Special edition 2009 on Banana Protocols

This special issue of Fruits, Banana Protocols, gathered together various methods useful for the researchers, engineers and technicians who devote themselves to the study and the cultivation of the banana and plantain. These articles provide a detailed description of the methods applicable to the banana, more documented than that generally presented in the chapter the materials and methods of the scientific publications. They are written by specialists in the various disciplines, who use and improve regularly the methods presented. The described protocols relate to a large field of application from the genome study until the installation of the forecasting techniques for controlling the banana diseases, while passing, for example, by biochemistry methods, and different physiology, phytopathology and nematology techniques applied to the banana trees. To order Contents Methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) protocol to assess CpG and CpNpG methylation in the banana genome. Franc-Christophe Baurens, Sandrine Causse, Thierry Legavre Extraction and purification of total RNA from banana tissues (small scale). Didier Mbéguié-A-Mbéguié, Bernard Fils-Lycaon, Marc Chillet, Olivier Hubert, Colette Galas, Rose-Marie Gomez Construction of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries of banana (Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana). Pietro Piffanelli, Alberto D. Vilarinhos, Jan Safar, Xavier Sabau, Jaroslav Dolezel Haploid induction: androgenesis in Musa balbisiana. Frédéric Bakry, Akym Assani, Florence Kerbellec Zygotic embryo rescue in bananas. Frédéric Bakry Chromosome count on banana root tip squashes. Frédéric Bakry, Kenneth Shepherd Mechanical characterisation of banana fruits. Marc Chillet, Luc de Lapeyre de Bellaire, Olivier Hubert, Didier Mbéguié-A-Mbéguié Measurement of banana green life. Marc Chillet, Luc de Lapeyre de Bellaire, Olivier Hubert, Didier Mbéguié-A-Mbéguié Biochemical characterization of pulp of banana fruit: measurement of soluble sugars, organic acids, free ACC and in vitro ACC oxidase. Bernard Fils-Lycaon, Didier Mbéguié-A-Mbéguié, Marc Chillet, Philippe Julianus, Colette Galas, Rose-Marie Gomez, Olivier Hubert Measurement of ethylene production during banana ripening. Marc Chillet, Luc de Lapeyre de Bellaire, Olivier Hubert, Didier Mbéguié-A-Mbéguié Nematode extraction from banana roots by the centrifugal-flotation technique. Jean-Louis Sarah, Marc Boisseau In vitro rearing of Pratylenchidae nematodes on carrot discs. Marc Boisseau, Jean-Louis Sarah Distribution and host plants of Bactrocera cucurbitae in West and Central Africa. Jean-François Vayssières, Jean-Yves Rey, Lanciné Traoré Diagnosis of Mycosphaerella spp., responsible for Mycosphaerella leaf spot diseases of bananas and plantains, through morphotaxonomic observations. Marie-Françoise Zapater, Catherine Abadie, Luc Pignolet, Jean Carlier, Xavier Mourichon Artificial inoculation on plants and banana leaf pieces with Mycosphaerella spp., responsible for Sigatoka leaf spot diseases. Catherine Abadie, Marie-Françoise Zapater, Luc Pignolet, Jean Carlier, Xavier Mourichon A laboratory method to evaluate Pseudocercospora musae's sensitivity to fungicides. Luc de Lapeyre de Bellaire, Jean-Michel Risède Method for early quantification of quiescent infections of Colletotrichum musae on bananas. Luc de Lapeyre de Bellaire, Marc Chillet, Yolande Chilin-Charles Determination of banana fruit susceptibility to post-harvest diseases: wound anthracnose, quiescent anthracnose and crown rot. Luc de Lapeyre de Bellaire, Marc Chillet, Yolande Chilin-Charles Measurement of fungicide efficacy on post-harvest diseases: wound anthracnose, quiescent anthracnose, crown rot. Luc de Lapeyre de Bellaire, Marc Chillet, Yolande Chilin-Charles A laboratory method to evaluate the sensitivity of Colletotrichum musae to postharvest fungicides. Luc de Lapeyre de Bellaire, Yolande Chilin-Charles Isolation of Cylindrocladium spp. in roots and soils from banana cropping systems. Jean-Michel Risède Long-term maintenance of Cylindrocladium strains and procedures for inoculum production. Jean-Michel Risède, Béatrice Rhino Methodology to forecast the harvest date of banana bunches. Jacky Ganry, Marc Chillet A biological forecasting system to control Sigatoka disease of bananas and plantains. Jacky Ganry, Luc de Lapeyre de Bellaire, Xavier Mourichon A biological forecasting system to control Black Leaf Streak disease of bananas and plantains. Éric Fouré, Jacky Ganry