Bunch Weight Determination in Relation to the Source-Sink Balance in 12 Cavendish Banana Cultivars

This study was carried out to compare bunch weight determination in relation to the source-sink balance in a selection of 12 Cavendish banana cultivars. Fruit number and individual fruit weight are the main bunch weight components. The fruit number depended on the growth potential during floral induction, which we estimated according to the active leaf area at floral induction (ALAfi). We studied fruit weight determination by measuring the source-sink balance during bunch growth, carbohydrate reserves and bunch-sucker biomass partitioning. Throughout the experiment, we monitored the global radiation (Rg), which exhibited seasonal variations. We noted a source variation from the first to the second cycle during bunch growth because of a decrease in the Rg and active leaf area. Our results showed significant differences between Cavendish cultivars regarding bunch weight, fruit number and susceptibility to source variations. There was an overall positive linear relation between ALAfi and fruit number, but the ALAfi/fruit number ratio varied between cultivars. We also found that the bunch weight was mainly determined by the fruit number rather than the fruit weight when the source was not limited. Finally, we assessed the cultivar susceptibility to source decreases, thereby revealing some cultivars of interest for agroecological cropping systems.