Pure Appl. Biol., 9(1): 1230-1241, March, 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2020.90003 Published by Bolan Society for Pure and Applied Biology 1230 Research Article Implications of in vitro mutagenesis in Banana (Musa spp.) Muharram Ali 1 , Ghulam Shah Nizamani 2* , Muhammad Tahir Khan 2 , Shafquat Yasmeen 2 , Asma Siddiqui 1 , Imtiaz Ahmed Khan 2 , Muhammad Rashid Nizamani 3 , Faiza Nizamani 4 , Mohammad Aquil Siddiqui 2 and Mazhar Ali Khaskheli 1 1. Department of Biotechnology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam-Pakistan 2. Biotechnology Group, Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA), Tandojam-Pakistan 3. College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling-China 4. Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam-Pakistan *Corresponding author’s email: nizamanigs@gmail.com Citation Muharram Ali, Ghulam Shah Nizamani, Muhammad Tahir Khan, Shafquat Yasmeen, Asma Siddiqui, Imtiaz Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Rashid Nizamani, Faiza Nizamani, Mohammad Aquil Siddiqui and Mazhar Ali Khaskheli. Implications of in vitro mutagenesis in Banana (Musa spp.). Pure and Applied Biology. Vol. 9, Issue 1, pp1230- 1241. http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2020.90003 Received: 09/05/2019 Revised: 15/07/2019 Accepted: 08/09/2019 Online First: 18/09/2019 Abstract Banana is an important crop of Pakistan, grown on large scale in Sindh province of the country. This study was conducted to introduce genetic variability in banana variety basrai and to optimize the micropropagation protocol for the same genotype. Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with various concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), N6- benzyl aminopurine (BAP), indole-3-butyric-acid (IBA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) were used. The genotypes were also radiated via. three different doses of gamma radiation i.e. 10, 20 and 30 Gy. Excellent shoot growth and elongation parameters viz. number of shoots developed bottle -1 (25.77) and shoot length (17.44 cm) were recorded in plantlets cultured on MS media supplemented with 4.00 mg l -1 IAA + 6.00 mg l -1 IBA + 4.00 mg l -1 NAA and 40 g l -1 sucrose; and radiated using 20 Gy dose of gamma radiation. The same combination of culture media and gamma rays’ treatment also showed least days to shoot initiation. Minimum observations for the growth parameters were observed in plantlets radiated with 30 Gy of gamma radiation and grown in MS media containing 2.00 mg l -1 IAA + 2.00 mg l -1 BAP + 2.00 mg l -1 NAA and 40 g l -1 sucrose. Regarding treatments of gamma radiation used in the study, lower doses like 10 and 20 Gy showed stimulatory effects on plantlets’ growth and development while 30 Gy was lethal. This study is significant for banana breeding as apposite induction of genetic variation through mutagenesis and optimal maintenance in the tissue culture will help in developing elite genotypes having near-commercial attributes. Keywords: Banana; Gamma Radiation; Micropropagation; Musa spp.; Tissue culture Introduction Banana is a large perennial herb (Musa spp.). It comes from the monocotyledonous family Musaceae. It is a major fruit crop cultivated in more than 120 countries throughout the tropics and subtropics, where