Growth performance of Sunking banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) derived from tissue culture under different acclimatization durations and planting media

¹ Department of Agroecotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Mulawarman. Jl. Pasir Balengkong No. 1, Kampus Gunung Kelua, Samarinda, 75119 East Kalimantan, Indonesia
² Doctoral Program of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Mulawarman. Jl. Krayan Kampus Gunung Kelua Gedung C18, Samarinda, 75119 East Kalimantan, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different acclimatization durations and combinations of planting media on growth performance of Sunking banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) derived from tissue culture. A serial experiment comprising two stages, i.e., acclimatization duration and post-acclimatization media composition experiments was conducted. The first stage, the acclimatization treatments consisted of: a₀ = without acclimatization, a₁ = one-week acclimatization, and a₂ = two-week acclimatization. Subsequently, in the second stage, the planting media tested included m₀ = topsoil + rice husk charcoal, m₁ = topsoil + rice husk charcoal + organic fertilizer (chicken manure), and m₂ = topsoil + rice husk charcoal + NPK fertilizer. Results revealed that acclimatization duration did not influence seedling survival. Surprisingly, plantlets without acclimatization (a₀) exhibited the highest survival rate (80%). Meanwhile, planting media combinations resulted in a highly significant effect on several growth parameters, including plant height, stem diameter, and leaf length, but not on leaf width and number of leaves. Among the tested media, m₂ (topsoil + rice husk + NPK fertilizer) supported the best vegetative growth, yielding the tallest plants (72.07 cm), thickest stems (4.99 cm), longest leaves (53.20 cm), and highest number of leaves (5.47) at 12 weeks after transplanting.