Cryopreservation of in vitro-grown shoot tips of banana (Musa spp) by vitrification method

Vitrification was successfully applied to the cryopreservation of shoot tip s isolated from in vitro plantlets of different cultivars of banana. Three essential conditions were identified to optimize the protocol i.e. 1) selec tion of suitable shoot tips as explants, 2) loading with a solution of 2M g lycerol + 0.4M sucrose for 20 min at 25 degrees C and 3) dehydration with a vitrification solution (PVS2) for 20-30 min at 0 degrees C before rapid pl unging of the shoot tips into liquid nitrogen. Compared to other cryostorag e techniques for banana germplasm, this protocol appeared to be simpler to conduct and resulted in higher rates of post-thaw recovery (average, 69%).