Evaluación de la calidad exportable de racimos de banano tratados con protectores biodegradables e infusión de laurel rosado (nerium oleander)

Abstract

Banana is considered one of the most consumed crops worldwide, being the fourth most cultivated species, which generates foreign exchange and employment sources to the countries that produce and export it. For the protection of the fruit in the field, materials such as plastic covers, bow ties, daipas and basmer protectors (nun's neck) are used, with the purpose of preventive quality of the clusters, and that allow diminishing the losses by insects, birds, and damage during the harvesting and packaging processes, to obtain a greater number of boxes and fruit of better quality. Plastics being slow degradation cause pollution outside or inside the banana, water sources contaminate drains, irrigation canal, among other sites, causing pollution of the environment. Ecuador is characterized by being the main producer and exporter, covering the demand of countries such as Russia and the United States, creating competition with other producing countries to reach those markets with fruit of agronomic and aesthetic quality at the lowest cost and with the least environmental impact. Taking into account the above, the investigation was carried out with the purpose of evaluating the effect of the infusion of pink Laurel (Nerium oleander L.) impregnated in biodegradable protectors made of bijao leaves (Calathea lutea Aubl. Schult.). On the quality Exportable banana bunches, applied in a conventional banana crop of the farm "La Carmela" that has 16.8 ha, located in the province of El Oro, Machala canton, parish "El Retiro". A completely randomized block design (BCA) was used, with 4 treatments, 5 repetitions and 3 replicas, making a total of 60 plants to evaluate, in plots of 0.8 ha: T1 (Organic protector + infusion); T2 (Nun neck protector + Bullet 55); T3 (Organic Protector); T4 (Nun neck protector). For the statistical analysis of the quantitative and qualitative variables, ANOVA, homogeneity of variance and Chi-square was used, with the statistical package IBM - SPSS Statistics editor version 22 for Windows at 95% reliability. According to the analysis of variance, the variables cochineal presence and presence of red spot did pests affect the only ones that presented significant differences, highlighting the T1 as the treatment least, this quality being due to the high residual spectrum of the pink Laurel. The T1 and T3 obtained higher means in the variables: Brix degrees, cluster weight, rachis, fruit and ratio. Also, that cut days were cut. Almond with a white quality was repeated in greater numbers in T1, on the contrary, T4 was the treatment with less heavy clusters, with lesser degree of its fruit and which the greatest number of pests affected. Damages that can occur in the fingers, such as spike damage or handling damage during the harvest of the cluster, had a greater incidence, although not significantly, in T1 and T3. The T2 in the length of the finger of the second hand obtained a higher average; on the contrary, the T1 and T4 had a similar average in the length of the finger of the last hand.