Effect of cutting height of the parent pseudostem on yield and time of production of the following sucker in banana

Abstract

Parent pseudostems of bananas were cut at three different heights at harvest. Growth and yield of the following sucker were examined.
Cutting high (200 cm) increased bunch weight by 4.6 kg (12%) and decreased the time to harvest by 18 days (5%) compared to cutting low (10 cm). Cutting at medium height (100 cm) resulted in an intermediate bunch weight, but there was no difference in time to harvest compared to cutting high. The increase in bunch weight resulted from an increase in the number of fingers per bunch, with no change in finger size.
The pseudostem height of the follower at the commencement of the experiment was used as a covariate in the analysis of results. There was a 16.5-kg increase in bunch weight with increase in follower height across the range 115–217 cm. The crop cycle of the follower was decreased by 113 days across the same range.