A dessert banana developed by French research center CIRAD has shown good tolerance to Black Sigatoka disease with trials underway in the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, website Martinique.franceantilles.fr reported.

The story reported there were currently 900kg (1,984lbs) of the Fhlorban 925 variety in production in the French Antilles, with growers hoping to commercialize it in 2015.

Members of the Union of Guadeloupe and Martinique Banana Growers have been growing the variety since 2008, with agronomic monitoring undertaken by the Tropical Technical Institute (l'IT2) on two plots in Martinique and four in Guadeloupe.

Testing on the banana is also taking place in a cold room in Rungis near Paris.

Growers recently held a tasting for the public at the Banana Museum in Martinique, with the variety proving as popular as the standard Cavendish for the majority of participants, however there were differing opinions about the fruit's smaller size, appearance and texture.

The story reported that if tests prove successful, the variety could pose a threat to Cavendish bananas as it requires less pesticide use.

Photo: Union of Guadeloupe and Martinique Banana Growers

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