Differential root development of musa sp. cv 'Mas' and 'Novaria'
2000
Zakaria Tajuddin | Zakaria Wahab
An experiment was conducted to evaluate root development of banana suckers. Sword suckers of two dessert cultivars, namely, 'Mas' and 'Novaria' were used in the experiment. The suckers were trimmed and treated with fungicide before they were grown in a container containing 30 L of tap water in a shade house. The containers were aerated and root data were taken at weekly interval during the four week period. The number, length, and dry weight of primary roots and dry weight of secondary roots were determined. Results showed that primary root initiation of both cultivars were different. Primary roots of 'Mas' emerged from the upper and lower portions of the rhizome, while primary roots of 'Novaria' originated from the upper portion of the rhizome only. At the first week of growth, there were no differences between cultivars. However, at the third and fourth week of growth, both cultivars were significantly different. At the third and fourth week of growth, the mean number of primary roots, primary root length, dry weight of primary roots and dry weight of secondary roots of 'Mas' were higher than that of 'Novaria'. It is likely that the differences in root development between the two cultivars were due to genetic control rather than an external control.
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