Vol. 11, Issue 12 (2022)

With the benchmarks of a clone having dwarf plant stature, better finger size, early maturity and tolerance to higher temperature, higher wind velocity and Sigatoka leaf spot disease from Cavendish group, a survey for selection of promising clone in banana was carried out under AICRP research programme. A natural mutant of ‘Grand Naine’ variety with the promising traits was spotted in 2012 in an experimental block at the Banana Research Station, Jalgaon, which was designated as BRS2013-3. The passport data, comparative studies of the clone with other varieties viz., Grand Naine and Ardhapuri, for vegetative and yield traits were made for 04 years. The four-year pooled data revealed that the clone BRS2013-3 showed superiority over Grand Naine and Ardhapuri in respect of pseudostem height (1.53 m), earliness (days to flowering - 230 & days to harvest - 320) percent bunch harvest (100%), harvesting index (57.53), production index (6.68) and resistance to pseudostem breaking, bunch breaking and lodging. With the highest B:C ratio of 2.78, the clone ‘BRS2013-3’was found to be a good alternative to Grand Naine for the banana growers of Maharashtra and this clone was released under the name ‘Phule Pride’.