Plant regeneration in ceIl suspension culturesof the cooking banana cv. 'Bluggoe' (Musa spp. ABB group).

Embryogenic cell suspension cultures' of the widespread cooking banana clone 'Bluggoe' (Musa spp., ABB group)\Vere established by culturing meristematic "scalps". taken from proliferating shoot-tip cultures, in a modified liquid MS medium containing 5 flM 2,4-D and I flM zeatin. Plant regeneration from suspensión cultures was achieved through a sequen ce of four steps involving different defined media. Embryogenic globules formed when a sieved suspension was cultured in liquid medium without growth regulators. The addition of cytokinin was essential for the subsequent maturation and germination of these globules and resulted in plant recovery frequencies of 10-14.5 per cent. Plant regeneration proceeded through the developmental pathway of somatic embryogeny, which at all stages showed conspicious morphological and histological resemblance with zygotic embryogenesis in a wild Musa species. Somatic embryos were produced directly from ce lis in suspension and not via callus. Germinated banana somatic embryos were successfully established in soil.