Abstract
Plantains (Musa spp., AAB group) are an important food crop and an integral component of the farming systems in the lowland humid forest zone of West and Central Africa. A group of 24 plantain cultivars, representing the major variability in West Africa, was evaluated for nine quantitative characters. The association between growth and yield parameters in this African plantain germplasm was examined to determine if the pattern of quantitative variation in inflorescence and vegetative traits agreed with taxonomic groupings based on inflorescence type and plant size. Phenotypic correlations between these traits were calculated. Giant cultivars were taller, their pseudostem thicker, and they flowered much later than medium-sized cultivars. Giant cultivars produced more foliage, resulting in heavier bunches with more hands and fruits. Groupings that resulted following principal component analysis (PCA) supported conventional taxonomic groupings of plantains. PC A was based mainly on time to flowering, pseudostem height, and number of fruits. The last two traits, in combination with the number of hermaphrodite flowers and the persistence of the male bud, sufficed to group plantain cultivars.
Résumé
Los plátanos (Musa spp. grupo AAB) son un importante alimento y un componente integral de los sístemas agrícolas en los bosques tropicales húmedos del Africa del Oeste y Central. Una muestra de 24 cultivares de plátano, que representan la mayor variabilidad en Africa del Oeste, fue evaluada por nueve características cuantitativas. La asociación entre las caracteristicas de crecimiento y rendimiento, en este germoplasma africano de plátano, fue examinadapara determinar si la variabilidad cuantitativa en la inflorescencia y las características vegetativas están de acuerdo con grupos taxonómicos definidos por el tipo de la inflorescencia y el tamaño de la planta. Correlaciones fenotípicas entre estas características cuantitativas fueron calculadas. Los cultivares gigantes son más altos, con un pseudotallo más grueso y con floración más tardía que los cultivares de tamaño intermedio. Los cultivares gigantes producen más follaje, lo que resulta en rácimos más pesados con más manos y frutos. Los grupos definidos por el análisis de componentes principales (PCA) están de acuerdo con grupos taxonómicos convencionales en plátano. El PCA fue definido principalmente por días a la floración, tamaño del pseudotallo, y número de los frutos por rácimo. Estas dos últimas características, en combinación con el número de flores hermafroditas y la persistencia de la bellota masculina, son suficientes par la clasificación de cultivares de plátano.
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Swennen, R., Vuylsteke, D. & Ortiz, R. Phenotypic Diversity and Patterns of Variation in West and Central African Plantains (Musa Spp., AAB group Musaceae). Econ Bot 49, 320–327 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02862352
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02862352