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1. |
Short selection (5% shorter than standard Williams) |
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2. |
High yielding bunches (10% larger than standard Williams) |
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3. |
Short cycling selection (1.5 months shorter than standard Williams). This is in part due to the warmer conditions at Letsitele where the elite selections were first evaluated, and in part due to the inherent shorter cycling of the selection. |
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4. |
Ideal selection for high yields/annum, good fruit quality and ease of management, in both subtropical and tropical environments. |
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5. |
Bunch management easier than normal Williams due to the advantage of shorter plants. |
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6. |
Williams in general is a hardy cultivar especially recommended where conditions of climate or soil may be sub-optimal. |
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7. |
ASDIA retains the normal generic advantages of “Williams” while having the advantages of shorter height, shorter cropping cycle and larger bunch mass. |
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8. |
ASDIA produced excellent results in an independent Cavendish selection trial in Cameroon, conducted by CARBAP Research Station. |
| NOTES: |
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Standard Grand Nain and Williams data were obtained from a long term cultivar trial using unimproved sucker planting material of these cultivars at a Government research Station (Kiepersol) under optimal growth and management conditions. Data are thus not strictly comparable (only indicative). |
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The main characteristics described are extrapolated from several trial sites in local RSA conditions. Results in tropical conditions will be somewhat different (independent trials conducted in the tropics have been very promising for ASDIA). Note there may be considerable differences in the performance of this selection from country to country and from site to site. |
