Effect of Soil Moisture Stress and Acetyl Salicylic Acid Priming on Yield and Fruit Quality of Banana (Musa spp.) cv. Champa

Abstract

The present study evaluated the impact of soil moisture stress at different growth stages and the effectiveness of foliar acetyl salicylic acid (ASA, 0.1 mM) priming in mitigating water stress in banana (Musa spp.) cv. Champa. The experiment was conducted during 2022–23 at AICRP on Fruits (Banana), Horticultural Research Station, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, using a Randomized Block Design with seven treatments and four replications. Soil moisture stress (SMS) imposed at 3, 5, and 7 months after planting significantly reduced yield-attributing traits including the number of hands (6.45–7.46), fingers per bunch (95.72–126.43), finger length (11.43–12.86 cm), bunch weight (7.42–9.07 kg), and yield (17.75–22.67 t/ha) compared with the irrigated control. Quality parameters such as shelf life, total soluble solids, and pulp characteristics were also adversely affected. Foliar priming with ASA proved effective in alleviating stress-related declines, resulting in improvements across all major yield components, with bunch weight ranging from 16.90–17.29 kg and yields from 43.19–43.25 t/ha. ASA application also enhanced fruit quality by increasing TSS (21.98–22.86 ºBrix), extending shelf life (7.48–7.56 days), and improving pulp-to-peel ratios. The findings demonstrate that foliar application of ASA (0.1 mM) is a promising strategy to enhance drought tolerance and maintain productivity in banana under soil moisture stress.