Desarrollo y distribución de raíces en tres clones de musáceas y su relación con las propiedades de un suelo lacustrino de la Cuenca del Lago de Valencia

Abstract

Edible Musaceae (plantain and banana) are the most important fruit crops in the country and are of great preference for the consumer. In order to evaluate roots development and distribution in three Musaceae this research was carried out in a soil classified as Mollic Ustifluvents, located in the basin of Valencia’s lake. Soil and plants were evaluated in three dates during the crop cycle (3, 6 and 9 months after being sowed). The variables analyzed in plant were: root length, fresh weight and growth rate. Some physical and chemicals properties were evaluated in the soil. ‘Brazilian’ (Musa AAA), ‘Pelipita’ (Musa ABB) and ‘Harton’ (Musa AAB) were the clones used. The roots of the three genotypes tended to be more concentrated in the first alluvial layer of soil, than in the inferior lacustrine layers, observing contrasting characteristics among soil layers. Maximum effective depth was 37 cm; which indicates a restrictive effect for roots development and a low ability for roots to be fixed firmly in the soil.