Type of stomata and peel structure associated with programmed cell death of senescent spotting in banana

Senescent spotting or brown spot on bananas, is regarded as a form of programmed cell death (PCD). These spots appear in areas where stomata are present on the banana peel, there is no report describing the relationship between these spots and stomata on peel. This research aims to investigate whether senescent spotting in banana is involved in the PCD of stomata on peel. Three banana cultivars, ‘Khai-Kasetsart 2’ (KK2), ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ (CVD), and ‘Hom Thong’ (HT) bananas were examined for senescent spotting. KK2 banana exhibited more severe senescent spotting than CVD banana, while HT bananas did not display brown spot. Electrolyte leakage and DNA degradation increased before the spotting was observed in KK2 and CVD bananas. The peel structure revealed compact cells in CVD and HT bananas, whereas KK2 banana had a loose cell structure. Notably, KK2 banana had a high stomata density correlate with weight loss. Interestingly, the stomata type of KK2 banana was the same as CVD banana, being the typical type, while HT had a sunken type. The spotting zone of KK2 and CVD bananas revealed that stomata were more open than in the healthy zone. Additionally, the outer ground tissue of spotting zone flattened and collapsed, while the healthy zone did not exhibit this flattening and collapsing. Observations of cell morphology in the spotting zone of KK2 banana showed a detached plasma membrane, organelle destruction, and the presence of cell corpse with an absence of cytoplasm clearance. In conclusion, the result provides an evidence that stomata type on the banana peel involve in PCD, resulting in senescent spotting.