| MadSci Network: Botany |
Yes, wild banana species have seeds. Cultivated seedless bananas do have fruits however it is a seedless fruit because the plant is triploid. Triploid bananas originated from a cross between a diploid banana, with 2 sets of chromosomes, and a tetraploid banana, with four sets of chromosomes. Each parent gives half its chromosomes to its offspring so a diploid plant (2n) crossed with a tetraploid plant (4n) produces triploid (3n) offspring. If you want to breed seedless bananas, you have to cross a tetraploid and a diploid each time, which makes breeding complicated. The main cultivated banana is Musa x paradisiaca. Its parents are Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. Seeds for seedless watermelons are produced by crossing a diploid and tetraploid. The resulting watermelon seeds are triploid, so they grow into plants that produce seedless fruits. You could also create banana plants with new traits by using genetic engineering to insert new genes into a triploid banana plants. Scientists are planning to determine the location of banana genes on the chromosomes to make genetic engineering of banana easier. References Banana diversity Musa X paradisiaca Linnaeus, and Musa acuminata Colla Re: Can bananas have seeds? I just opened a Dole Banana with seeds Re: Responding to your answer about no seeds in bananas Scientists try to build a Better Banana Banana (Musa species)
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