Banana researchers scoop regional award
Feb 07, 2005
A young scientist at Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute is set to boost banana produce in the country.
A young scientist at Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute is set to boost banana produce in the country.
Priver Namanya, tissue culture supervisor at the research centre has extracted cells from the male bud of local banana varieties from which, plantlets of the same genotype can be reproduced.
Some plantlets are already out in experimental plots. It will now be possible to control several banana farming constraints like resistance to drought, pests and diseases that frustrate scientific innovation in local banana varieties because they do not seed.
Namanya’s innovation is a great scientific boost to the improvement of highland banana varieties.
She was recently honoured as the best young scientist of 2004 in the region by the committee of Directors of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa in a function held at Hotel Equatorial in Kampala.
“It is an achievement for NARO and other stakeholder institutions that provided guidance and financial support towards the success of my initiative,†Namanya said while receiving the award.
The director general of NARO, Dr Otim Nape, who presented the Award on behalf of the research award committee, said the cell suspension system is a big contribution to banana development using bio-technology.
He said, it is now possible to introduce the desired gene to the cells and generate thousands of banana plantlets which are resistant to pests, diseases or any other production constraints.
“The absence of the bio-safety laws is our only limitation to developing the first genetically modified bananas in Africa. We have the capacity to manage genetic improvement of bananas.
Our colleagues in the Diaspora have identified some of the desired genes, which if incorporated in our indigenous bananas, will save us from most if not all the diseases, pests and weevils,†he said.
NARO’s efforts to improve bananas in the past using the conventional means was difficult because the banana does not produce seed, needed in conventional breeding.
“These results are promising and with bio-technology, we cannot afford to lag behind in science,†Dr Nape said.