Performance evaluation of introduced banana cultivars under upland flat and upland hilly areas in Cavite [Philippines]

Locally-grown banana cultivars are very susceptible to various diseases such as sigatoka, banana bunchy top disease (BBTV) and fusarium wilt. To introduce disease resistant and high yielding banana cultivars in Cavite, three cultivars from Honduras, namely FHIA3, FHIA21, and FHIA23, were grown under upland-flat, upland hilly, lowland irrigated, and lowland rainfed areas together with two local cultivars, Lakatan and 'Bungulan'. Crucido (CvSU) assessed the performance of those cultivars with regard to their yield, reaction to diseases, and acceptance of growers. The use of tissue-cultured plantlets reared in insect-proofed nurseries and the recommended practice in the field were extended to farmer cooperators. The performace of FHIA3, FHIA21, and FHIA23 and the local Lakatan and Bungulan cultivars provided better yield when grown in either flat or hilly uplant areas in Cavite than in lowland (irrigated and rainfed) areas. Under upland hilly areas, FHIA21 obtained the highest yield of 19.6 t/ha followed by FHIA23 with 18.26 t/ha. FHIA3, Lakatan, and Bungulan obtained yields ranging from 13.9 to 14.6 t/ha. On the other hand, the yields of the five cultivars under upland flat areas ranged from 7.9 to 8.8 t/ha. FHIA23 produced the heaviest bunch with a mean weight of 22.67 kg. It was followed by FHIA3 (21 kg), FHIA21 (15 kg), Bungulan (13.54 kg), and Lakatan (9.71 kg). In terms of BBTV incidence, Lakatan had the highest incidence at 25 percent followed by Bungulan (16.67 percent), FHIA323 (8.33 percent), FHIA (8.33 percent) and FHIA21 (4.17 percent). In terms of acceptability to consumers, the introduced cultivar were more acceptable in processed form. FHIA21 was preferred as processed chips while FHIA23 was best as processed catsup. FHIA3 was found to be closely similar to the local Saba cultivar. The introduced cultivars, FHIA3, FHIA21, and FHIA23 exhibited high yields, better resistance to BBTV, and good potential for processing. These can be better substitutes to our local cultivars. However, further studies to assess their acceptability in the market must be pursued.