Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

Afrique - Africa : U. Onyeka et al.
Table 4. Effect of bunch position (static pressure) on ripening period and weight loss
(%) of Musa fruit*.
Bunch position Days to ripe Weight lost (%)
Top 11.0 18.3
Middle 11.0 18.7
Bottom 10.0 19.7
CV (%) 8.6 6.2
LSD (p = 0.7) 1.0 1.3
*Average of six bunches for each genotype.
and plantain landraces, particularly when the fruits are to be processed green. The
landrace plantains and cooking bananas were firmer than the plantain hybrids. The
texture of the hybrid fruit was more like a banana than a plantain and this may cause
difficulties in the distribution of the fresh fruit. Improvement of the mechanical strength
of the hybrids calls for breeder’s attention to enable the fruit to withstand the rigours of
the distribution system in Africa. Market acceptance of the new Musa breeds in view of
their weaker pulp also needs to be investigated.
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