Genetic variability among autotetraploid populations of banana plants derived from wild diploids through chromosome doubling using SSR and molecular markers based on retrotransposons

The development of banana cultivars resistant to diseases is the most viable way to minimize crop damages. However, this strategy is limited by the low fertility observed among commercial triploid cultivars, especially those of the Cavendish subgroup. Induced polyploidy has the potential to overcome sterility barriers and allows the development of triploid genotypes with fruit sensory profiles aligned with market demands. This work characterized agronomically five autotetraploid plant populations derived from diploids treated with colchicine. The experiment was conducted using an augmented block design, and 13 agronomic characteristics were evaluated during two production cycles. The sum of ranks proposed by Mulamba and Mock allowed the genotypes Pisang Lilin 8, Malbut 10, Niyarma Yik 2, Pisang Mas 3, and Thong Dok Mak 2 to be selected, which were superior for most of the agronomic characteristics evaluated. SSR and IRAP molecular markers detected variability in the autotetraploid populations, and the analysis of molecular variance supports that approximately 78% of identified variability was contained within the populations studied. Based on the results, it is inferred that the promising autotetraploids can be crossed with diploids to develop secondary triploid hybrids.