An Economic Assessment of Banana Genetic Improvement and ...

BANANA-GROWING HOUSEHOLDS AND BANANA CULTIVARS 63
Table 5.19 Average number of years in use of banana cultivars currently planted,
Uganda
Elevation
Exposure
Type of cultivar
Low High Exposed Not exposed
All
Established in village 10.9*** 26.3*** 17.5*** 12.5*** 13.2
Introduced to village 7.8* 13.5* 4.7** 8.8** 8.1
All cultivars grown 10.6*** 25.5*** 16.5*** 12.1*** 12.8
Notes: Total number of households in all strata is 514. Total number of cultivars in all strata is 3,713. ***, **,
and * indicate statistical significance at the 1 percent, 5 percent, and 10 percent levels, respectively, in the
difference of means across elevation and exposure strata within countries.
About 64 percent of the lower pseudostems 6
are chopped off a few days after harvest,
compared to 47 percent in low-elevation
areas. Similarly, 59 percent of the upper
pseudostems in high-elevation areas are either
split or chopped soon after harvest,
whereas only 26 percent of the upper pseudostems
in the lowlands are managed
accordingly.
Banana Planting Material
Systems
The average numbers of years in use for
both endemic cultivars that farmers consider
to be “ancestral” (long-established in
their village) and cultivars that have been
introduced are much greater in the highlands
than in lower elevations (Table 5.19).
In the highlands, introduced cultivars include
only farmers’ cultivars. In fact, banana
plants last longer in the highlands. In
the lowlands, farmers shift and replant bananas
more frequently but over their lifetimes,
they have a similar cumulative experience
growing the crop. Villages where at
least some farmers have been exposed to
new cultivars are mostly found in the lowlands.
There, farmers have grown introduced
cultivars, whether improved or not,
for a shorter average period of time. This
pattern likely reflects the greater biotic pressures
and farmers’ recognition of the need
to reintroduce disease- and pest-free planting
material. Among all farmers surveyed,
the average number of years in use of a banana
cultivar is about 13 in general, and is 8
for those introduced to the village, independent
of improvement status.
In Tanzania, the average number of
years a cultivar has been grown by farmers
ranged from 1 to 54 years. Few farmers
have maintained the same cultivar for more
than 30 years. At the same time, some farmers
appear to be replanting older, ancestral
cultivars. Data on historical cultivation of
banana cultivars reveal that over the past 15
years, on average, households have abandoned
four banana cultivars in the Bukoban
and Karagwe Ankolean lowlands and two
banana cultivars in the Karagwe Ankolean
highlands. The genomic group with the
highest number of abandoned cultivars is
the endemic group, but at the lowest rate.
All genomic groups, ancestral and introduced
cultivars, are represented among
those discarded by farmers. Farmers reported
a range of reasons for their decisions,
including those related to preferences, markets,
and climate.
6
Bananas are normally harvested about 1 m above the ground; the part that remains is referred to here as “lower
pseudostem,” and the harvested part is referred to as “upper pseudostem.” After the fruit is cut off, the lower part
of the pseudostem is also cut off, which is called “stumping,” while the upper part of the pseudostem can either
be peeled or chopped to destroy breeding grounds for pests and also facilitate quick decomposition to recycle
nutrients taken up by the plant during its growth.