Speaker
Description
Phenology is generally described as observing life cycle stages or plant activities in temporal events throughout the year. Cavendish bananas are a variety of resistant to insects and diseases and have various health benefits. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the stages of development and formation of Cavendish banana flowers and fruits at the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, to increase Cavendish banana fruit yield through good agricultural practices. The study conducted has five main parameters such as the development of banana fruit by observing every development phase of fruit and flower every day and recorded by capturing pictures. The number of days of the bracts opening and fall was recorded from when it was open fully until it fell. Bracts were open from few days after flowering and fall naturally days after. For a number of days, the fruit matured, and observations were done at the end of banana development. The characteristics observed include fruit changing colours (from green to yellow) and fruit size. The number of combs was then calculated after the banana was harvested and calculating comb per bunch. After that, banana fruit was weighed by harvesting ripened bananas and weighed on a scale. The results show that Cavendish bananas in Sabah only required 85-90 days to complete the whole phase of fruit development and have a total of around 103 to 105 bracts and 12 different growth phases. In other countries, the time required for Cavendish bananas to ripen is quite similar in South Africa, it takes about 85 to 100 days after the flowering stage to reach full maturity. Variations in ripening time are influenced by climate and surrounding conditions, showcasing how environmental factors play a role in the growth cycle.
Keywords: Cavendish banana, phenology, bracts, fruit development, ripened
