Abstract
Fusarium wilt of bananas (Musa species) is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc). Foc race 1 in particular affects dessert bananas in Uganda, causing >60% yield loss. This study was conducted to assess the performance of two new apple banana genotypes for bunch yield, resistance to Foc race 1 and consumer acceptability. The new apple banana genotypes (NAMU1 and NAMU2), along with two check cultivars, one susceptible but preferred by consumers (Sukali ndiizi) and the other resistant (Yangambi-KM5), were evaluated at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories in Uganda. Bunch yields of the two new apple bananas were higher than those of check cultivars by >50%. NAMU1 and Yangambi-KM5 showed no symptoms of Foc race 1, whereas NAMU2 showed mild symptoms on its corms. Sukali ndiizi showed severe pseudostem splitting and corm discoloration as the key symptoms of Foc race 1. The consumer acceptability of NAMU1 and NAMU2 was as high as that of Sukali ndiizi, implying that they can be perfect substitutes for the Foc race 1 susceptible Sukali ndiizi. Key words: Dessert banana hybrids, host plant resistance, Panama disease, sensory attributes.
Highlights
Apple banana (Musa species, AAB genome group), is one of the more than 300 varieties of banana grown worldwide
Apple banana is locally known as Sukali ndiizi and Kabaragara in the Central and Western regions of Uganda, respectively (Nsabimana and Van Staden, 2006); in Rwanda, it is known as Kamaramasenge
NAMU1 showed the highest resistance to Foc race 1, as it exhibited the lowest mean scores for pseudostem splitting and corm discoloration
Summary
Apple banana (Musa species, AAB genome group), is one of the more than 300 varieties of banana grown worldwide It is the most widely distributed dessert banana cultivar in Uganda (Gold et al, 2002). Apple banana has been commonly sold and consumed fresh, but of late, it is being processed by a number of private sector and development partners to improve shelf life and value addition (Van Asten et al, 2010). This makes it fit well in the Uganda government policy of value addition of agricultural products
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