Seed Set Patterns in East African Highland Cooking Bananas Show Asymmetric Distribution in Bunches and Fruits
, Rony Swennen 3,4, Settumba B. Mukasa 1, Arthur K. Tugume 5, Jerome Kubiriba 2, Wilberforce K. Tushemereirwe 2, Michael Batte 6, Allan Brown 3 and Robooni Tumuhimbise 7,*
Edgar Vinson
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Thanks for the opportunity to review the manuscript titled, "Seed set patterns in East African Highland Cooking bananas show the asymmetric distribution in bunches and fruits." The manuscript addresses an issue that is very important and relevant and the overall manuscript is very well written. However, I do have some comments that need to be corrected.
- Please make changes where necessary such as correct grammar, spell checks, missing period or comma, and font size (Line 155).
- I think the introduction section is too short and less informative. Please provide more information on the mentioned banana types; their differences and similarities.
- Line 368: Please correct the spelling of salicylic acid.
- Line 371: Please rearrange the words to make a meaningful sentence.
- Please clarify the limitation of this research as it would provide a better understanding for further research.
Good luck!
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 1 Comments
Point 1: Please make changes where necessary such as correct grammar, spell checks, missing period or comma, and font size (Line 155).
Response 1: Grammar corrected and pollination procedure elaborated as follows;
Figure 1. Procedure of early pollination (technique 3) on Musa (AA group subgroup Mchare) ‘Nshonowa’: (A) Flower bract forced open and tepals removed to expose stigmas for pollination; (B) An excised hand of male flowers rubbed on stigmas to apply pollen; (C) PGM solution applied with hand sprayer; (D) Flower bract returned in position; (E) Inflorescence re-bagged and labeled with names of parents, cross ID and initial date of pollination. Except labeling, steps from A to E are repeated for pollination of next hand when it is ready; and (F) Pollinated bunch left to mature in the open.
Point 2: I think the introduction section is too short and less informative. Please provide more information on the mentioned banana types; their differences and similarities.
Response 2: A paragraph has been added to describe geographical distribution, genetic differences and how they are utilized. The paragraph reads as follows;
The dominant banana type in the Great Lakes region of East Africa is the East African Highland bananas commonly known as Matooke (AAA) [4]. They are grown in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo [4]. There are about 120 Matooke triploids that are further classified into clone sets including; Mbidde (beer type), Musakala, Nakabululu, Nakitembe and Nfuuka [5,4]. The highly starchy Matooke fruits mainly consumed as steamed and mashed or they are ripened and brewed into banana beer for the beer type [4,6]. The Mchare subgroup (AA) which is genetically distinct from Matooke is common in Tanzania [7]. They share the same AA genome with `Gros Michel` and Cavendish triploid bananas [8]. Mchare are genetically homogenous but adapted to wider ecological environments ranging from sea-level to elevations above 1,500 m.a.s.l [9]. They are grown from islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, off the East African coast to the main land of Tanzania, Kenya and central Uganda [4]. Mchare are classified by FAO as dessert bananas but they are mainly consumed as cooked [4] or roasted in Kilimanjaro region [9]. Matooke and Mchare can therefore be collectively referred to as East African Highland Cooking bananas (EAHBs). They belong to the same genetic complex transported from South-East Asia [10].
Point 3: Line 368: Please correct the spelling of salicylic acid.
Response 3: Spelling for salicylic acid corrected
Point 4: Line 371: Please rearrange the words to make a meaningful sentence.
Response 4: Sentence broken into two and revised to make the point clearer. the sentence reads as follows;
This may be linked to the sudden seed set increase observed in bunches from mats on pockets of soils which drain easily. This results in high salicylic acid production in response to moisture stress and consequently high seed set.
Point 5: Please clarify the limitation of this research as it would provide a better understanding for further research.
Response 5: Some lines have been added at the beginning of the second paragraph of the discussion section as follows;
Because of the nature of banana, an equal number of bunches could not be obtained for all bunch size categories. For a given genotype, bunch size is dependent on soil and environment [17]. Consequently, the smallest and largest bunch size categories were not well represented thus reliable conclusions cannot be drawn these categories. However, most bunch size categories had a representative number of bunches from which our discussion is based. The observed bias of seed set in distal hands.....
Please note that the attached document does not contain details of how responses to points were made.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
Line 69: Mchare has
Line 101-102: The data generated will inform...
Line 144: Days after what phenological stage? If it is counted then what constituted flowering?
Line 211 In Mshale and Nshonowa, there was generally a more even seed set among the middle hands with the proximal and distal hands having fewer seeds per bunch on a percentage seed set basis.
Line 227-231: this should occur in the discussion.
Table 3: Is table 3 needed since there is no significance?
Where you looking at causes of sterility or seed set patterns and methods that might influence seed set?
Line 293-294: This goal is not the same as the one stated previously.
Line 295: in relation to
Line 381: and thus it could be ?
Line 393: Do you have a reference for this statement?
Line 311: Additionally, since 'Enzirabahima'...
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 2 Comments
Point 1: Line 69: Mchare has
Response 1: Mchare is a subgroup with a number of genotypes, Rony Swennen suggested we refer to this subgroup as plural.
Point 2: Line 101-102: The data generated will inform...
Response 2: Corrected; Letter "s" struck off on the word inform.
Point 3: Line 144: Days after what phenological stage? If it is counted then what constituted flowering?
Response 3: Corrected to… days from initial pollination to full maturity…
Sentence now reads as follows... The three cultivars had varying days from initial pollination to full maturity....
Point 4: Line 211 In Mshale and Nshonowa, there was generally a more even seed set among the middle hands with the proximal and distal hands having fewer seeds per bunch on a percentage seed set basis.
Response 4: Addressed as… In ‘Mshale’, and ‘Nshonowa’, there was generally a more even seed set among middle hands with the proximal and distal hands having fewer seeds per hand on a percentage seed set basis.
Point 5: Line 227-231: this should occur in the discussion.
Response 5: This was to point out the unexpected results. But a discussion on the observation was provided in the discussion section line 369 - 372.
Point 6: Table 3: Is table 3 needed since there is no significance?
Response 6: Ideally, the quadratic equations and the R2 were to be inserted on the graphs. But since each cultivar had a number of curves, the equations and R2 values could not be inserted. They were therefore summarized in the table that is; ax2 + bx + c = 0.
Point 7: Where you looking at causes of sterility or seed set patterns and methods that might influence seed set?
Response 7: I looked at seed set patterns to help understand causes of sterility in bananas.
Point 8: Line 293-294: This goal is not the same as the one stated previously.
Response 8: The previously started goal is a short term goal. Getting a solution to sterility in banana ultimately solves the issue of a slow breeding pipeline.
Point 9: Line 295: in relation to
Response 9: Corrected accordingly.
Point 10: Line 381: and thus it could be ?
Response 10: Rewritten as; In citrus [36] and in apples [37], high temperature was reported to overcome self-incompatibility; it could be a similar issue in banana as high temperature is associated with high seed set [21].
Point 11: Line 393: Do you have a reference for this statement?
Response 11: Rewritten as; The current study also revealed that big bunches are more fertile than smaller bunches in terms pollination success.
Point 12: Line 311: Additionally, since 'Enzirabahima'...
Response 12: Rewritten as suggested.
Note: Please use these notes as the attached document does not have all details of the response.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
