Evaluation of Commercial Banana Cultivars in Southern Georgia for Ornamental and Nursery Production

Abstract

<jats:p>Bananas (<jats:italic>Musa</jats:italic> spp.) are a popular ornamental plant in the southern United States; however, only a few cultivars, such as Lady's Finger and Orinoco, are grown in Georgia. Thirty-three primarily commercial cultivars of bananas were grown for 2 years near Savannah, Georgia, to determine their suitability for ornamental and nursery production, and for 3 years for fruit observations. Most plants were grown from tissue culture plugs. They were given rates of fertilization used for commercial banana fruit production. Most cultivars produced 10 to 14 leaves and grew to heights of 1.5 to 2.0 m. Some displayed desirable ornamental characteristics such as pink-tinted pseudostems, colorful flowers, and large graceful leaves. Some of the most attractive tall-growing cultivars were Belle, Ice Cream, Kandarian, Manzano, Saba, and 1780. Some of the most attractive medium-height cultivars were Dwarf Namwah, Dwarf Orinoco, Goldfinger, Raja Puri, and Super Plantain. In the short category, the cultivars Dwarf Nino, Gran Nain, Kru, and Sum X Cross were among the most attractive ornamentals. Many of the cultivars flowered and began producing fruit in late summer, although only ‘Raja Puri’, ‘Sweetheart’, and ‘1780’ produced palatable fruit before frost in November. Cultivars were also rated for their ability to produce suckers that could be used for nursery production. In year 2, ‘Manzano’ and ‘1780’ produced more than six high-quality suckers for nursery propagation. Potential income for these cultivars was over $60 per plant. For the planting as a whole, sales of suckers at a field day averaged $7 per plant in year 2, and $17 per plant in year 3.</jats:p>

Prediction of Flower Emergence and Evaluation of Cropping Potential in Selected Banana Cultivars (Musa sp.) Cultivated in Subtropical Conditions of Coastal Alabama

“…1B). Nevertheless, previous studies in subtropical banana cultivation have demonstrated potential for banana production in the subtropics and their marketability in both local and international venues (Denger et al, 1997;Krewer et al, 2008;Langdon et al, 2008;Lessard, 1992;Robinson, 1996b). Several banana cultivars demonstrated adaptability to the environment of coastal Alabama in that they produced mature bunches within the relatively short crop production period, whereas others did not flower or demonstrated untimely flower emergence.…”

“…Additional cultivars that flowered in the second year were 'Sweetheart', 'Goldfinger', 'Rajapuri', 'Saba', and 'Pisang Ceylon', which were still developing bunches at the time of publication (Fonsah et al, 2005). In a related study, Krewer et al (2008) reported that 'Rajapuri' and 'Sweetheart' produced mature bunches before frost in coastal Georgia.…”

“…Cultivation of bananas with greater adaptability to cooler climates could lead to the development of banana niche markets in nontraditional areas such, as in the subtropical/coastal regions of the United States, and would provide needed crop diversity to help increase sustainability to farming operations. Although Hawaii is the only subtropical state in the United States that produces Cavendish bananas commercially, non-Cavendish banana fruit were cultivated successfully in the southeastern United States, including Georgia, Florida, and Texas (Fonsah et al, 2004;Krewer et al, 2008;Ploetz et al, 1999Ploetz et al, , 2000. The banana market in Florida has generated up to $2.5 million annually (Fonsah et al, 2007;Ploetz et al, 2000).…”

Musa×georgiana, a new intersectional hybrid banana with edible banana breeding relevance and ornamental potential

“…As part of another banana research project that is on‐going, the available cultivars of edible bananas have been subjected to field evaluations in an effort to identify a variety suitable for reliable fruit production in non‐tropical climates. Some of the results from these studies have been recently published (Wallace et al 2007b, Krewer et al 2008). During the course of these projects and the hybridization studies with ornamental bananas described above, the authors became interested in exploring the hybridization of members of the section Rhodochlamys with members of the section Musa.…”

Selection and Use Recommendation in Hybrids of Ornamental Banana

“…This genetic variability, however, is still underexplored, in spite of the potential of these plants to generate several products, mainly fiber for the manufacture of rustic material, such as ropes, textiles, and packaging (Whistler, 2000; Uma et al, 2006; Kennedy, 2009), and food, beverage, animal forage, medicinal, pharmaceutical products, crafts, and dyes (Uma et al, 2006; Kennedy, 2009). These plants also present great ornamental potential (Häkkinen, 2007; Uma et al, 2006; Fonsah et al, 2004, 2008; Santos‐Serejo et al, 2007; Wallace et al, 2007; Krewer et al, 2008; Häkkinen and Väre, 2008; Wallace and Häkkinen, 2009).…”