Researchers from INIAP are evaluating the agronomic performance of the foreign materials GAL and Formosana, both of which have partial resistance to Foc R4T, in representative banana production areas. The Formosana cultivar is analyzed under two systems: conventional management in Quevedo and organic management in Santa Elena. Under conventional conditions, the Williams cultivar exhibited a shorter harvesting time and greater bunch and fruit weights compared to Formosana, while the latter showed greater plant height and number of leaves at the time of flowering. Under organic management, Formosana stood out for having a higher number of leaves at harvest, while Williams recorded a larger pseudostem circumference in the third generation.
Photo: INIAP researchers monitoring leaf diseases in Formosana banana plants.
The GAL cultivars are being evaluated under conventional cultivation conditions in Santa Elena. The GAL varieties are in the vegetative growth phase, during which no differences have been observed when compared to the Williams cultivar (the cultivar with the largest area in the country).
Photo: Measurement of the height of GAL banana plants on a farm in Santa Elena.
