71 Genetically Modified Bananas: Past, Present and Future S. Remy 1 , G. Kovács 1 , R. Swennen 1,2 and B. Panis 1,2,a 1 Laboratory of Tropical Crop Improvement, KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), Kasteelpark Arenberg 13 bus 2455, 3001 Leuven, Belgium 2 Bioversity International, Kasteelpark Arenberg 13 bus 2455, 3001 Leuven, Belgium Keywords: banana, Musa spp., genetic engineering, field trials, GMO, embryogenic cell suspension, Agrobacterium transformation, particle bombardment Abstract Edible bananas comprise several characteristics that make them an ideal target for improvement through genetic engineering: (i) they constitute the N° 1 fresh fruit crop in the world, (ii) they are highly sterile which makes classical breeding extremely difficult but at the same time prevents transgene drift via pollen into the environment, (iii) their cultivation is monoclonal, and (iv) they are susceptible to a wide range of pests and diseases. The latest outbreak of Fusarium wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense “Tropical Race 4 or TR4”, which is seriously threatening the international banana trade, strengthens the need for developing resistant bananas. Despite these facts, the number of publications and research groups dealing with genetic engineering of banana remains low compared to other crops. Possible reasons are among others the difficulties in obtaining transformation competent tissues (in case of banana embryogenic cell suspensions or ECS), the duration to obtain fully transformed plants, the cost and effort of maintaining transgenic lines, the lack of a proper and functional legal biosafety system for testing and culturing GMOs in many banana producing countries and the size of individual banana plants rendering large scale testing of transgenes extremely costly. In this review, we discuss the 19 years history of banana genetic modification. An overview of the different transformation methodologies will be given, from the first reports on protoplast electroporation to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of ECS. Also the applications of this technology for banana improvement (agronomic treats, quality treats, etc.) will be discussed along with examples of confined field trials of genetically modified bananas. Finally, a brief overview of the research topics on banana genetic engineering at the Laboratory of Tropical Crop Improvement (LTCI, KU Leuven, Belgium) is discussed. Topics include selectable marker genes, promoter and gene characterization as well as molecular breeding for fungus and drought resistance. INTRODUCTION Bananas (Musa spp.) are giant perennial herbs that are produced in more than 120 tropical and subtropical countries and provide a staple food for 400-1000 million people. They are the largest fruit crop in the world with an annual production of 138 million tonnes (2010, FAO) (for comparison; the apple production in 2010 was 70 million tonnes). Useful products are fruit that can be consumed fresh, dried, fermented or cooked, terminal buds that are eaten as a vegetable, fibres, corm and leaves. Many pests and diseases attack bananas in the field. These are caused by fungi (Sigatoka or leaf streak diseases and Panama disease), viruses (Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), Banana streak virus (BSV), Banana bract mosaic virus (BBMV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)), bacteria (Moko disease, Xanthomonas wilt), nematodes (Radopholus similis, Pratylenchus goodeyi, P. coffeae, Helicotylenchus multicinctus) and insects (banana weevil). Next to creating banana cultivars that are resistant to these diseases, other targets for improvement are related to higher production, better fruit a Bart.Panis@biw.kuleuven.be Proc. 2 nd Genetically Modified Organisms in Horticulture Symposium Ed.: M.A. Veale Acta Hort. 974, ISHS 2013