Project aims to improve quality of long banana production

With the aim of generating innovations and strategies to reduce losses in the production and post-harvest of Terra or longa type bananas (cv. d'Angola), Embrapa Acre will research, together with family farmers, new techniques to improve quality of bananas produced in Acre. The effectiveness of andiroba and copaiba oil will be tested for controlling anthracnose, in addition to other applications to guarantee product quality. Anthracnose is a disease that manifests itself during the transport, storage and ripening of fruit, thus reducing the quality of the product and causing losses for farmers.

Low post-harvest quality is considered one of the main technological problems in banana farming in the state. The project “Technological innovations applied to post-harvest Angolan bananas to support the implementation of the risk mitigation system for black Sigatoka in Acre” was approved by Banco da Amazônia with a duration of 36 months, and will be executed by Embrapa Acre . “This project seeks effective and sustainable solutions to reduce losses and improve banana quality at this stage of production”, says Embrapa Acre researcher, Virgínia Álvares.

Banana farming is one of the main sources of income in the state. Despite the benefits generated, the sector faces a major problem post-harvest: anthracnose, a disease caused by the fungus Colletotrichum musae.

Black Sigatoka is another obstacle to banana production in Acre and worldwide. The disease, caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet or Paracercospora fijiensis Moreleta, affects banana leaves, prevents photosynthesis and interferes with production. Where there is no control of the pest, the action of the fungus can cause a loss of up to 100% of the fruit. 

The presence of the disease and the absence of the Risk Mitigation System (SMR) are factors that make it unfeasible to sell bananas outside of Acre. “As long as there is no post-harvest treatment for the fruit, we will not be able to enter the markets of other states,” says farmer Gersi de Souza, president of the Rural Producers Association of Ramal Campo Novo (Apruracam).

Training

In addition to researching ways to combat anthracnose and providing subsidies for the implementation of a Black Sigatoka Risk Mitigation System in the State, it is planned to train farmers and technicians in the municipality of Acrelândia, the main banana producing hub in the State, on good post-harvest practices. “This partnership contributes to the results and discoveries of studies being shared directly with farmers who make a living from banana farming, as well as to the training of knowledge multipliers”, says Virgínia. 

The project includes actions at the Aprucaram Packaging House, where tests will be carried out to improve product quality. The structure is being built through a partnership between the Secretariat of Industry, Science and Technology (Seict), the State Secretariat of Production and Agribusiness (Sepa) and Embrapa, in the municipality of Acrelândia, with resources from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development - IBRD.  

Under current legislation, bananas must be sold in boxes, which indirectly requires the application of correct fruit management in the post-harvest stage. This process results in greater durability of the banana and reduces the chances of waste. In Acre, the fruit is still sold in bunches.

Banana farming

Banana is the main fruit crop in the state of Acre, with the largest cultivated area, 7,12 thousand hectares and 88,1 thousand tons produced, representing the highest production value among the state's perennial crops, with R$60,3 million in 2019. According to IBGE (2017), Acre has 8.363 agricultural establishments with more than 50 banana trees planted, 87,5% of which are considered family farming. Acrelândia is the municipality with the largest banana production in the state, with 1.100 hectares of harvested area in 2020, and a production of 16.500 tons, which corresponds to 19% of the total produced that year (IBGE, 2021), with a greater focus on the Earth type.