Brazil registers newly discovered spontaneously emerging banana cultivar
Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) registered a new banana variety discovered in the state of Santa Catarina, in the south of the country.
The Clarinha (SCS455) cultivar emerged spontaneously in the municipality of Luiz Alves, in the Itajaí Valley, an important fruit-producing region.
Mapa reported that the variety was registered in the Ministry of Agriculture's National Cultivar Registry (RNC-Mapa), under No. 58.447. The agency explained that the plants can be acquired from production companies properly registered in the local National Seed and Plant Registry.
A "spontaneous" banana in Brazil
Originating from a natural mutation of the Caturra banana (a Cavendish subgroup variety), Clarinha features a lighter, brighter peel, a characteristic associated with an approximate 43 percent reduction in chlorophyll content.
This difference, Mapa said, helps delay the darkening of the fruit after harvest, increasing its commercial appeal.
Tests confirmed that Clarinha has yields equivalent to those of its mother cultivar. Its aesthetic qualities may boost the marketability and profit potential of Santa Catarina producers, especially in winter when the tendency to darken on the shelf is more pronounced.
Upon registration, the banana was cleared for commercial use, broadening producers’ options and contributing to the competitiveness of banana farming.
Clarinha is officially the state’s sixth native banana variety.
*All images courtesy of The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa).
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