VEGETATIVE TRAITS AND YIELDS OF A 'DWARF POME' AND ITS TETRAPLOID HYBRID UNDER DIFFERENT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

Banana genotypes grown under different irrigation systems may express different vegetative traits and yields, even if all other crop conditions are similar. This study aimed to evaluate the vegetative traits of two banana genotypes of the Pome subgroup (AAB) under different irrigation systems in semiarid conditions during three production cycles. The experimental design was a randomized block design with six treatments in a 3×2 factorial scheme: three irrigation systems (sprinkler, micro-sprinkler and drip) and two genotypes (‘Dwarf Pome’ and ‘BRS Platina’, earlier reported as ‘PA42-44’). Four replications were used, with six plants spaced at 3.0×2.5 m per net plot. Plant height, pseudostem girth, number of functional leaves, length and width of the third leaf, total leaf area and leaf area index were evaluated at flowering. In addition the number of functional leaves, weight of bunch and number of hands was also evaluated at harvest. Interactions between the treatments were not significant. Irrigation systems affected vegetative traits. The drip irrigation system reduced growth as measured by plant height and pseudostem girth, for both genotypes, compared with conventional sprinkler and micro-sprinkler irrigation systems. The weight of the bunch in the second cycle and the number of hands in the third cycle were higher for plants grown under conventional sprinkler and micro-sprinkler irrigation systems compared to drip irrigation. The ‘Dwarf Pome’ showed higher number of hands per bunch than ‘BRS Platina’.