OBSERVATIONS ON VARIETIES GROWN IN THE TRIALS OR OTHERWISE ENCOUNTERED

With most of the varieties grown in Kagera Region, the task of identification, or, perhaps more correctly, of applying local names, generally cannot be done until the fruit is almost mature. In the present trials, the field staff, assisted by farmers, used the overall bunch appearance and finger shape to assign local variety names. The names were noted down with the spelling according to local usage; it should be noted that the letters "l' and "r' are interchangeable in Kihaya, and (in the Region) in Kiswahili.

No new listing or separation of the numerous varieties (clones or types) has been published since the work of SHEPHERD (1957), which purported to clarify the earlier field work findings of BAKER & SIMMONDS (1951 and 1952). From the Bukoba area, SHEPHERD estimated that there was a total of eight "Native" acuminata AAA types which could be interpreted from the list of 14 names given by BAKER & SIMMONDS.

A large collection of clonal material is (or was) maintained at Maruku ARI but (in 1990) accurate and proper analysis and synonymisation of the types held was still urgently required.

The types identified in the field trials included seven AAA varieties - "Nyoya", "Nshansha", "Nshakala", "Nchoncho", "Ntobe", "Ndizi Kali" and "Njunjuzi".

Two French plantain, AAB, types occurred in the trial at Ibaraizibu - "Nkonjwa Nshakara" (Pink) and "Njubo".

Other AAA types encountered "Nshansha Mbire" (Mbire = beer, i.e. for brewing), "Ntente", "Gros Michel", "Dwarf Cavendish" and "Jamaica Red".

Other AAB types seen were the Horn plantain - "Nkonjwa", and a French plantain - "Mpindu".

With the exception of the "Gros Michel", "Dwarf Cavendish" and "Jamaica Red", which are listed by SHEPHERD (1957) as ICTA Type 1 and Type 7 respectively, the AAA types are not found outside the upland banana growing area of east-central Africa. The information given by SHEPHERD on these types places most into the "Mutika" group, with medium to longish, bottle-necked fruit, or into the "Lujugira" group, with shorter, less bottle-necked fruit.

The use, mentioned by SHEPHERD, of plant height as a feature for separating types seems unlikely to be dependable as in the present trials heights varied more obviously according to site and soil fertility and not to inter-type differences. For instance, see the results shown in TABLE 8, especially those for Nyoya.

Furthermore, plant heights of 450 cm or more were observed in heavily manured situations, such as the project nursery at Ibura, Bukoba, and the Nshansha plant seen close to a slurry pit on the Nyakato farm.

The "Gros Michel", as elsewhere, is susceptible to Panama Disease but it is quite widely grown in Bukoba District and in lakeshore areas of Muleba District. This is because it will survive and give a reasonable yield when nematode or weevil attack, or poor soil fertility, has led to decimation of the favoured AAA types. It is, however, susceptible to "Panama disease", as was seen at Izigo in Muleba.

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