India, where 20 per cent of the total fruit-growing area is used to produce table and vegetable variety banana, is unlikely to ever become a major banana exporter, given the domestic demand for it. But delayed ripening will benefit both producers and consumers. While the grower has the choice to harvest only 10-20 per cent of the production at one go, post-harvest losses can be minimised. The consumer gets a product with longer shelf life, without losing any of its defining characteristics of taste and smell.
A multi-gene family called Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) catalyses the oxidation of ACC to ethylene, a plant growth regulator that plays an important role in the fruit’s ripening. The transgenic variety of the fruit carries an anti-sense ACC oxidase gene which inhibits the production of ethylene. This can be done both on and off the vine; hence both the fruit on the plant and the one plucked show delayed ripening. The transgenic variety displays extended storage life and improved quality – hence the great potential for commercial development. The technology has been tested on tomatoes as well.
Dr S.S. Teaotia, former director of horticulture and fruit utilisation, Uttar Pradesh, however believes that Indian bananas have a long way to go before they can meet the high standards of the west. “The kind of bananas, spotted and small, with thin scarred peels that we produce in most of the country, is not acceptable in the western world," he says.
"The substance that plays the dominant role in giving bananas their quality and smell and helps in their ripening is potash. A proper balance of nitrogen, potash and potassium is essential to produce high quality bananas. But our growers continue to use high quantities of nitrogen and urea, in some cases even carbide, for early ripening of bananas. Cultivators also fail to put in the required amount of organic fertilisers, which should be administered as soon as the fruit is planted. A good crop, of which there can be just one harvest in a season, requires at least four doses of fertilisers and adequate water. So before we even start talking of export, what we need to do is to cultivate a better crop,” he added.
Teaotia blames this on the lack of coordination between research laboratories and the horticulture department, as also the tendency of scientific research to remain confined within laboratories instead of being put to practical use.
Many other roadblocks in the production of transgenic bananas can be expected, given the reception to BT Brinjal. While the technology for delayed ripening of tomatoes is not unique to India, the banana ripening one is exclusively Indian and can be considered for patenting.
If all goes well this technology could also be used for mangoes. India accounts for 65 per cent of the world’s total production and still accounts for only one-third of the world’s exports. So, for India’s fruit producers there could be sweet days ahead. Once the technology is on stream, cultivators could be in a position to compete globally. And for this they must thank the scientists who have been working overtime to deliver the banana bonanza.
A multi-gene family called Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) catalyses the oxidation of ACC to ethylene, a plant growth regulator that plays an important role in the fruit’s ripening. The transgenic variety of the fruit carries an anti-sense ACC oxidase gene which inhibits the production of ethylene. This can be done both on and off the vine; hence both the fruit on the plant and the one plucked show delayed ripening. The transgenic variety displays extended storage life and improved quality – hence the great potential for commercial development. The technology has been tested on tomatoes as well.
Dr S.S. Teaotia, former director of horticulture and fruit utilisation, Uttar Pradesh, however believes that Indian bananas have a long way to go before they can meet the high standards of the west. “The kind of bananas, spotted and small, with thin scarred peels that we produce in most of the country, is not acceptable in the western world," he says.
"The substance that plays the dominant role in giving bananas their quality and smell and helps in their ripening is potash. A proper balance of nitrogen, potash and potassium is essential to produce high quality bananas. But our growers continue to use high quantities of nitrogen and urea, in some cases even carbide, for early ripening of bananas. Cultivators also fail to put in the required amount of organic fertilisers, which should be administered as soon as the fruit is planted. A good crop, of which there can be just one harvest in a season, requires at least four doses of fertilisers and adequate water. So before we even start talking of export, what we need to do is to cultivate a better crop,” he added.
Teaotia blames this on the lack of coordination between research laboratories and the horticulture department, as also the tendency of scientific research to remain confined within laboratories instead of being put to practical use.
Many other roadblocks in the production of transgenic bananas can be expected, given the reception to BT Brinjal. While the technology for delayed ripening of tomatoes is not unique to India, the banana ripening one is exclusively Indian and can be considered for patenting.
If all goes well this technology could also be used for mangoes. India accounts for 65 per cent of the world’s total production and still accounts for only one-third of the world’s exports. So, for India’s fruit producers there could be sweet days ahead. Once the technology is on stream, cultivators could be in a position to compete globally. And for this they must thank the scientists who have been working overtime to deliver the banana bonanza.
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