1College of Tropical Agriculture, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. 96822
2Pacific Hawaii Fruit Co., Inc., Kapaa, Hawaii, U. S. A., 96746
*Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Serice No. 1629.
Rapid multiplication techniques for Giant Cavendish banana were developed and compared in the lathehouse, nursery and field. From 18 original rhizomes 3,159 rhizomes were produced for a 4.45 hectare commercial planting within a 16 month period. Methods used included: (1) planting large rhizomes in boxes filled with soil or vermiculite (in shade), detaching suitable suckers and planting them in a field nursery or in cans, and (2) growing large rhizomes in a humidity chamber and detaching suckers to be planted in field nursery or in cans. Both of these methods were followed by transplanting to commercial fields and subsequent sucker production there. There was no difference in number of suckers when rhizomes were grown in a humidity chamber compared with the lathehouse. Of the methods used, the first was judged best and most practical for a farmer. Another method which required wounding of single buds produced highest numbers of new plants. However, low survival rate of the detached young plants and difficulty in predicting when the practice would work make it necessary to study the practice further.
