鈥楩iji,鈥� originally from Saipan, is an attractive and sweet variety of banana that is distinguished by its rapid growth, its short timeframe from flowering to harvest of about three to four months, and its tolerance to local insect pests and diseases.

鈥淎t present, consumers in Guam prefer two local dessert bananas 鈥� 鈥楳anila鈥� and 鈥楳acao鈥� 鈥� but these varieties are slow-growing and very susceptible to diseases. 鈥楩iji,鈥� on the other hand, is quick to produce and is tolerant of diseases,鈥� said extension horticulturalist Robert F. Bevacqua, who conducted the trial.

鈥楽aba鈥� also performed well in the variety trial for commercial production purposes. It exhibited vigorous growth, robust fruit size, disease resistance, and tolerance to adverse conditions, such as drought or flooding. The plant is also very sturdy and could be used as a windbreak for other crops, like papaya. It has a longer timespan to harvest than other varieties of about five to six months.

鈥楽aba,鈥� sometimes called 鈥楶alau,鈥� is a common variety of banana plant in Guam that is originally from the Philippines. It is versatile as both a cooking and a dessert banana, able to be eaten raw, boiled, fried as banana lumpia, steamed, or cooked in coconut milk.

Varieties available for propagation at Banana Field Day on May 10

An upcoming Banana Field Day event hosted by UOG Extension on Saturday, May 10, will provide a unique opportunity for farmers and gardeners to acquire a known 鈥楽aba鈥� or 鈥楩iji鈥� plant or one of the other types in the variety trial.

The hands-on workshop will focus specifically on banana plant propagation. Individual banana plants only produce fruit once. New plants, called suckers or pups, will grow from the base of the mother tree, and they will be most productive if they are separated.

Participants will get first-hand experience digging up and separating a sucker from a mother plant that they can then take home and plant. They will learn how to select the preferred suckers 鈥� called 鈥渟word鈥� suckers 鈥� what tools and techniques to use to dig up the suckers, and how to trim the suckers to prevent the transfer of insect pests and diseases to the new planting site.

Registration

The Banana Field Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, at the Inal氓jan Research & Education Center, one of UOG鈥檚 three Land Grant experiment stations on island. Registration will be capped at 40 and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. A $10 registration fee, payable at the door, includes one banana sucker for each participant to take home and plant. To register, visit  or contact Glenda Hall at (671) 735-2080.

Resources for growing bananas

Publications on propagating banana plants, harvesting, and handling as well as fact sheets on the 鈥楽aba鈥� and 鈥楩iji鈥� banana varieties can be found on the UOG Extension publications database at /publications/ceo. Residents can also direct banana growing questions to UOG Extension鈥檚 Agriculture & Natural Resources office at (671) 735-2080.

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About 91快播 Land Grant

As a federally designated Land Grant university since 1972, the 91快播 provides instruction, research, and community outreach in the fields of agriculture, food, natural resources, nutrition, and consumer science in order to improve life in Guam and Micronesia. Its two Land Grant units include the Western Pacific Tropical Research Center and UOG Cooperative Extension & Outreach, which operate within the College of Natural & Applied Sciences.