Manoranjitham (AAA)
This is an unique genotype belonging to the AAA genomic group, endemic to Kolli Hills of Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the near extinct banana landraces in India. Preliminary screening of banana germplasm revealed that cv. Manoranjitham as resistant to leaf spot disease end presently being used in the functional genomic studies for Pseudocercospora eumusae leaf spot resistance at NRCB. Since this variety has AAA genomic background and exhibiting female fertility, it can be used to improve banana against Eumusae leaf spot disease.
Saba (ABB)
This is an introduced accession from Philippines through ITC, Belgium. It is an excellent cooking banana (but also with dual utility –cooking and dessert) with ABB genomic group well suited for marginal soils and hence mostly recommended for small and marginal farmers for subsistence cultivation. It has been identified as drought tolerant cultivar through phenotyping bananas for soil moisture stress. Hence this cultivar is being used for transcriptome and proteomic studies to understand the molecular and proteomic response of banana to soil moisture deficit stress.
Grand Naine (AAA)
This is an accession belonging to Cavendish group of bananas with AAA genome. It has occupied more than 60% of the banana industry both at national and global levels. This is the only variety monopolizing the export market. Very high yield potential, amenability to tissue culture, good response to hi tech production practices have made this cultivar very popular. It is highly susceptible to both eumusae leaf spot diseases, nematodes, Erwinia rot and abiotic stresses like salt and drought.
Karthobiumtham (ABB)
It is distributed in north eastern region of India. Bunch is small, slightly angular with 4-5 hands of loosely packed fruits. It is an unstable mutant for male bud absence. When there is no male phase, fruits are long, starchy and looks like a plantain cultivar. Screening for resistance to root lesion nematode (Pratylenchus coffeae) at NRCB has led to the identification of Karthobiumtham as a resistant germplasm.
Nendran (AAB)
It is plantain type mainly cultivated in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and commonly referred as breakfast food of Kerala. Fruits are consumed as cooked, ripened, fried, boiled, steamed etc. Growers get premium prices depending on the season and occasion. This is one variety along with its other ecotypes which covers the southern landscape both as backyard and a commercial cultivar.It is highly susceptible to root lesion nematode whereas tolerant to Fusarium wilt.