Cross Compatibility Evaluation of Musa acuminata Var. Rejang: Interspesies Perspektif and Inside into Parthenocarpy Phenomena

Abstract

Bananas (Musa spp.) are one of the world’s major tropical horticultural commodities, playing a significant role as a food source and possessing high economic value. The Rejang banana is the ancestor of cultivated bananas and possesses potential for genetic diversity; however, information regarding its reproduction remains limited. The objective of this study was to observe the developmental stages of seeds following pollination and to compare fruit and seed growth under conditions of interspecific hybridization. The study was conducted using a descriptive method in the BRIN laboratory and experimental garden, covering observations of stigma receptivity, pollen viability, and fruit development resulting from crosses between parthenocarpic and non-parthenocarpic wild bananas. The results showed that although pollen viability was high at 87%, stigma receptivity was low, with a score of 1. Various interspecific crosses between Pisang Rejang and male parent plants consistently resulted in perfectly seedless fruits, indicating a failure of fertilization or embryogenesis, as well as low cross-compatibility. This confirms the presence of a strong parthenocarpy mechanism in Pisang Rejang, influenced by both genetic and hormonal factors. Overall, the low success rates of cross-pollination in both intraspecific and interspecific combinations indicate the presence of reproductive barriers at the pre- and post-fertilization stages. Therefore, the Rejang banana is classified as a genotype with significant reproductive constraints, necessitating alternative breeding strategies to improve seed production success.