September 2014 – Vol. 97 No. 3

Banana is the most important fruit crop in the Philippines, ranking first in terms of production and area harvested. Musa acuminata Colla cv. Lakatan and Musa balbisiana Colla cv. Saba are two of the most popular banana cultivars in the Philippine local market and yet, molecular studies on these cultivars are limited. Several cDNA isoforms of the MADS2 gene, which is involved in developmental regulation of fruit ripening, were isolated and characterized in ‘Lakatan’ and ‘Saba’ to gain insights on the ripening process of these cultivars.

{Photograph courtesy of Ms. Laarni Grace M. Corales, Institute of Plant Breeding, Crop Science Cluster, College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna 4031, Philippines}