Effect of Plant Density on Yield and Other Quantitative Characters of the Maricongo Plantain (Musa acuminata X M. balbisiana, AAB)

Abstract

The effect of plant spacing and density upon various quantitative characters of the Maricongo plantain cultivar was evaluated. The planting patterns and densities per acre were: 10 by 5 feet, 871 plants; 10 by 4 feet, 1,089 plants; 6 by 6 feet, 1,210 plants; 6 by 5 feet, 1,452 plants and 5 by 5 feet, 1,742 plants. Plants spaced 10 by 4 feet developed thicker trunks. The 5 by 5 feet spacing caused an apparent significant reduction in the weight and number of marketable fruits per bunch and also in the number of fruits of the second hand. Yield estimates per acre (as estimated from the lineal spacings between and within rows due to the slope of the terrain) revealed, however, that the closer spacing was capable of producing 21.1 tons of plantains equivalent to 5.1 tons of dry pulp or 69,897 marketable fruits. Plant spacing and density did not affect other characters studied pertaining to the plant, bunch and individual fruit. The bunch shooting pattern demonstrated that flower induction and harvest were somewhat delayed under close spacing and high plant density.