Response of banana varieties and seaweed extracts on plantlet formation and root development using corms

Abstract

Although varietal selection and seaweed extract (SWE) application are known to influence banana propagation, their combined effects on early vegetative growth parameters remain underexplored.This study evaluated the response of banana varieties, specifically Red Dacca and Cuarenta Dias, were evaluated to SWE treatments in terms of formation of plantlets and development of roots using corms. A factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was employed, with variety as Factor A and biostimulant treatment as Factor B (untreated, SWE at 5 ml L-1, SWE at 10 ml L-1, and α-naphthalene Acetic Acid (ANAA) at 5 ml L-1). Results revealed that the Red Dacca variety treated with SWE at 5 ml L-1 produced more plantlets and improved root vigor, showing performance comparable to the commercial biostimulant; whereas Cuarenta Dias performed best with ANAA treatment. With these results, it can be concluded that varietal response to biostimulant is highly specific, wherein Red Dacca showed statistically comparable performance with the commercial standard, while the other variety attained better performance with ANAA. These findings demonstrate that varietal response to biostimulants is highly specific. SWE at 5 ml L-1 is recommended as a cost-effective alternative for Red Dacca propagation. Further trials encouraged across diverse environments are recommended to validate these results.