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Chinese Cavendish
In two trials at Burgershall, Chinese Cavendish equalled Grand Nain in yield /ha/annum and outyielded Williams in both cases. This cultivar has many advantages in the subtropics. Although not a dwarf cultivar, its pseudostem is shorter than Williams or Grand Nain and is therefore more stable in windy conditions and easier to manage. Leaf emergence rate is faster than Williams and fewer leaves are produced before flowering, thus cycle time is the shortest of all the Cavendish cultivars, which is the reason for the high yield per annum obtained with Chinese Cavendish. If trials incorporating this cultivar were to continue for six or seven cycles, the average annual yield of Chinese Cavendish would become progressively better than the other Cavendish cultivars. No choke throat was seen in trial plantings which is an advantage for this "slightly dwarf" cultivar. A disadvantage with Chinese Cavendish is that it needs optimum soil, climate and management to perform well, whereas under stress conditions, other Cavendish cultivars perform better. No area grows Chinese Cavendish as the predominant cultivar but each area has growers who have chosen it as their main cultivar.
Note: Du Roi Laboratory has selected a superior somaclonal variant of Chinese Cavendish called “CC 45”. This selection has given excellent results in trials in the subtropics (South Africa) and tropics (Cameroon).