Plantain (
Musa x paradisiaca
L., AAB genomic group) is a useful supplement to the nutritional balance of populations in developing countries. The objective of this study was to improve the multiplication rate of
in situ plantain (
Musa x paradisiaca L.) seeds through the supply of substances with cytokinin activity. Suckers of 10 cm height and related to the parent plant, called strain-suckers, were used to produce shoots. The pseudo-trunk of plantain tree was decorticated, then the apical meristem extracted. Four milliliters of each substance (6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) ; Kinétine and Coconut water) were introduced in the cavity left by the extracted meristem. For each substances, the effect of the diameter of first-generation strain-suckers (d < 9; 9 < d < 12 cm and d > 12 cm) was tested. This operation was repeated once so as to have the second and third generations. BAP induced the highest number of buds after three generations. The optimal concentration of BAP was 40 mg L
-1. Similarly, all concentrations of coconut water stimulated production of seedlings. Among different diameters of strain-suckers, the largest number of buds was induced with strain-suckers larger than 9 cm in diameter. The production of leafy shoots varied greatly, depending on the solutions tested and the size of strain-suckers used. After 3 to 4 months, seedlings obtained were ready to be transferred in the field.