UOG study: two banana types ideal for commercial production in Guam

 By Pacific Island Times News Staff

“Fiji” and “Saba,” two of the five varieties of banana available locally, were found to be ideal for expanded commercial production on Guam, according to a study conducted by the University of Guam.

The study found that Fiji and Saba have highly marketable qualities, favorable yields and can be sustainably produced in Guam’s conditions without the use of pesticides.

The year-long study conducted by UOG Cooperative Extension & Outreach tested Fiji and Saba along with Blue Java, Macao and Manila to determine their commercial viability based on their characteristics from planting to harvest.

“At present, consumers in Guam prefer two local dessert bananas—Manila and Macao—but these varieties are slow-growing and very susceptible to diseases. Fiji, on the other hand, is quick to produce and is tolerant of diseases,” said Robert F. Bevacqua, a horticulturalist who conducted the trial.

Fiji, originally from Saipan, is an attractive and sweet variety of banana that is distinguished by its rapid growth, its short timeframe from flowering to harvest of about three to four months and its tolerance to local insect pests and diseases.

Saba also performed well in the variety trial for commercial production purposes. It exhibited vigorous growth, robust fruit size, disease resistance and tolerance to adverse conditions, such as drought or flooding.

The plant is also very sturdy and could be used as a windbreak for other crops, like papaya. It has a longer time span to harvest than other varieties of about five to six months.

Saba, also known as "Palau" and is originally from the Philippines, is known for its versatility. Sometimes referred to as "cooking banana," Saba can be boiled, fried as banana lumpia, steamed, cooked in coconut milk or eaten uncooked when ripe.

UOG Cooperative Extension & Outreach will host a Banana Field Day event on May 10 to provide an opportunity for farmers and gardeners to acquire a banana plant and offer a hands-on workshop on banana plant propagation.

Individual banana plants only produce fruit once. New plants, called suckers or pups, will grow from the base of the mother tree, and they will be most productive if they are separated. 

Participants will get first-hand experience digging up and separating a sucker from a mother plant that they can then take home and plant. They will learn how to select the preferred suckers — called “sword” suckers — what tools and techniques to use to dig up the suckers, and how to trim the suckers to prevent the transfer of insect pests and diseases to the new planting site.

The Banana Field Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, at the Inalåjan Research & Education Center, one of UOG’s three Land Grant experiment stations on island. Registration will be capped at 40 and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. A $10 registration fee, payable at the door, includes one banana sucker for each participant to take home and plant. To register, visit https://url.uog.edu/banana-may-2025 or contact Glenda Hall at (671) 735-2080.