Leaf Gas Exchange Characters of Musa AB ‘Ney Poovan’ and Musa ABB (Pisang awak) Karpuravalli

Abstract

Ney Poovan (AB) and Karpuravalli (ABB) are indigenous and popular banana cultivars in south India for their unique taste, sweetness, and flavor. Leaf gas exchange traits for these cultivars are important for better management practices. Diploid cv. Ney Poovan recorded higher photosynthesis (12.49 µmol m-2s-1) than triploid cv. Karpuravalli (9.57 µmol m-2s-1) during the vegetative stage. Ney Poovan has erect and narrow leaves compared to Karpuravalli (broad and droopy leaves) and helps in intercepting radiation effectively during morning hours. Stomatal conductance (gs) could demarcate physiologically efficient leaves in both cultivars, as older and youngest leaves recorded lower stomatal conductance. The older leaves transpired on par with most active leaves with a lower assimilation rate in both cultivars. The gas exchange parameters recorded higher in the top 2-5 leaves, therefore these leaves can be used for any physiological and biochemical studies they reflect the active physiological state of the leaves. Ney Poovan manifested early vigour by increased Pn, gs than Karpuravalli. Therefore, nutrient scheduling and management practices must be worked out separately for each cultivar; thereby we can exploit the production potential of both cultivars.