananeira (Musa sp.).

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficácia da farinha de folha de bananeira (Musa sp.) na alimentação de tambaqui sobre os parâmetros hematológicos, as respostas metabólicas e o desempenho zootécnico.

Validação de um promotor de expressão gênica tecido-específico para raiz de Musa spp.

2016

Modelling the broadband wireless channel in rural Australia

The internet infrastructure which supports high data rates has a major impact on the Australian economy and the world. However, in rural Australia, the provision of broadband services to an internet dispersed population over a large geographical area with low population densities remains both an economic and technical challenge [1]. Furthermore, the implementation of currently available technologies such as fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP), 3G, 4G and WiMAX seems to be impractical, considering the low population density that is distributed in a large area. Therefore, new paradigms and innovative telecommunication technologies need to be explored to overcome the challenges of providing faster and more reliable broadband internet services to internet dispersed rural areas. The research project implements an innovative Multi-User- Single-Antenna for MIMO (MUSA-MIMO) technology using the spectrum currently allocated to analogue TV. MUSAMIMO technology can be considered as a special case of MIMO technology, which is beneficial when provisioning reliable and high-speed communication channels. Particularly, the abstract describes the development of a novel MUSA-MIMO channel model that takes into account temporal variations in the rural wireless environment. This can be considered as a novel approach tailor-made to rural Australia for provisioning efficient wireless broadband communications.

Channel tracking algorithms for highly efficient wireless broadband communications in rural areas

High-speed broadband internet access is widely recognised as a catalyst to social and economic development, having a significant impact on global economy. Rural Australia’s inherent dispersed population over a large geographical area make the delivery of efficient, well-maintained and cost-effective internet a challenging task. The novel and highly-efficient Multi-User-Single-Antenna for MIMO (MUSA-MIMO) broadband wireless communication technology can effectively be used to deliver wireless broadband access to rural areas. This research aims to develop for the first time, an efficient and accurate algorithm for the tracking and prediction of Channel State Information (CSI) at the transmitter, by characterising time variation effects of the wireless communication channel on the performance of a highly-efficient MUSA-MIMO technology particularly suited for rural communities, improving their quality of life and economic prosperity.

Efficient wireless broadband communications to rural area

This paper discusses how internet services can be brought one step closer to the rural dispersed communities by improving wireless broadband communications in those areas. To accomplish this objective we describe the use of an innovative Multi-User-Single-Antenna for MIMO (MUSA-MIMO) technology using the spectrum currently allocated to analogue TV. MUSA-MIMO technology can be considered as a special case of MIMO technology, which is beneficial when provisioning reliable and high-speed communication channels. This paper describes channel modelling techniques to characterise the MUSA-MIMO system allowing an effective deployment of this technology. Particularly, it describes the development of a novel MUSA MIMO channel model that takes into account temporal variations in the rural wireless environment. This can be considered as a novel approach tailor-maid to rural Australia for provisioning efficient wireless broadband communications.

The transformation of banana with potential virus resistance genes

One approach to reducing the yield losses caused by banana viral diseases is the use of genetic engineering and pathogen-derived resistance strategies to generate resistant cultivars. The development of transgenic virus resistance requires an efficient banana transformation method, particularly for commercially important 'Cavendish' type cultivars such as 'Grand Nain'. Prior to this study, only two examples of the stable transformation of banana had been reported, both of which demonstrated the principle of transformation but did not characterise transgenic plants in terms of the efficiency at which individual transgenic lines were generated, relative activities of promoters in stably transformed plants, and the stability of transgene expression. The aim of this study was to develop more efficient transformation methods for banana, assess the activity of some commonly used and also novel promoters in stably transformed plants, and transform banana with genes that could potentially confer resistance to banana bunchy top nanovirus (BBTV) and banana bract mosaic potyvirus (BBrMV). A regeneration system using immature male flowers as the explant was established. The frequency of somatic embryogenesis in male flower explants was influenced by the season in which the inflorescences were harvested. Further, the media requirements of various banana cultivars in respect to the 2,4-D concentration in the initiation media also differed. Following the optimisation of these and other parameters, embryogenic cell suspensions of several banana (Musa spp.) cultivars including 'Grand Nain' (AAA), 'Williams' (AAA), 'SH-3362' (AA), 'Goldfinger' (AAAB) and 'Bluggoe' (ABB) were successfully generated. Highly efficient transformation methods were developed for both 'Bluggoe' and 'Grand Nain'; this is the first report of microprojectile bombardment transformation of the commercially important 'Grand Nain' cultivar. Following bombardment of embryogenic suspension cells, regeneration was monitored from single transfom1ed cells to whole plants using a reporter gene encoding the green fluorescent protein (gfp). Selection with kanamycin enabled the regeneration of a greater number of plants than with geneticin, while still preventing the regeneration of non-transformed plants. Southern hybridisation confirmed the neomycin phosphotransferase gene (npt II) was stably integrated into the banana genome and that multiple transgenic lines were derived from single bombardments. The activity, stability and tissue specificity of the cauliflower mosaic virus 358 (CaMV 35S) and maize polyubiquitin-1 (Ubi-1) promoters were examined. In stably transformed banana, the Ubi-1 promoter provided approximately six-fold higher p-glucuronidase (GUS) activity than the CaMV 35S promoter, and both promoters remained active in glasshouse grown plants for the six months they were observed. The intergenic regions ofBBTV DNA-I to -6 were isolated and fused to either the uidA (GUS) or gfjJ reporter genes to assess their promoter activities. BBTV promoter activity was detected in banana embryogenic cells using the gfp reporter gene. Promoters derived from BBTV DNA-4 and -5 generated the highest levels of transient activity, which were greater than that generated by the maize Ubi-1 promoter. In transgenic banana plants, the activity of the BBTV DNA-6 promoter (BT6.1) was restricted to the phloem of leaves and roots, stomata and root meristems. The activity of the BT6.1 promoter was enhanced by the inclusion of intron-containing fragments derived from the maize Ubi-1, rice Act-1, and sugarcane rbcS 5' untranslated regions in GUS reporter gene constructs. In transient assays in banana, the rice Act-1 and maize Ubi-1 introns provided the most significant enhancement, increasing expression levels 300-fold and 100-fold, respectively. The sugarcane rbcS intron increased expression about 10-fold. In stably transformed banana plants, the maize Ubi-1 intron enhanced BT6.1 promoter activity to levels similar to that of the CaMV 35S promoter, but did not appear to alter the tissue specificity of the promoter. Both 'Grand Nain' and 'Bluggoe' were transformed with constructs that could potentially confer resistance to BBTV and BBrMV, including constructs containing BBTV DNA-1 major and internal genes, BBTV DNA-5 gene, and the BBrMV coat protein-coding region all under the control of the Ubi-1 promoter, while the BT6 promoter was used to drive the npt II selectable marker gene. At least 30 transgenic lines containing each construct were identified and replicates of each line are currently being generated by micropropagation in preparation for virus challenge.