Enhancement of regeneration efficiency in banana (Musa acuminata cv. Berangan) by using proline and glutamine

• Nitrogen supplements enhanced banana regeneration through cell suspension culture.
• First report on the addition of nitrogen supplements in banana cell culture.
• The number of plantlets obtained depended on the type of nitrogen supplements added.
• Glutamine was superior to proline in the solid and liquid media tested.

Regeneration of Musa acuminata cv. Berangan (AAA) from embryogenic cell suspension was enhanced by using proline and glutamine. Sixteen embryo development media consisting of different concentrations of proline and glutamine were tested. Glutamine was preferred as the source of organic nitrogen supplement compared to proline. The embryos developed in liquid media were shown to produce 10.6-fold higher number of plantlets in lesser duration (1.5 to 2.5 months) as compared to solid media. Optimum somatic embryo development was observed in liquid media supplemented with 400 mg/l glutamine (M4GL) with an average regeneration of 33,844 ± 402 plantlets per ml of settled cell volume (SCV). Although both amino acids have proven to promote the embryo development, concentrations of proline between 200 to 400 mg/l in liquid media caused abnormal embryo differentiation.