Abstract
This study was carried out to compare bunch weight determination in relation to the source-sink balance in a selection of 12 Cavendish banana cultivars. Fruit number and individual fruit weight are the main bunch weight components. The fruit number depended on the growth potential during floral induction, which we estimated according to the active leaf area at floral induction (ALAfi). We studied fruit weight determination by measuring the source-sink balance during bunch growth, carbohydrate reserves and bunch-sucker biomass partitioning. Throughout the experiment, we monitored the global radiation (Rg), which exhibited seasonal variations. We noted a source variation from the first to the second cycle during bunch growth because of a decrease in the Rg and active leaf area. Our results showed significant differences between Cavendish cultivars regarding bunch weight, fruit number and susceptibility to source variations. There was an overall positive linear relation between ALAfi and fruit number, but the ALAfi/fruit number ratio varied between cultivars. We also found that the bunch weight was mainly determined by the fruit number rather than the fruit weight when the source was not limited. Finally, we assessed the cultivar susceptibility to source decreases, thereby revealing some cultivars of interest for agroecological cropping systems.
Highlights
Cavendish (Musa AAA) banana cultivars were selected for their capacity to produce high fruit yields in intensive cropping systems meeting international banana market requirements
The bunch weights were positively correlated with the fruit number, suggesting that in the first cycle the bunch weights were limited by the fruit number, i.e., the bunch sink potential
We validated our hypothesis as the bunch weight determination differed between cultivars due to differences in the source-sink balance
Summary
Cavendish (Musa AAA) banana cultivars were selected for their capacity to produce high fruit yields in intensive cropping systems meeting international banana market requirements. The agronomic performances of these cultivars have been compared in non-limiting conditions to select cultivars suitable for the banana industry and export market [1,6,7,8,9,10]. To this end, the cultivars have basically been compared on the basis of traits related to yield components: bunch weight, fruit number, fruit size and number of bunches/year. Few studies have addressed the mechanisms involved in the yield build-up process of the cultivars
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