Propagación in vitro de banano (Musa spp.) por embriogénesis somática

The banana is a fruit of great consumption worldwide due to its high nutritional value and is a source of economic income for producing countries. However, the susceptibility of cultivars to pests and diseases, and the complexity of plant regeneration due to high levels of ploidy and sterility, hinder the process of plant propagation. Somatic embryogenesis (SE), through embryogenic cells, constitutes an effective tool for the mass propagation of banana plants due to high multiplication coefficients and low production costs. The purpose of this article is to describe the processes of in vitro propagation of banana plants (Musa spp.) through a bibliographic review of the applications of somatic embryogenesis in micropropagation and genetic improvement. A systematic review was conducted in specialized search engines and databases through three stages: planning, execution, and summary.The most relevant results indicate that SE represents an alternative for plant multiplication due to its enormous potential for tissue regeneration in a short period. However, the risk of somaclonal variation has limited its expansion on a commercial scale. On the other hand, SE is being used in studies related to the genetic transformation of plants. The susceptibility of the crop to diseases such as M. fijiensis, F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc R4T), and banana streak virus (BSV) has encouraged the development of resistant varieties through embryogenic cell culture and the use of protoplasts. Similarly, the application of gene transfer or gene editing techniques has made it possible to obtain new varieties with resistance or tolerance to the main crop diseases.