New plantain cultivar combines high productivity and food quality

Brazilian farmers now have another Terra-type banana option, also known – depending on the region – as plantain or plantain. Developed by Embrapa's Banana and Plantain Genetic Improvement Program, the BRS Terra-Anã adds to the Terra Maranhão, Terrinha and D’Angola varieties, officially registered by Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura (BA) in 2018.

In relation to the D´Angola cultivar, its direct competitor, BRS Terra-Anã has the distinguishing features of its dwarf size, greater number of bunches and fruits and greater productivity, in addition to superior sensory and food qualities. “There was a strong demand from producers for new cultivar options of this type of banana, since the three most used commercial cultivars have as their main disadvantages the very tall size, the very long production cycle, low productivity or even little fruit quality”, says researcher Edson Perito Amorim, coordinator of the breeding program. 

The variety is resistant to yellow Sigatoka and Fusarium wilt and susceptible to black Sigatoka, the main banana diseases; the rhizome borer (pest also known as banana mole) and nematodes (parasites that affect various aspects of production). Initially, BRS Terra-Anã is recommended for planting in Mato Grosso and Vale do Ribeira (SP), but there is already work underway in the north of Minas Gerais and in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Ceará aiming to validate the cultivar for future extension recommendation to other regions. 

In parallel to this activity and, considering current results, in the coming years Embrapa should launch at least two plane trees with agronomic potential and fruit quality that meet market demands.

The lower plant height of BRS Terra-Anã – 2,83 m, while competitors have, on average, 3,50 m – allows better management of the banana plantation and a considerable reduction in premature plant falls, being recommended for areas with higher incidence of strong winds. The possibility of planting density is also an advantage, since more compact plants allow for greater quantity in the field.

“All the farmer’s dedication has to be turned into profit so that his quality of life is satisfactory and he can achieve his desires. BRS Terra-Anã, in addition to all the advantageous agronomic characteristics, converts these advantages into net profit”, highlights Amorim.

Validation

“Plantains are an important fruit in the family farming production chain, enabling a quick return on investment, and are part of the traditional cuisine of Mato Grosso residents in almost every meal. Production is well distributed throughout the state, unlike the producing regions of Espírito Santo and Bahia, where the Terra Maranhão banana comes in, which has smaller fingers and more productive bunches. Here the market preference is for large fruits, few fingers, and this cultivar met this demand. The high production, the vigor, the resistance to the wind, the flavor, all of this fit into the perspectives of the producers here”, says Humberto de Carvalho Marcilio, researcher at the Mato Grosso Research, Assistance and Rural Extension Company (Empaer-MT) . “Our recommendation is that technology be carried out because the state of Mato Grosso has a period of severe drought. So, whoever wants to produce with quality, both BRS Terra-Anã and Farta Velhaca, has to irrigate”, he adds.

Empaer-MT has been a partner of Embrapa since 2000, when it began participating in the National Banana and Plantain Assessment Network. In 2016, 12 plane tree materials were sent to the institution for field evaluations and statistical analysis to determine the best genotypes.

Four stood out – among them, what would become BRS Terra-Anã. “All important agronomic characteristics were evaluated: bunch weight, productivity and disease resistance. Many materials with resistance to black Sigatoka do not meet the demand of the state's consumer market, where plantains are of great importance, especially for family farming. The work was also done to see market acceptance because, after all, there is no point in launching a variety that does not please the consumer”, explains Marcilio.

Demonstration units were implemented in the municipalities of Cuiabá, Acorizal, Nossa Senhora do Livramento, Santo Antônio do Leverger, Poconé, Cáceres, São Domingos, Campo Verde, Nova Brasilândia, Nobres, Sorriso, Lucas do Rio Verde, Tangará da Serra and Guarantã do Norte .

Producer and agronomist Eduardo Teixeira, from the National Rural Learning Service of Mato Grosso (Senar-MT) is a fan of the new variety, which was tested on the family property. “While Farta Velhaca has an average production of 10 to 12 kilos per bunch, here on my property I obtained a production of 23 to 24 kilos on average with BRS Terra-Anã. It is a high productivity, which brings a very large profit for the producer, since the costs of planting, managing and running the banana plantation with it and Farta Velhaca are the same. However, her net income is 200% higher, assessed in the first and second harvest. Another very interesting point is the bushing (physiological disorder characterized by the deformation of the bunch, emitted outside its usual position) that the cold causes in plants. The BRS Terra-Anã has a certain tolerance to low temperatures like those here, of 10 to 11 degrees, and there was practically zero plugging”, highlights Teixeira.

“Another positive point is that the borer (a pest that often causes infested plants to fall over, especially those with clusters) is less appreciated,” says the agronomist, who also highlights the height of the plant: “If you have a shorter plant makes everything easier, such as harvesting the bunch, defoliating, spraying fungicide and insecticide, and bagging the bunch”, he adds.

Edson Shigueaki Nomura, researcher at the São Paulo Agribusiness Technology Agency (Apta), from the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo, led the evaluations in an experiment installed at the Apta Regional de Pariquera-Açu, in Vale do Ribeira, for little more two years. For him, the highlights of the cultivar are the quality of the fruit, the smaller size and the management. “The management itself is better, especially with regard to bagging, thinning, harvesting and post-harvest. Furthermore, in relation to other materials, it has a much higher amount of starch, which gives the fruit greater firmness, which is important for those who work with processing and for the consumer”, he explains.

According to him, there are already producers interested in the cultivar, especially due to the height of the plant. “Here they only know Terra Maranhão and have great difficulty handling this material due to its size,” he says.

Seedlings available to the producer

Six biofactories registered in the National Seed and Seedling Registry (Renasem) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) are authorized to produce BRS Terra-Anã seedlings following protocols defined by Embrapa. In 2021, they competed for a public offering notice and were classified. Responsible for implementing clonal seedling gardens, each company received a batch of 10 explants – portions of plant tissue capable of reproducing a plant under controlled and artificial conditions – of the variety, so that they could establish large-scale production.

According to agricultural engineer Herminio Souza Rocha, analyst at Embrapa's Technology Transfer Management Sector, the notice is one of the stages of Embrapa's innovation process, which recommends that, approximately one year before launch, biofactories participate of communications like this. “The objective is that, when a cultivar is launched, there is availability of seedlings with guaranteed genetic identity and health for the interested public; in this case, the banana farmer”, explains Rocha. In return, upon becoming an official producer of seedlings, the biofactory receives a non-exclusive, non-transferable and onerous license for the right to use the "Embrapa Technology" brand.

According to Márcio de Assis, agronomist and administrative partner at Multiplanta, one of the biofactories licensed by Embrapa to produce BRS Terra-Anã seedlings, there has always been a demand in the company for Terra-type banana seedlings. “The BRS Terra-Anã seedling production project is considered very promising. Bananas from the Terra group have a very large consumer market throughout the country and the agronomic characteristics of BRS Terra-Anã generated great interest in the acquisition of seedlings by producers from different regions, aiming to evaluate their behavior and the acceptance of the fruits on the market. and eventually make adjustments to its production system”, he notes.

For the launch, Multiplanta has around 50 thousand seedlings available for sale in the coming months – a number that should be significantly increased depending on favorable market expectations and demands. “There is no minimum order for seedlings. However, the guideline has been to provide limited quantities in this first stage that allow producers to know the characteristics of the genetic material, adjust management and, thus, safely decide to expand plantings”, he explains. Multiplanta has been producing and selling micropropagated banana seedlings since 1992 and, in 2009, it became licensed by Embrapa to produce seedlings of protected cultivars, such as BRS Conquista and BRS Platina.