Agronomic Performance of Several Cavendish Cultivars (Musa spp. AAA) under Plastic Greenhouse

Banana has been grown both in open-field and protected cultivation in Turkey.  Protected cultivation is very popular due to the high yield and quality.  The objective of the study was to evaluate agronomic performance of five new banana cultivars under plastic greenhouse.  ‘MA 13’, ‘Williams’, ‘Jobo’, ‘CV 902’, and ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ (control) cultivars were used as experimental material. Stem circumference, stem height, plant height, total number of leaves, active number of leaves /bunch, stalk circumference, and days from shooting to harvest and bunch weight were determined according to cultivar. The lowest stem circumference, stem height and bunch stalk circumference were found in ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ and the highest in ‘Williams’. Total number of leaves varied between 26 and 33. Number of days from shooting to harvest was the shortest (141 days) in ‘Williams’ and the longest (163 days) in ‘MA 13’. ‘MA 13’ had the highest bunch weight (59 kg) and  the lowest  (43 kg) in ‘Dwarf Cavendish’. In conclusion,  we found that all tested cultivars were superior to ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ under  unheated plastic greenhouse.