Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Plantain (Musa paradisiaca) as Influenced by Different Sources of Natural Rooting Hormones and Dipping Time.

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development Multipurpose Crop Nursery to evaluate the efficacy of coconut water, honey as natural hormones and water as the control on growth, yield and fruit quality of plantain from March to November 2023. The experimental design used was a 3 x 3 factorial arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments were three dipping time namely (quick dip, 2-hour dip, and 4-hour dip) and three rooting hormones (coconut water, honey and water as the control). The results showed that treating plantain corms with coconut water and honey (a natural rooting hormone solution) and with 4-hour dip enhanced some vegetative growth parameters and yield and yield components of plantain. It was established from the finding that the coconut water plus 4-hour dip gave the least number of days to fruit maturity, greatest number of leaves per plant at 9 months after planting, widest bunch stalk diameter, heaviest bunch weight at harvest and the highest yield compared to the other treatments. For a higher plantain yield, it is recommended that farmers should use coconut water as rooting hormone to treat plantain corms and also dip them for 4-hour before planting to optimize plantain productivity.