Growth and development of the banana ( Musa sp.) cv. prata in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The weight of banana corms in relation to growth, number of leaves produced and time of flowering was investigated in Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. This region has summers, which are hot with much precipitation and winters, which are cool and relatively dry. The weights of the corms studied were 250, 450, 650 and 850 g. The best growth rates observed were with corms weighing 850 and 650 g, and took 42-43 days to sprout. Time to flowering was the shortest, 282 days. The 450 g corms gave almost the same results. A marginal positive correlation was found between growth, precipitation and temperature. The average period observed between the appearance of two consecutive leaves was 7 days.