Performance of different banana varieties (Musa spp. AAA) under protected cultivation in terms of morphological, yield and quality characteristicss

Dwarf Cavendish, a commonly grown banana cultivar in Turkey. However, ‘Grand Nain’ is very popular cultivar under protected cultivation due to the higher yield and quality presently. The objective of this study was to compare to the banana cultivars, ‘Grand Nain’ and ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ under protected cultivation in the subtropical condition. Stem circumference, stem height, total leaf number, bunch stalk circumference, days from shooting to harvest, number of hands per bunch, number of fingers per bunch, finger circumference, finger length and bunch weight were measured in the protected cultivation. Cultivars ‘Grand Nain’ was found to be better than ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ in terms of total production, expressed as the number of hands and fingers per bunch and bunch weight under protected cultivation.

This study was conducted to determine the yield and quality of ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ banana (Musa spp. AAA), cultivated in open fields and also in protected (plastic greenhouse) cultivation. The site is located in the central south coastal region (altitude 50 m, latitude 36°33'N) of Turkey. In both cultivation systems we determined the following: pseudostem circumference, pseudostem height, total leaf number, bunch stalk circumference, days from shooting to harvest, number of hands, number of fingers, finger circumference, finger length, and bunch weight. Protected cultivation was found to be better than open‐field cultivation in terms of total production, expressed as the number of hands and fingers per bunch and bunch weight. Average annual yield under plastic greenhouse was 53% higher than in the open field (65.5 t/ha compared with 42.8 t/ha).

Çalışma, ülkemiz muz yetiştiriciliğinde ümitvar yeni bir üretim alanı olan Hatay’ın Arsuz ilçesindeki üretici seralarında yapılmıştır. Seçilen seralarda, ‘Grand Nain’ muz çeşidi yetiştirilmekte olup, araştırmada bu çeşit kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada, bitki gövde çevresi, hevenk özellikleri(hevenk ağırlığı, hevenk uzunluğu, hevenk çevresi, hevenkteki tarak sayısı, tarak ağırlığı, hevenkteki toplam parmak sayısı vb.) ile meyve kalite özellikleri(parmakların eni ve boyu, parmak ağırlığı, kabuk ağırlığı ve kabuk kalınlığı, meyve eti oranı, suda çözünebilir toplam kuru madde (SÇKM) ve titre edilebilir asit miktarı) ve verim parametreleri (dekara verim ve birim gövde kesit alanına düşen verim) değerlendirilmiştir. Sonuç olarak, Arsuz’da 1 dekar muz serasından 5112-7802 kg ürün alındığı belirlenmiştir. Birim gövde kesit alanına düşen verim 65.35-100.87 gcm-2 olarak ölçülmüştür. Çalışmada, bitki gövde çevresi 65.0-95.0 cm; hevenk ağırlığı 30.8-47.0 kg; hevenk çevresi 118.2-129.0 cm ve hevenk uzunluğu 90.4-113.8 cm olarak belirlenmiştir. Tarak sayısı 12.4-13.8 adet, tarak ağırlığı 1286.36-1481.96 g, parmak sayısı 198.6-289.6 adet olarak tespit edilmiştir. Parmak en ve boy değerleri ile parmak ağırlıkları sırasıyla 39.68-40.51 mm ve 21.43-26.42 cm ile 126.16-148.02 g arasında ölçülmüştür. Araştırmamızda, meyve eti oranı % 67.68-69.47, SÇKM oranı % 16.64-18.48 arasında belirlenmiştir. Çalışmanın sonuçları, muzun bu bölgede örtü altında başarılı bir şekilde yetiştirilebileceğini ve gelecekte önemli bir üretim alanı olacağını açıkça göstermektedir.

O Brasil dispõe de um grande número de variedades de bananeira, porém poucas atendem integralmente as exigências relativas à preferência dos consumidores, à produtividade e à resistência a doenças. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar, durante dois ciclos produtivos, em Guanambi (BA), as variedades Nam (AAA), Caipira (AAA), Grande Naine (AAA) e Prata Anã (AAB) e os híbridos (AAAB) PA12-03, FHIA-01, SH3640 e FHIA-18 quanto ao porte, ao peso do cacho, ao número de pencas e de frutos, ao número de folhas no florescimento e na colheita e ao ciclo, no delineamento inteiramente casualizado. A 'Grande Naine' destacou-se nos dois ciclos, sobretudo na produtividade. No primeiro ciclo, a 'Caipira' e os híbridos FHIA-18 e SH3640 obtiveram, após a Grande Naine, os melhores rendimentos no peso do cacho. A Caipira também se destacou no número de frutos e os híbridos SH3640, FHIA-01 e FHIA-18 mostraram um bom desempenho no número de pencas, superando a 'Prata Anã'. O SH3640 apresentou o maior número de folhas na colheita e o PA12-03 foi o genótipo mais baixo e mais precoce. No segundo ciclo, o SH3640 foi um dos destaques quanto ao peso do cacho, ao número de pencas e ao número de folhas no florescimento e na colheita, perdendo apenas para a Grande Naine, nos dois primeiros caracteres, e para a Prata Anã, nos dois últimos. No número de frutos, a Caipira sobressaiu-se, superando a Grande Naine. Como no primeiro ciclo, o PA12-03 foi o genótipo mais precoce, ao lado do FHIA-18, e o segundo mais baixo, ao lado da Nam. O porte e o peso do cacho tiveram um acréscimo, entre os ciclos, nos genótipos avaliados. Os híbridos possuem potencial para ser lançados como cultivares.

Protected cultivation (in greenhouses) is an effective cropping system to produce bananas in Turkey and much more profitable than open-field conditions. 'Grand Nain' is the most popular cultivar grown in greenhouses in Turkey, but it may be possible to increase yield and fruit quality, and subsequently grower incomes, by testing new cultivars. The objective of this study was to evaluate in subtropical conditions the performance of five new Cavendish cultivars ('CV 902', 'Jobo, MA13', 'Williams' and 'MA13' ) previously selected in open-field tropical conditions, compared to 'Grand Nain' ( control). All new Cavendish cultivars were introduced in Turkey from VITROPIC SA, France. All cultivars were produced by in vitro micropropagation of meristems, and then deflasked and grown in nurseries to 2 5 cm for planting. The trials were undertaken in three different locations (Alanya, Anamur and B0zyaz1, Turkey) in greenhouses. Various parameters were recorded over two crop cycles including: stem circumference, stem height, total leaf number, bunch stem circumference, number of hands and finger per bunch, finger length and circumference at harvest and bunch weight. The B0zyaz1 location showed better performance in many aspects of plant growth compared to the other two sites. 'Williams' had on average the highest pseudostem circumference and height but also the highest bunch weight (50.27 kg). The bunch weight of 'MA13' and 'CV 902' was 47.65 and 42.66 kg, respectively, whereas the control ('Grand Nain') and 'Jobo' had a lower bunch weight. 'Williams', 'MA13' and 'CV 902' were more productive than 'Grand Nain' in greenhouse conditions. In addition, no somaclonal variations were observed in any of the three experimental locations. These results suggest that the new selections have potential to provide higher yields in Turkey in protected cultivation, providing higher returns to growers, compared to local selections.

Bananas have different ploidy levels, including diploid, triploid and tetraploid, while triploids are most widely used in breeding programs. Although diploid and tetraploid plants have the potential to improve yield and other agronomic traits, they remain underutilized in crop improvement. This study uses multivariate analysis to evaluate the morphological and yield characteristics of 20 banana germplasm accessions belonging to the genome group AA, AB, AAA, AAB, ABB and AAAB. The findings revealed that substantial genetic variation was observed among the accession. Red Banana exhibited the tallest pseudostem height in morphological traits, while Karpooravalli had the largest pseudostem girth. Yield attributes indicated that Grand Naine and Gros Micheal recorded the highest bunch weights, while Calcutta 4 had the lowest. Additionally, Nendran has distinctive yield characteristics like longest finger length (FL), girth and weight. Correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between morphological and yield parameters such as pseudostem height, girth and bunch weight. Regression analysis revealed that pseudostem girth, leaf length and number of hands per bunch significantly contributed to bunch weight with an R2 value of 0.80. Hierarchical clustering divided the accessions into three groups based on morphology and yield characteristics. Nendran and Red Banana were in one cluster, showing their genetic similarity. The clustering pattern suggests that these accessions have similar agronomic traits that could be useful for targeted breeding strategies. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first principal components accounted for 81.7% of the total variance, with major contributors including pseudostem girth, finger weight (FW) and bunch weight. Thus, these findings highlight the morphological and yield variations within banana germplasm and identify promising cultivars and traits for targeted breeding programs to enhance productivity and fruit quality.

Aims: Banana is the fifth largest agricultural commodity in the world trade after cereals, sugar, coffee and cocoa and second largest fruit crop in the world. The main objective of the study is to know the performance of banana to silicon fertilization grown in typic ustifluvent soil.
 Study Design: The experiment was conducted in randomized block design. The test crop banana var Grand Naine.
 Place and Duration of Study: Rajagopalapuram village under Kuttallam taluk, Tamilnadu, India
 Between July to October 2016
 Methodology: The experiment consisted of ten treatments viz., T1-NPK (RDF), T2-NPK+Potassium silicate (FS)- 0.25%,T3-NPK+Potassium silicate (FS)-0.50%,T4-NPK+Potassium silicate (FS)-1.00%,T5-NPK+Potassium silicate (FS)-0.25%,T6 -NPK+ Potassium silicate (FS)-0.50%,T7­-NPK+ Potassium silicate (FS)-1.00%,T8-NPK+Potassium silicate (SA)-50kgha-1,T9-NPK + Potassium silicate (SA)-100 kg ha-1 and T10 -NPK + Potassium silicate (SA)-150 kg ha-1. T2 to T4 foliar spray was done at 3rd and 5th month and from T5 toT7, foliar spray was done at 3rd, 5th and 7th month. Growth, yield parameters and banana yield were recorded.
 Results: The outcome was that soil application of silicon recorded higher growth and yield compared to foliar application. Pseudo stem height, Pseudo stem girth, LAI, chlorophyll content, sucker production and leaf dry matter weight, fruit characters viz., bunch weight and length, number of hands/ bunches, number of fingers / hands, total number of fingers/ bunches, finger weight, length and girth were highest with soil application of 50 kg Si ha-1. Similarly, foliar application of silicon at 1% applied at 3rd and 5th recorded the highest morphological and fruit characters compared to 0.25 and 0.5% Si. The highest fruit yield ((96.0 t ha-1) was noticed with 50 kg Si ha-1 followed by foliar spray of 1% Si applied at 3rd and 5th month (92.7 t ha-1).
 Conclusion: It is concluded that soil application of 50 kg Si ha-1 through potassium silicate is best followed by foliar spray of 1.0% Si for realizing higher banana productivity.

An investigation was carried out in planted banana crop cv. Phule Pride (AAA) to evaluate the effect of different planting distances on growth, durational, bunch, and yield parameters and disease incidence for three successive years (2021-22 to 2023). The experiment was carried out in Randomized Block Design with four replications. The treatments comprised of T1 (1.20 m x 1.20m (6944 Plants per hectare)), T2 (1.35 m x 1.35m (5487 Plants per hectare)), T3 (1.35 m x 1.75m (4233 Plants per hectare)), T4 (1.50 m x 1.35m (4938 Plants per hectare)) and T5 (1.50 m x 1.50m (4444 Plants per hectare)). In general, there was decrease in pseudo stem height, number of functional leaves and leaf area with the decrease in plant spacing, where increase in pseudo stem girth was observed with the decrease in plant spacing. Delay in all the durational parameters namely days to shooting, days to maturity and days harvesting was recorded with the decrease in plant spacing. Number of hands per bunch, number of fingers per bunch, finger length and bunch weight also decreased with the decrease in plant spacing, whereas increase in finger girth was observed with the decrease in plant spacing. The conventional treatment 1.50 m x 1.50m (4444 Plants per hectare)) recoded highest bunch weight (19.40 t/ha) as against the 12.18 t/ha in the treatment T1 (1.20 m x 1.20m (6944 Plants per hectare). As regards the yield (t/ha), all the treatments were on par with each other except T2 (1.35 m x 1.35m (5487 Plants per hectare). Considering all the parameters, it observed that the plant spacing of 1.5 m x 1.5 m accommodating 4444 plants per hectare is found optimum for the banana cv. Phule Pride.

In India, banana is the important and highly remunerative fruit crop grown in tropical and subtropical region. It represents the second most important fruit crop after mango in India. Banana is grown throughout Asian countries but it is commercially cultivated on a large scale in the Indo-china region. A field experiment was carried out in the College Orchard, College of Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural University, during 2009. The objective of the study was to determine the proper rate of N and P fertilizers that would maximize the potential yield of commercially-grown banana Grand naine. Different levels of chemical fertilizers were applied, viz., N (150, 200, 250 and 300 g/tree), P (60 and 90 g/tree) in addition to non-fertilized control (no N and P applied) treatment. The results indicated that vegetative growth parameters (that is, pseudostem height, pseudostem girth, number of leaves, leaf area index) of fertilized plants neither were significantly different nor produced better vegetative growth when compared to non-fertilized control plants. The fertilizer treatment T5 consisting of N (200 g N in 5 split doses and 60 g P2O5) numerically influenced the yield and fruit characteristics like bunch weight, number of hands per bunch, hand weight and number of fingers per hand of ‘Grand naine’ banana as compared to other treatments. Hence, this fertilizer dose of N and P was recommended for cultivation of ‘Grand naine’ banana in northern region (Punjab) of India. Key words: Fruit yield, bunch weight, banana, nitrogen and phosphorus.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the production potential of banana cultivars, ‘Grand Nain’, ‘Petit Nain’, ‘Poyo’, ‘Williams’ and ‘Basrai’, as alternatives to the ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ for open-field and greenhouse cultivation in subtropical conditions. Stem circumference, stem height, total leaf number, bunch stalk circumference, days from shooting to harvest, number of hands per bunch, number of fingers per bunch, finger circumference, finger length and bunch weight were measured in open-field and greenhouse cultivation. Cultivars ‘Williams’ and ‘Grand Nain’ were superior to ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ in greenhouse cultivation, while these two cultivars and ‘Petit Nain’ and ‘Basrai’ were superior to ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ in open-field cultivation. ‘Poyo’ was not suitable for greenhouse cultivation because of its excessive height and for open-field cultivation due to its sensitivity to wind damage. Greenhouse cultivation of bananas was superior to open-field cultivation for all cultivars with increases in yield of 19 to 28% according to the cultivar.

Six Palayankodan ecotypes of banana belonging to AAB genomic group were evaluated for genetic variability among quantitative traits. Genetic and phenotypic coefficient of variation, heritability and genetic advance were estimated for eighteen traits that included plant height, pseudostem girth, number of leaves per plant, leaf width, number of suckers per plant, days taken from planting to shooting, total crop duration; length, girth, weight and volume of finger; hand weight, bunch weight, number of fingers per bunch, number of fingers per hand, ripe-fruit weight, sugar/acid ratio and pulp weight. Remarkable variability was observed among the collections for these characters. Bunch weight, number of fingers per bunch and number of suckers per plant with very high value of PCV, GCV, heritability and genetic advance makes it prime traits for direct selection. Plant height, pseudostem girth, total crop duration, sugar:acid ratio, finger length and days taken from planting to shooting with high value of heritability and moderate value of genetic advance. PCV are other important traits which need to be considered for selection. The volume of finger with low values for GCV, PCV, heritability and genetic advance as per cent of mean implies that it is highly influenced by environment and should not be taken as a criterion for selection. Plant height, total crop duration, sugar:acid ratio, finger length, pseudostem girth, number of fingers per bunch and days taken from planting to shooting showed high genetic advance and heritability and important characters to be considered for selection of ecotypes.

Effective selection of hybrids for a trait is based on the extent of variation and heritability. This study examined yield parameters of secondary triploid ‘Matooke’ hybrids and the extent of their genetic diversity based on the traits evaluated. Eleven genotypes, including nine ‘Matooke’ hybrids and two landraces were evaluated for 12 characters in a preliminary yield trial (PYT) over three crop cycles. Plant height, bunch weight, number of standing leaves at flowering and the youngest leaf spotted with black Sigatoka symptoms showed significant interaction between genotype and crop cycle. While characters such as pseudo stem girth, number of days for fruit filling, number of hands, number of fingers on the second hand and the fruit length showed stable differences amongst these genotypes. The genotypic coefficient of variation for the characters ranged from 7.6% (finger length) to 33.5% (bunch weight); with moderate heritability estimates varying from 13.5% (pseudostem girth) to 67% (plant height). Bunch weight showed strong positive correlation with number of hands, number of fingers on the second hand, the fruit length and pseudostem girth. These results imply that breeders could select for some of these variable and ratoon stable traits in a single cycle of early evaluation trial, subsequently reducing costs, time and space in field testing.   Key words: Genetic variation, heritability, expected genetic gain, selection, Musa sp.

In ratoon crop of banana cv. Grande Naine, date of shooting could be advanced by 35 days with application of 200g N in 5 splits + 60g P2O5 (86 days), compared to 300g N in 5 splits + 60g P2O5 (121 days). Subsequently, date of harvest also got advanced by 53 days, and fruits were harvested on 9th December in the same treatment. Higher dose of N fertilization delayed shooting and harvesting period, taking 121 days for shooting and 145 days from shooting to harvest in the treatment 300g N (5 split doses) + 90g P2O5. Various N and P treatments affected bunch weight and number of hands per bunch significantly. Although N and P combination-treatments had no significant effect on bunch weight or number of hands per bunch, application of 200g N in 5 splits and 60g P2O5 per plant gave maximum bunch weight (18.11kg) and number of hands per bunch (10.61). Minimum bunch weight (15.37kg) and the least number of hands per bunch (7.08) were obtained with 150g N in 5 splits + 90g P2O5. Hand-weight (2.20kg), number of fingers per hand (19.75), and finger length (20.30cm) was highest with application of 200g N in 5 splits + 60g P2O5 per plant. Least hand-weight (1.64kg), number of fingers per hand (15.77), and finger-length (17.92cm) was recorded with 150g N in 5 splits + 90g P2O5. Bunch weight, number of hands per bunch, hand-weight and number of fingers per hand too was affected significantly with sole application of nitrogen or phosphorus.

Banana is one of the most widely consumed and economically important fruit crop in the world. It is the second most important fruit crop in India after the mango with respect to area. The present experiment investigates the growth and physiological parameters like pseudostem height, pseudostem girth, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, number of functional leaves, total number of leaves per plant, days taken for phyllochron, chlorophyll content and stomatal conductance in different banana varieties under different growing conditions over a two year research period (2021 – 2022 and 2022 – 2023) at MHREC, UHS, Bagalkot, India. The experiment consisted of six treatments (T1- G1V1 – Ney Poovan under net house condition, T2 – G1V2 – Grand Naine under net house condition, T3 – G1V3 – Rajapuri under net house condition, T4 – G2V1 – Ney Poovan under open field condition, T5 – G2V2 – Grand Naine under open field condition, T6 – G2V3 – Rajapuri under open field condition) laid out in FRCBD with 4 replications. Results revealed that growth parameters such as the highest pseudostem girth, leaf length, leaf breadth, leaf area, number of functional leaves, total number of leaves per plant and chlorophyll content was found to be highest in banana variety Grand Naine grown under net house condition. Whereas, the days taken for phyllochron and stomatal conductance was recorded minimum in Grand Naine under net house conditions.

Banana (Musa spp.) is one of the most popular and commercially important fruit crops of the world not only for their nutritional values but also for their economic importance, especially to small and marginal farmers in developing countries. The present investigation was carried out to study the effect of different plant spacings and fertilizer regimes on growth and yield of banana (Musa spp.) cv. Ney Poovan (AB) in the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India during 2022 - 2023. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. The main plot consisted of two different spacings ( M1 - 2 m x 2 m and M2 - 1.8 m x 3.6 m) and the subplot consisted of five different fertilizer regimes ( S1 - 110:35:330 g / plant (100 per cent), S2 - 165:52.5:495 g/ plant (150 per cent), S3 - 192.5:61.25:577.5 g/plant (175 percent), S4 - 220:70:660 g/ plant (200 percent) and S5 - Control). The results revealed that the plant spacings and fertilizers regimes significantly influenced the growth and yield of banana (Musa spp.) cv. Ney Poovan (AB). The highest values of growth and yield parameters viz., pseudostem height (309.50 & 312.12 cm), pseudostem girth (61.64 & 62.98 cm) and leaf area (11.58 & 12.12 m2 ), bunch weight (10.59 & 11.28 kg), number of hands per bunch (10.95 & 11.33 nos) and number of fingers per bunch (164.15 & 172.67 nos) were registered by the individual effect of plant spacing M2 - 1.8 m x 3.6 m and fertilizers regime S4 -220:70:660 g/plant (200 per cent) at shooting stage in banana (Musa spp.) cv. Ney Poovan (AB) respectively. However in case of interactions M2 (1.8 m x 3.6 m) X S4 (220:70:660 g/plant ) (200 percent) resulted highest growth and yield parameters viz., Pseudostem height (314.46 cm), pseudostem girth (63.87 cm ), leaf area ( 12.40 m2 ) and yield parameters viz., bunch weight (11.38 kg), number of hands per bunch (11.96 nos.) and number of fingers per bunch (173.25 nos.) were registered at shooting stage in banana (Musa spp.) cv. Ney Poovan (AB) . It is therefore concluded that highest growth and yield from banana (Musa spp.) cv. Ney Poovan (AB) could be obtained by the incorporation of M2 (1.8 m x 3.6 m ) X S4 (220:70:660 g NPK / plant) ( 200 per cent ) with age of the crop upto shooting stage (at 3rd, 5th, 7th month after planting and at shooting stage).