Effect of treatment of banana bunches with 2,4-D and zinc

• Grant number: 25/05482-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Domingues Lima
• Grantee: Kaike Ferreira Musha
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus do Vale do Ribeira. Registro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The small size of bananas is a factor that limits their commercialization price. Zinc and auxin are related to fruit size. Zinc is also related to tolerance to cold stress. In this sense, this project aims to determine the effect of spraying banana bunches cv. Nanica with 2,4-D and different forms of Zn, associated or isolated, on fruit growth, yield and quality of bananas produced in winter and summer. The experiment will be carried out in Registro - SP, in a completely randomized experimental design, in split plot subdivided in time (winter and summer), with five treatments and six replications. The treatments will be: T1 - water, T2 - ZnSO4 (5 g L-1 ZnSO4), T3 - 2,4-D (30 mg L-1 2,4-D), T4 - 2,4-D + ZnSO4 (30 mg L-1 2,4-D + 5 g L-1 ZnSO4), T5 - 2,4-D + ZnCl (30 mg L-1 2,4-D + 5 g L-1 ZnCl), T6 - 2,4-D+ Zn-EDTA (30 mg L-1 2,4-D + 5 g L-1 Zn-EDTA). The bunches will be sprayed when the fruits are completely free of bracts and 21 days after the first spray. The mass of the bunch, the diameter and length of the fruits, the characteristics of the skin color, the cold injury index in the fruits developed in winter, as well as the levels of zinc and 2,4-D (residue) will be evaluated. It is expected to elucidate whether spraying the bunch with zinc and auxin is in fact a beneficial cultural practice for the yield and quality of the banana.