Question

Banana is multiplied by the means of
(A)Seeds
(B)Leaf Cutting
(C)Rhizome
(D)Offsets

Answer 1

Hint: The shoot system which is present in the Banana plant is different from that of the other plants. The true stem in a banana plant is present below the soil as a modified stem.

Complete answer:
The modified stem which is present below the soil in the banana plant is known as the rhizome.
The rhizome grows horizontally under the soil. The rhizome is capable of producing the root and shoot system of the plant. It bears several buds. Each of these buds sprouts and then forms their own pseudostem and a new bulbous rhizome.

Additional Information: The primary function of the rhizome is to store nutrients and other requirements for plants like carbohydrates etc.
The daughter plants which are formed by vegetative means through rhizome are known as suckers.
The apical meristem which is the terminal point of the rhizome is a flattened structure from which the leaves and inflorescence are formed. The stem base leads to the formation of the sucker. Each sucker has its nodes and axillary buds.
Offset is also the means of vegetative reproduction of the plant. It is also a part of the stem. They are the clones i.e identical to the parent. Example - Tulips and Lilies
Plants can also be grown from leaf cuttings. Example Begonia.
So, the correct answer is ‘Rhizome’.

Note: Nowadays banana plants are also produced from tissue culture. Tissue culture is a technique that is used to grow tissue or cell in an artificial medium and the optimum condition required for the plant is provided artificially. This technique in plants is also known as micropropagation.