Micropropagation of Musa plants is applied on a wide scale in order to obtain plantlets with high sanitary quality. In vitro cultivation may lead to somaclonal variation that can cause harm the producers. Currently, differentiation of somaclonal variants is possible only in the field based on the exaggerated growth of the plants. Mutants for gibberellin production are dwarfed and this mutation is reverted by applying gibberellic acid. The anatomy of plants cultivated in vitro and ex vitro can give information to improve micropropagation techniques. The objective of this work was to differentiate normal plants from variant ones by anatomic structures. For this propose, leaves of banana plants 'Prata-anã' cultivated in vitro, during the acclimatization phase and in the field after the visual detection of somaclonal variation, were used. Paradermic sections were produced to evaluate the stomata complex. Transverse sections were done to measure adaxial and abaxial epidermal-face thickness, chlorophyll parenchyma andmidrib. Structural differences were detected in plants during developmental phases. Moreover, in this work it was possible to determine anatomical markers to distinguish normal from variant plants based on midrib diameter and inferior hypodermis.
in vitro culture; Anatomic markers; Phenotypic variation
