Banana Genetic Resource Assessment and Conservation in Southeast Asia: Philippines

Roanne Gardoce of the University of the Philippines Los Baños in the Philippines will characterize the wild banana relative Mus acuminata ssp. errans to explore its untapped potential in banana breeding. This Mus subspecies, locally known as Agutay, is endemic to the Philippines and Indonesia. They will compare its growth in an upland and lowland location in the Philippines, with a focus on genotype-by-environment interactions. They will sequence the genomes of the Philippine and Indonesian Agutay, compare them to wild banana reference genomes, and develop chromosome-scale genome assemblies. They will perform genetic studies of resistance to the key disease Banana Bunchy Top Disease, using crosses between Philippine M. balbisiana (which is resistant) and M. acuminata (which is sensitive). They will also analyze the pollen biology of Philippine Agutay and M. balbisiana to guide efficient breeding and characterize their seeds to guide their long-term storage for conservation.