Use and Evaluation of Commercial Starch and Gum Arabic Blends as Low-cost Gelling Materials   for Tissue Culture Banana Propagation

Islam Fath Alrhman Ahmed Elmah; Abdelazim Mohamed Ali; Ibrahim Abdelmaksoud Ibrahim

Islam Fath Alrhman Ahmed Elmah Faculty of Agriculture, Nile Valley University, Atbara, Sudan
Abdelazim Mohamed Ali Faculty of Agriculture, Nile Valley University, Atbara, Sudan
Ibrahim Abdelmaksoud Ibrahim Kaffaa Project, Berber, Sudan

Keywords: Low cost alternatives, Gelling agent, Commercial starch, Gum Arabic, Growth efficiency

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the efficiency of blend of different quantities of commercial starch and Gum Arabic as media solidifying material and banana plantlets healthy growth as a substitute for high cost conventional gelling materials (agar, agarose and gelrite). Nine blends of these materials from them other using some conventional agar were tested. Result indicated that adding 20-40 grams of commercial starch with 0-5 grams of Gum Arabic to one liter of prepared medium component resulted in sufficient gelling results, with reasonable pH and satisfactory explant growth.