**NABARD.
Department of Horticulture, Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar.
Present address: *Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agricultral Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005.
Five important dessert banaua cultivars were selected for their physico-chemical studies. Height of plant and girth of pseudostems was recorded to be maximum in Kanthali cultivar. Kanthali cultivar took the maximum period of 16.47 months for its bunches to mature, whereas Alpan took the minimum period of 15.32 months. Maximum bunch weight upto 20.42 kg, length of bunch 94.66 cm, number of fingers 158 23 and length of fingers 11 65 cm was recorded in Kanthali cultivar. Maximum breadth of finger (4.10 cm) was recorded in Alpan. Maximum T. S. S. of 24.5 per cent was recorded in Malbhog and minimum of 20.7 per cent in Champa. Total sugar was recorded to be maximum (21.1 per cent) in Malbhog and minimum of 10.2 per cent in Rajavazhai. Lowest acidity of 0.18 per cent was recorded to be the same in both Rajavazhai and Malbhog cultivars.
