مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد مجموعه داده Plantain-Optim: صفات زراعی از کاشت تا برداشت – الزویر 2018

abstract

The ‘Plantain-Optim’ dataset (came from the ‘Plantain-Optim’ experiment conducted from 2009 to 2011 at CARBAP experimental station in Cameroon. The main objective was to describe agronomic potential of nine plantain varieties, including five natural plantains commonly cropped in Cameroon, and four plantain-like hybrids. A completely randomized bloc permitted to compare growth, development and yield of 45 plants per variety split between five replicates. Cropping practices guarantied non-limiting and homogenous conditions. Each plant was measured every 15 days. Data described aerial organ sizes, foliar structure and bunch characteristics of the mother plant. The ‘Plantain-Optim’ dataset includes the complete individual growth of each studied plantain of the ‘Plantain-Optim’ experiment with a 15-day accuracy. It is a useful standard of plantain varietal diversity for comparison with others datasets. Varietal growth and development homogeneity, biomass production or foliar and bunch structures could be further investigated. Moreover, these accurate data on plantain growth could be valuable for plantain 3D modelling.

1. Data

1.1. Background

Plantain is one of the most important staple food in West and Central Africa. Like others Musa species, plantain (Musa acuminata × Musa balbisiana) is a giant monocotyledon [1] with an underground corm that supports leaves. Leaf sheaths form the pseudostem. A terminal bud leads the inflorescence, and then the bunch, that is compound by hands of bananas. Bananas are called “fingers”. Farmers commonly cropped a large varietal diversity in West and Central Africa. At this time, varietal explorations led more than 135 plantain varieties, which are preserved in the collection of CARBAP (African Centre for Banana and Plantain Researches) experimental station. This diversity represents a large panel of morphologic traits, which are basis of the existing botanical classification into fours subgroups (French, French horn, False horn and True horn) and three plant sizes (‘small’, ‘medium’ and ‘giant’) [2,3]. Hypothesis is that this diversity also represents agronomic potential variations. Alongside this botanical knowledge, very few studies explored agronomic differences between plantain varieties, as yield potential, nutrient and water needs or pest and disease sensitivity. Thus, there is a real lack of knowledge and data concerning agronomic potential to benchmark varieties for farmers [4], even more to choose the best suitable varieties for integrating into innovative and sustainable plantain-based cropping systems. The ‘Plantain-Optim’ experiment aimed to produce scientific data to contribute to this basic knowledge. The ‘Plantain-Optim’ experiment was designed to evaluate and compare yield potential that we assumed to consider as the primary criteria for defining agronomic potential. A board of plantain researchers from CARBAP contributed to identify a panel of commonly cropped and promising varieties in Cameroon, according to future challenges for plantain-based cropping systems. They selected nine varieties, including five natural commonly cropped plantains in Cameroon and four plantain-like hybrids (Table 1). Experimental design was a completely randomized bloc (Fig. 1). The single factor was the variety, with the nine selected varieties as modalities.