Moist savannas of Africa: potentials and constraints for crop production. Proceedings of an IITA/FAO workshop held from 19-23 September 1994 Cotonou, Republic of Benin

Abstract

Cultivated plantains and bananas (Musa spp.) are important staple crops in the humid forest and midaltitude ecologies of sub-Saharan Africa.Their water requirement is relatively high and they are very sensitive to dry soil conditions, which greatly limitstheir range of cultivation.While long-term drought is generally not common in traditional cultivation areas, it is a potential threat for plantains in West Africa, particularly during the short dry season.In llTA's ongoing efforts to develop broadly adapted genotypes, the study reported here attempted to differentiate plantains, bananas, and their hybrid genotypes for droughttolerance, on the basis of a sampling protocol developed to distinguish physiological responses.