EVALUATION OF BANANA GENOTYPES OVER TWO CROP CYCLES UNDER SUBTROPICAL CONDITIONS IN THE RIBEIRA VALLEY, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

The search for new cultivars combining resistance or tolerance to pests and diseases, high productivity and organoleptic characteristics similar to the traditionally grown cultivars is the major objective of banana breeding. This work aimed to evaluate the production of different banana genotypes under the subtropical conditions of the Ribeira Valley in Brazil. The experiment was carried out in a single block with 20 treatments (banana genotypes) and eight replicates. The evaluated hybrids belong to two genome groups: AAAA (‘Bucaneiro’, ‘FHIA-02’ and ‘FHIA-17’) and AAAB, subdivided in three types: Prata (‘BRS Garantida’, ‘FHIA-18’, ‘BRS FHIA Maravilha’ or ‘FHIA-01’, ‘BRS Platina’ and ‘PA94-01’); Pacovan (‘BRS Japira’, ‘BRS Pacovan Ken’, ‘PV79-34’, ‘PV94-01’ and ‘BRS Vitoria’); and Maçã (‘BRS Tropical’, ‘YB42-03’ and ‘BRS Princesa’). These hybrids were compared with the cultivars ‘Grande Naine’ (AAA, Cavendish), ‘Prata An㒠(AAB, Pome), ‘Pacovan’ (AAB) and ‘Yangambi Km 5’ (AAA, Ibota). The following production parameters were evaluated over two production cycles: bunch weight, yield, number of hands and total number of fruits per bunch, 2^nd hand fresh weight, length and diameter of 2^nd hand fruits. Data from these parameters were calculated by confidence intervals separated into the different banana groups and types. The highest yields were observed in the second cycle for all tested genotypes. In the AAA/AAAA group, ‘FHIA-02’ and ‘FHIA-17’ showed the highest yield (31.5 and 30.7 t ha^-1 y^-1, respectively). In the AAB/AAAB group, ‘PA94-01’ and ‘FHIA-18’ had the highest yield for the Prata type (21.6 and 21.3 t ha^-1 y^-1, respectively), ‘PV94-01’ for the Pacovan type (29.9 t ha^-1 y^-1) and ‘Yangambi Km 5’ for the Maçã type (20.8 t ha^-1 y^-1). Based on their observed yield, ‘FHIA-02’, ‘FHIA-17’, ‘FHIA-18’, ‘BRS Garantida’, ‘PA94-01’, ‘BRS Japira’, ‘BRS Pacovan Ken’, ‘PV94-01’, ‘Vitoria’, ‘Yangambi Km 5’, ‘BRS Tropical’ and ‘BRS Princesa’ have potential for cultivation in the Ribeira Valley region.