A field comparison of conventional suckers with tissue culture banana planting material over three crop cycles

Abstract

A randomized block split-plot experiment was established at Burgershall Research Station, eastern Transvaal to compare three cultivars (Williams, Dwarf Cavendish and Grand Nain) and three types of planting material (conventional 2 kg pared suckers, 200 and 500 mm high, tissue cultured plants rooted in bags). In the first crop cycle (P), tissue culture (TC) plants were up to 300 mm taller than conventional suckers (CON) at flowering. Over all three cultivars, TC plants yielded 56 t ha-1 annum“1 which was 20.4% higher than CON plants, due to larger bunches and a shorter cycle to harvest. Cvs Williams and Grand Nain yielded similarly at 54 t ha-1 annum-1 which was 9% more than ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ over all planting materials. There were 30 (1.76%) distinct somaclonal variants in the plantation of 1,700 plants. In the second crop cycle (Rl), there was a significant carry-over effect with TC plants, as shown by the increased vigour and size of the first ratoon followers selected on TC mother plants. Such TC follo...