Ecophysiology of banana seedlings grown in different water regimes

Resumen

Banana is one of the most cultivated fruits in tropical countries, however, the banana tree is susceptible to water deficit, with considerable physiological responses. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate ecophysiological parameters of seedlings of two banana cultivars grown in different water stress levels. The experiment was conducted at the State University of Maranhão in a completely randomized design with four replications, using a 2×3 factorial arrangement consisting of two banana cultivars (Pacovan-Ken, and Fhia-18) and three water regimes (0%, 67%, and 100% of the field capacity). The cultivar Pacovan-Ken showed better adaptation to the water stress conditions, and presented less damages to the photosynthetic apparatus of the plants, which may be related to the higher canopy cooling capacity of plants of this cultivar.