Abstract
Two long-term banana experiments were conducted to determine the effect of bunch bagging, removal of lower hands, and sucker management on fruit and bunch characteristics and total yield. Bunches covered with either Dursban-treated or untreated perforated polyethylene bags yielded 10,539 kg/ha more than the uncovered ones during a 40-month production period. Considering the price that quality bananas demand at the farm gate and the cost of bagging (materials and labor), this practice represents a net profit of $3,329.25/ha. The removal of the three lower hands from the immature racemes significantly reduced bunch mean weight and total yield. However, both removal of lower hands and bunch bagging increased size of individual fruits in the distal hand, thus up-grading fruit quality. In addition, these practices also reduced the number of days required from bunch-shooting to harvest. The selection of a vigorous "sword" sucker soon after planting, combined with repeated pruning of other competing suckers produced the maximum yield of 183,744 kg/ha during a 40-month period.