ISHS Acta Horticulturae 275: International Symposium on the Culture of Subtropical and Tropical Fruits and Crops
A FIELD COMPARISON OF CONVENTIONAL SUCKERS WITH IN-VITRO DERIVED BANANA PLANTING MATERIAL IN THE FIRST CROP CYCLE |
| Author: | J.C. ROBINSON |
| Abstract:
A randomised block split-plot experiment was established at Burgershall Research Station to compare three cultivars (Williams, Dwarf Cavendish and Grand Nain) and three types of planting material (conventional 2kg pared suckers, 200 and 500 mm high tissue-cultured plants rooted in bags). Tissue culture (TC) plants produced on average 47 leaves/plant compared with 41 leaves produced by conventional (CON) suckers. However, TC plants flowered 2 to 3 weeks earlier due to the presence of 14 leaves at 6 weeks after planting, when the first leaves from CON plants were seen. TC plants were up to 300 mm taller than CON plants at flowering. Over all cultivars TC plants yielded 56 t ha-1 annum -1 which was 20% more than CON plants due to larger bunches and a shorter cycle to harvest. Williams and Grand Nain yielded similarly at 54 t ha-1 annum-1 which was 9% more than Dwarf Cavendish. There were 1.76% distinct somaclonal mutants in the plantation of 1700 plants. | |
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