After seven years of research, the Jalgaon Banana Research Centre (BRC) -under the Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV)- has come up with a new kind of banana, which has been named ‘Phule Pride.’
“Both the state government and the Central sub-committee on crop standard, notification and release of new variety of horticulture crops have recognised and notified this new variety,” said MPKV’s senior horticulture scientist Nazimuddin Shaikh, who led a 15-member research team to grow this new variety.
Speaking to TOI, Shaikh said the current banana plantation — the Grand Nain from Cavandish group — was introduced way back in 1996 in the banana-growing belts in Maharashtra. “However, this variety started showing inherent defects from 2006. Rainfall, coupled with high-velocity winds, resulted in crop damage,” said Shaikh.
Photo source: Dreamstime.com
