Production and post-harvest quality of D'Angola plantain cultivated in intercropping under different planting arrangements and densities

Abstract

The spatial arrangement and planting density of banana plants directly affect land use and can influence plant growth, fruit production, and quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate production variables and fruit quality of banana tree, D’Angola cultivar, grown under different populations and spatial distributions of plants over three production cycles. The experiment was conducted in Thé municipality of Bujari, Acre, and involved ten spatial arrangements, ranging from 1,250 to 2,000 plants ha-1. Parameters evaluated included bunch weight, number of hands per bunch, hand weight, number of fruits per hand, weight of the second hand, fruit length and diameter, rachis weight, yield, and quality parameters such as total soluble solids, total titratable acidity, pH, and Ratio. The different planting arrangements and densities did not affect productive parameters and post-harvest fruit quality. Production cycles had an influence, with the best indicators observed in the second year of cultivation, where the largest bunches were harvested, weighing 11.45 kg; fruits had the greatest length and diameter, measuring 19.26 cm and 45.55 mm respectively, along with the highest yield of 48.47 kg per plant per cycle.