In the present work aimed to study the correlation between the in vivo apical dominance and the in vitro regenerative capacity in banana (Musa acuminata Colla) cvs. Nanicão (AAA) and Grand Naine (AAA). Lateral buds explanted from mother plants showing different apical dominace levels (low, medium and high) were cultivated in the Laboratory of Tissue Culture of EEI/EPAGRI-SC, during five subcultures with 30 days interval in MS culture medium supplemented with BAP (11,1 mmol/l), sucrose (30 g/l), agar (7 g/l) and MS vitamins. The pH was adjusted to 5.8 prior autoclaving. Cultures derived from lateral buds of mother plants showing low level of apical dominace resulted in the highest proliferation rate, with 7.5 shoots per explant for 'Grand Naine'. As for cv Nanicão the highest proliferation rate (10.9 shoots/explants) resulted from mother plants showing medium level of apical dominance.
Apical dominance; banana; micropropagation; Musa acuminata
