Abstract

The seasonal fluctuation in proline content in 11 banana varieties belonging to three genomic groups were studied. The proline content increased from March to June und the started declining irrespective of the varieties. Among the three genomic groups ABB record higher amount of proline accumulation during June than the other two groups (AAA and AAB). Drought was observed during the months of April. May and June in the crop growing period of March to August. During this period. the accumulation of proline occurred and there was variation in proline accumulation among the varieties studied. The highest accumulation of 265 ug/g of proline was recorded in Karpooravalli followed hy 260 ug/g in Monthan suggesting that the ABB types have better tolerance to drought than AAA or AAB. The number of functional leaves, height and girth of pseudostem were also high in Karpooravalli and Monthan than in other varieties. The decline in proline content immediately on receipt of monsoon was more pronounced in Karpooravalls and Monthan indicating the better diversification of the accumulated proline for protein synthesis

Keywords: Proline accumulation, Banana, Karpooravalli, Monthan