Green-life of pink banana (Musa spp., cv. Figue Rose Naine): determination of the optimum harvesting date

The context for the production of bananas for export is characterised by a wide range of transport-times between producer and importer countries, and by the use of a single cultivar of banana (Musa spp., AAA group, cv. Cavendish Grande Naine). We investigated the green-life of pink banana (Musa spp., AAA group, Red sub-group, cv. Figue Rose Naine) for the different physiological ages of banana fruit, measured in degree-days (°Cd). We measured the temperature threshold of pink banana (19.8°C) and showed that the green-life of pink banana decreased linearly with the physiological age of the fruit. Thus, we confirm the validity of the relationship between accumulated heat units during fruit growth and green-life that was previously established for Cavendish banana.We searched for the optimum physiological age (°Cd) for harvest, in order to ensure a green-life that fulfilled the requirements for transport and that maximised fruit weight. For Martinique, the optimum flowering-to-harvest interval was found to be 548°Cd, to ensure 25 d of green-life, as required for transport, and to maximise fruit size. We showed that fruit weight was not a good indicator on which to select bananas for harvest in order to ensure a particular green-life. This is the first time that guidance has been proposed for the transport and export of a non-Cavendish banana. These results may assist other producer countries that wish to diversify their banana exports by growing pink banana. Export bananas currently cover approx. 1 million ha,worldwide (FAOSTAT, 2005). Bananas for export are transported from the producer to the consumer in