Proper bunch management of the French-type superplantain (Musa acuminata x M. balbisiana, AAB) in Puerto Rico

Héber Irizarry, Edmundo Rivera, Abraham D. Krikorian, José A. Rodríguez
1969 The Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico  
Soon after flowering, bunches of the Musa AAB clone 'Superplátano' (Superplantain) were trimmed to 4, 5 or 6 hands to determine the effect of pruning on fruit grade and marketable yields. Unpruned bunches of the horn-type 'Maricongo' plantain were included as control. Fruits in bunches pruned to 4 and 5 hands exceeded the mean weight of 270 g, a criterion used locally to render horn-type plantains marketable. 'Superplátano' bunches trimmed to 4 and 5 hands yielded 146,800 and 180,200 marketable
more » ... fruits/ha, respectively. This represented a yield increase of about 26,000 and 59,400 fruits/ha, over the unpruned horn-type 'Maricongo' cultivar. The reduction of hands in the 'Superplátano' bunch significantly increased length, thickness and weight of fruits in the proximal and distal hands.
doi:10.46429/jaupr.v75i2.3579 fatcat:2sr34scv4bewlfbktuglbzcfoi