Factors affecting the preclimacteric period of banana fruit bunches

SUMMARY Preclimacteric periods of banana fruits stored at 13.5dC were measured for bunches of several triploid cultivars including cv. Valery and a group of tetraploid clones; in the main experiment, measurements were made for about 450 bunches of 29 clones harvested mainly at weekly intervals over a period of 1 yr. A model was developed to partition the effects on preclimacteric period of the continous variables, bunch age and fruit girth at harvest and of clone difference, different agronomic treatments and harvesting dates. Preclimacteric period was well correlated with both bunch age and fruit girth, the relationship with either variable being approximately linear over the last 6 wk of bunch development. Very highly significant difference in preclimacteric period were observed between clones, difference between tetraploid clone being related in part to their diploid parentage. A small but highly significant increase in preclimacteric period was observed for bunch where the navel was removed early in bunch development compared to untreated bunch. very highly significant difference occurred between different harvesting dates but changes from the mean preclimacteric period occured mainly for bunches developing during periods when ambient temperature and bunch development rate changed rapidly and not for those developing during the warmest or coolest conditions.