ABSTRACT
Spontaneous genetic variation has contributed to the origin of present-day Musa. Spontaneous mutations are considered to have played a role in the origin of almost all of the edible banana and plantain varieties. There is rapid accumulation of genome sequence information for many crop species, including banana. This has allowed the development of hypotheses for gene function based on homologies between different organisms. Reverse-genetic techniques target disruptions in specific loci, providing in vivo testing of gene function and the development of crops with novel traits. Mutagens cause random changes in the nuclear or cytoplasmic DNA, resulting in gene, chromosomal, or genomic mutations. Postmutagenesis handling of mutagenized populations is critical as in vitro mutagenesis of multicellular meristems of Musa spp. leads to a high degree of chimerism. A reverse-genetic strategy that combines traditional mutagenesis with high-throughput mutation discovery can be considered for banana functional genomics and crop improvement.
