Growth performance of

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different acclimatization durations and combinations of planting media on growth performance of Sunking banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) derived from tissue culture. A serial experiment comprising two stages, i.e., acclimatization duration and post-acclimatization media composition experiments was conducted. The first stage, the acclimatization treatments consisted of: a0 = without acclimatization, a1 = one-week acclimatization, and a2 = two-week acclimatization. Subsequently, in the second stage, the planting media tested included m0 = topsoil + rice husk charcoal, m1 = topsoil + rice husk charcoal + organic fertilizer (chicken manure), and m2 = topsoil + rice husk charcoal + NPK fertilizer. Results revealed that acclimatization duration did not influence seedling survival. Surprisingly, plantlets without acclimatization (a0) exhibited the highest survival rate (80%). Meanwhile, planting media combinations resulted in a highly significant effect on several growth parameters, including plant height, stem diameter, and leaf length, but not on leaf width and number of leaves. Among the tested media, m2 (topsoil + rice husk + NPK fertilizer) supported the best vegetative growth, yielding the tallest plants (72.07 cm), thickest stems (4.99 cm), longest leaves (53.20 cm), and highest number of leaves (5.47) at 12 weeks after transplanting.