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Summary
The field performance of in vitro-propagated banana (Musa spp.) plants was compared with that of the sucker-derived plants. In vitro-propagated plants established and grew faster, taller and bigger than the conventional sucker-derived plants. The former produced more leaves resulting in a larger total leaf area (8001.5 cm2 per plant) than the latter (6613.1 cm2 per plant) and could be harvested earlier. The former also produced heavier bunches and fruit (15.2 kg for bunch and 200 g per finger of fruit) than the latter (9.0 kg for bunch and 136.4 g per finger of fruit). In this experiment, the in vitro-propagated plants had many intact roots and a bulk of vermiculite around their roots but the sucker-derived plants had many damaged roots at the time of planting. In addition, in vitro-propagated plants started growth earlier and grew faster enabling them to intercept more light for photosynthesis than the sucker-derived plants. This may explain the higher yield in the in vitro-propagated plants. We conclude that in vitro-propagated Shima banana performs better in terms of growth and yield than the sucker-derived plants under field conditions.