Pre-harvest bunch spraying of synthetic auxin on ‘Prata-Anã’ banana

The use of plant regulators applied pre-harvest has been gaining prominence in agriculture for improving fruit size and weight, re sulting in enhanced quality and increased productivity. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of 2,4-D on production components during two production cycles of ‘Prata Anã’ banana. A split-plot design was employed, with the main plots corresponding to concentrations of the auxin 2,4-D (0, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 mg L-1), and the subplots representing two production cycles with four replications. The following parameters were evaluated: diameter of two central fruits from the second hand, internal and external length, concavity, resistance to mechanical damage, hand mass, fruit mass, average mass of the first, second, and third hand, bunch mass, yield, and residue content of 2,4-D. The use of 2,4-D applied pre-harvest on the bunch increases banana productivity, with higher values obtained at a dose of 120 mg L-1. However, at doses above 60 mg L-1, physiological disorders were observed in the fruits, making them unsuitable for consumption, recommending the use of doses in the range of 21 to 26 mg L-1 . No 2,4-D residue was found in the pulp of fruits treated with synthetic auxin.