Agronomic performance of several Cavendish cultivars (Musa spp. AAA) under plastic greenhouse

Abstract

Banana is grown both in open-field and protected cultivation in Turkey. However, protected cultivation is very popular due to the high yield and quality. The present study was carried out to evaluate agronomic performance of four new banana cultivars under plastic greenhouse. Cultivars‘Williams’, ‘MA 13’, ‘Jobo’,‘CV 902’ and ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ (control) were used as experimental material. Pseudostem circumference, pseudostem height, total number of leaves, days from shooting to harvest, bunch stalk circumference, hand and finger numbers, finger circumference and length and also bunch weight were determined according to cultivars. The lowest pseudostem circumference, pseudostem height and bunch stalk circumference were found in ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ and the highest in ‘Williams’. Total number of leaves varied between 27 and 32. Number of days from shooting to harvest was the shortest (141 days)in ‘Williams’ and the longest (164 days) in ‘MA 13’. The highest bunch weight (57 kg)wasobserved in‘MA 13’and the lowest (42 kg) in ‘Dwarf Cavendish’.In conclusion, we found that all tested cultivars were superior to ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ underunheated plastic greenhouse.