The banana genetic breeding program at Embrapa Cassava and Tropical Fruits aims to develop and select new banana varieties with high productivity, good fruit flavor and resistance to most banana diseases. The objective of this work was to evaluate banana cultivars and hybrids in order to identify superior genotypes for productivity and disease resistance. The following characteristics were evaluated: plant height (cm); pseudostem diameter (cm); number of living leaves during flowering; and at harvest number of fingers per bunch; bunch weight (kg); mean finger weight (g); finger length (cm); finger diameter (cm); skin thickness (mm); number of days from planting to flowering and number of days from planting to harvesting in the hybrids of the Gros Michel (Calipso, Bucaneiro and Ambrosia); Yangambi (YB42-21 e YB42-17); Prata (ST42-08 e ST12-31) and Prata Anã (SH3640) and in the cultivars Pacovan (Prata Type) and Nanicão (Cavendish Type). The experiment was carried out in randomized blocks design, with 10 treatments, five replications and six bushes per plot in the spacing of 2.0 m x 3.0 m. The hybrids evaluated presented agronomic characteristics equal or superior to the corresponding varieties. The best hybrids of the Prata, Yangambi and Gros Michel were ST12-31, YB42-21 and Bucaneiro, respectively.
Musa spp.; production; genotypes; crop cycle; plant height
