Breeding of Fenza No. 1, a new high-quality and special banana variety with high resistance against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense

Abstract: Fenza No. 1 (Musa×pradisiaca ABBB) is a hybrid progeny of Guangfen No. 1 (ABB)×Musabalbisiana (BB). One seedling plant was obtained in 2000 and after being planted in the field for suc-cessive two cycles, the suckers of the plant were used as explants to obtain tissue-cultured plantlets through adventitious bud proliferation. Comparative trial between Fenza No. 1 and Guangfen No. 1 was conducted in April 2004. It was observed that Fenza No. 1 was highly resistant to Fusarium wilt of banana. The multilocation trails were then conducted in Guangdong and Hainan provinces. Compared with Guangfen No. 1, Fenza No. 1 is relatively higher and characterized by middle vigorous plant, drooping leaves, relatively small canopy breadth and less- developed root system. The pseudostem height of plant crop and ratoon crop are 325 cm and 410 cm, respectively. The pseudostem base girth and middle girth are 76.7 cm and 52.5 cm, respectively. The leaf blade length is 205 cm, leaf blade width is 59 cm, and leaf ratio is 3.47. Both sides of leaf blade base are rounded but asymmetric. The leaf upper surface and lower surface are green in color and dull. The bunch shape is short-cylindrical with compact appearance. The bunch length is 56 cm, and the bunch girth is 96.3 cm. Positioning of fruits on the crown is biseriate and occasionally fused. Fruit shape is basically ellipse and fruit apex is blunt-tipped and there are remains of the dead style and petal. There are no pronounced ridges on the transverse section of the fruit. The average length of finger is 13.6 cm. Immature fruit peel is light green in color, and pulp color before maturity is cream. The fruit peel turns yellow in color and is not  adherent to pulp at maturity. Mature fruits are persistent and don’t fall from hands. The majority color of pulp at maturity is cream, while the remnants of the ovules are yellow in color. The texture of flesh is soft and smooth, pulp ratio at maturity is 74.2%, and predominant flavor is pleasant sweet and sub- acidic with mild aroma. The soluble solid content of fruit is 25.72%, the titratable acid content is 0.45%, the soluble sugar content is 21.06%, the reducing sugar content is 18.31%, and the vitamin C content is 14.46 mg·100 g^-1. The plant crop cycle is around 14-16 months, and the yield is approximately 1800kg per 666.7 m². In some high-yield plantations, the average bunch weight is 20 kg and the yield for 666.7 m² is approximately 3000 kg. Fenza No. 1 is highly resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.cubense race 4, and the incidence rate is ＜5% in a severely infected field. At the late stage of maturity,there is no anthracnose spot on the surface of fruit peel. The shelf life of Fenza No. 1 is 4-6 days, which is 2-3 days longer than that of Guangfen No. 1. Fenza No. 1 is suitable to be planted in areas with severe Fusarium wilt of banana. The cultivation techniques of Fenza No. 1 were summarized from the aspects of planting materials, plantation location, fertilization, watering management, pest con-trol, and field management.