An Israeli agricultural biotechnology company is looking to trial tissue cultured banana varieties in major Australian growing areas and to collaborate on developing a variety resistant to Panama disease.
Several North Queensland growers, hosted by Haifa Australia and Lindsay Rural, recently visited the plant propagation, selection and breeding company, Rahan Meristem, located near Israel’s north-west border with Lebanon.
While it could be some time before the company’s varieties are commercially available in Australia, the growers were excited with the opportunity to access its tissue cultured technologies for the local industry.
The company is already working with Philippines growers to identify TR4 resistant types and it has clonal material being screened for TR4 resistance in Holland.
Scientific director Dr Eli Khayat told the growers Rahan Meristem was seeking to pass Australian quarantine and establish two field trials in the country’s major growing areas.
Rahan Meristem takes superior clones of leading cultivated idio-types and evaluates them for increased yield and fruit quality in tropical and subtropical climates.
This results in preferred selections of pest and disease-free banana cultivars and plants capable of increasing plantation profits.
