Archives of Current Research International

The plantain banana is a monocotyledon belonging to the order Scitaminales or Zingiberales and the family Musaceae. Its profitable cultivation is traditionally carried out in areas with high rainfall. This plant, a member of the Musaceae family, is an important crop in Africa. It plays a major role in diversifying household incomes in both rural and urban areas, thus contributing to poverty reduction. Its evaluation under greenhouse conditions aims to identify cultivars that, at the juvenile stage, show good growth performance and are therefore better adapted to water stress. Nine (09) plantain banana cultivars seven (7) traditional and two (2) improved were selected at the nursery stage by the National Center for Agronomic Research (CNRA) and cultivated under controlled (greenhouse) conditions with different watering regimes, in order to identify those showing drought tolerance based on biochemical criteria. The study revealed that under adequate water supply, proline content remained low, ranging from 0.67 mg/g in Zakoi to 2.18 mg/g in French Sombre. Under water stress, proline content increased significantly, reaching 4.35 mg/g in Orishele. Soluble sugar content was also higher under water deficit conditions (59.35 mg/g) compared to normal watering (34.16 mg/g), with little variation among varieties. Chlorophyll content decreased under stress, from 51.04 SPAD in the control regime to 47.46 SPAD under stress conditions. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that Zakoi and French Sombre were associated with proline and chlorophyll, while soluble sugars were linked to Big Ebanga and Orishele.