Tissue Culture Banana Program on Guam Focuses Its Attention on Establishment of Local Workforce.

Commercial production of bananas on Guam has been restricted by the limited availability of clean, disease-free planting stock. It is possible to overcome this challenge through in vitro propagation, which is efficient, fast and yields disease-free plants. Guam’s Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the University of Guam initiated large-scale tissue culture propagation program focusing on over twenty banana varieties from the West and South Pacific. Shortly after the program was initiated, the Tissue Culture Lab produced 3,000 banana plants that were distributed for a nominal fee to local farmers and residents. Local response was enthusiastic and over the next two years the program acquired a reputation of supplying plants that grow faster and healthier than traditional methods of propagation.  The necessity to sustain tissue culture banana production on Guam has become evident.  Facilitation of in vitro commercialization became the next challenge that required the education and training of a local workforce.  Since neither the University of Guam nor the local Community College offer relevant classes, the Tissue Culture Lab focused its attention on the local community that potentially may find employment as commercial workforce once private laboratories are created.  Details related to program establishment, management and challenges will be presented and discussed.