Horticultural Evaluation of ‘Fhia-21’ (Aaab) Plantain in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Control of black Sigatoka disease in plantains is imperative for adequate yield. Black Sigatoka is caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora fijiensis (Morelet) Deighton, formerly known as Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet. The disease does not immediately kill the plants, but by reducing the effective leaf area it interferes with photosynthesis (Churchill, 2011). If not controlled, the disease has the potential to devastate plantain fields. In Puerto Rico, the main plantain cultivar is 'Maricongo', a false-horn clone which is susceptible to black Sigatoka. Locally, a combination of synthetic pesticides and the sanitary removal of leaves, or parts of them, are used to control the disease. As suggested by Goenaga and Irizarry (2006), the use of French-type plantain clones may result in increased yield via increased production of fruits and by the tolerance of these clones to black Sigatoka. Resistance to this disease appears to be associated with French-type parents as the source of resistance in Musaceae breeding programs (Goenaga and Irizarry, 2006). A French-type tetraploid (AAAB) plantain cultivar, 'FHIA-21' was developed by the "Fundación Hondureña de Investigación Agrícola" (FHIA) at La Lima, Honduras. Major attributes of this cultivar are its high tolerance to black Sigatoka and higher yields than false-horn clones (Rowe, 1997; Hauser, 2010; Calvo, 2010); details for the plant characteristics of 'FHIA-21' were summarized in its patent (Rowe, 1997). However, 'FHIA-21' is susceptible to the Banana Streak Virus (Martínez et al., 2015), a virus that limits plant development and consequently reduces its yield potential