Thickness of the last and second “fruit hands” as harvest criteria in banana.

Abstract

Thickness of the last and second “fruit hands” asharvest criteria in banana. The objective of this work was to determine the relationship between the thickness of thelast and second hand of fruits as harvest criteria in banana.The measurements were done weekly (mm) from the second to the tenth weeks after flowering, and were transformed to thirty two inch/22 (tti), where 1 tti=0,794 mm for thecalculation of regression equations for both fruit hands,considering or ignoring the bunch size. The thickness of thecentral fruit of the last hand was estimated from the centralthickness of the second hand, and vice versa for the fruit thickness of the second hand. The values of thickness of thecentral fruit of the last hand (Y values), obtained by applyinga pre-established minimum value for the harvest of the secondhand central fruit (x values: 43, 44 and 45 tti) were over40 tti, regardless of the bunch size, and even, exceeded inmost cases, 41 tti. Conversely, applying the minimum valuesof the central fruit of the last hand predefi ned for harvest (xvalues: 39, 40 and 41 tti), were obtained thickness values ofthe central fruit of the second hand (Y values) that did not exceed the value of 43 tti, except for x= 41 tti in bunches of7 to 9 hands. The results clearly demonstrate that bunches harvested with the minimum requirement of packing in the last hand, would have less weight because they are formed by fruits of less thickness than those reaped by measuringthe second hand.