Musa Pitu 2018 and lame comparison to Orinoco

[Botanical_Bryce]

Musa Pitu did very well this year. Averaging 10 to 12 feet. Seems to produce large bunches but the biggest bunches I chopped down for being late and moving the mats. They seemed to fruit bigger bunches and more freely than Orinoco but I paid more attention to the Pitu so it may have made a difference. Besides better fruit production overall the Pitu and Orinoco seem near identical. Not considering possible variables, the Pitu seems more astringent and starchy than Orinoco with a tougher peel. There could be environmental reasons for that so I am not holding that as a solid point just an observation. Orinoco seems sweeter in the end and Pitu seems a tad more bland. The Orinoco seems to have more Orange and the Pitu seems more White. Superficially the Pitu seems very Orinoco like. Even though the Orinoco is considered a cooking type I see the Pitu even more as a cooking type. We liked it as tostones and fried starchy. It is worth growing for the larger amounts of fruits than average on Orinoco but not worth replacing Orinoco with. Worth growing for people who use cooking bananas or like the starch. Ill show the ripe fruit after I make my video about it.

Pitu Flowers




Pitu young fruit


Unripe Fruit


Orinoco left Pitu right. Not all Pitu are rounded like that. This was a bottom hand.


Pitu top Orinoco bottom


Unripe Comparison. Orinoco top and Pitu Bottom


Another thing to consider is that Musa Pitu supplied by TARS may not even be the real Musa Pitu.
https://www.crop-diversity.org/mgis/...l084777-pitu-0

Here is the TARS example which is the one I have.
https://www.crop-diversity.org/mgis/...on/01USA108137

[HMelendez]

Originally Posted by Botanical_Bryce

Another thing to consider is that Musa Pitu supplied by TARS may not even be the real Musa Pitu.
https://www.crop-diversity.org/mgis/...l084777-pitu-0

Here is the TARS example which is the one I have.
https://www.crop-diversity.org/mgis/...on/01USA108137

Bryce,


Thank you for the honest and awesome taste report of Musa Pitu!......


Hmm, I also agree with you!......Seems there is differences of The Musa Pitu that was supplied to you!.....

[imclumbi]

Great report. Thank you! Great pictures as well!
John

[Gabe15]

They mixed up the accessions, and clearly sent you some Bluggoe type, not 'Pitu'.

Here are some photos of my photos of 'Pitu'.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3QUg48MEAnrpdkDC8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/g4Kzh2PMBcHrQp1WA

[Gabe15]

Sorry Bryce, I accidentally deleted your response. I have moderator powers, and this is an old clunky website, and somehow it posted my response to that under your name, so I deleted it, but somehow deleted your original message as well, oops!

Anyway, I was saying that they likely did not send you the wrong accession, just that their accession was mixed up internally at some point, which is fairly common. Another possibility, which is unlikely but has happened before, is that they acquired a Bluggoe 'Pitu' from a different source, and it just happens to have the same name. The original accession records would have to be checked to see where they got it from.

[Botanical_Bryce]

Originally Posted by Gabe15

Sorry Bryce, I accidentally deleted your response. I have moderator powers, and this is an old clunky website, and somehow it posted my response to that under your name, so I deleted it, but somehow deleted your original message as well, oops!

Anyway, I was saying that they likely did not send you the wrong accession, just that their accession was mixed up internally at some point, which is fairly common. Another possibility, which is unlikely but has happened before, is that they acquired a Bluggoe 'Pitu' from a different source, and it just happens to have the same name. The original accession records would have to be checked to see where they got it from.

So now I need to be concerned about my others? Already concerned senorita is wrong.

[Gabe15]

Originally Posted by Botanical_Bryce

So now I need to be concerned about my others? Already concerned senorita is wrong.

This is an unfortunately common scenario. I am on a group that helps to verify all the ITC accessions for being true-to-type, and even there, many mixups and wrong accessions exist. It's common that the folks who run the field trials and manage the collections are not themselves banana experts, and so often mistakes like this go unnoticed for awhile.

[Botanical_Bryce]

Forgot when I first got they had it as an AAA and now Abb

[bananaT]

That bites.
There is a certain pain when you put the effort into growing a plant
to only have it be not what you wanted...

[Botanical_Bryce]

Butter fried Pitu with cherry preserves. Not as sweet as Orinoco but I still like them. Worth growing still.

[beam2050]

Originally Posted by Botanical_Bryce

So now I need to be concerned about my others? Already concerned senorita is wrong.

so the pitu you sold me is not a pitu, but a bluggoe type banana??????????? KooooL.

[Botanical_Bryce]

Originally Posted by beam2050

so the pitu you sold me is not a pitu, but a bluggoe type banana??????????? KooooL.

The new blue Java I suppose.

[beam2050]

Originally Posted by Botanical_Bryce

The new blue Java I suppose.

looks like agristarts needs to come off the bucks and hire some knowledgeable people. while they still have a good reputation. need some quality control.

for me I am not disappointed, mystery bananas can be fun too. keep Gabe around more. me I have another acre to play with I have not done anything with yet. but for those people with not much space or who do igloos in the winter time. well...……… and for those people who want to be very serious about the plants they get...……… money can be a little precious.

[bananaT]

It will just go down as a pitubluggoe in my books.

But I was very interested in the real Pitu. I'll have to keep the search on for it.

[Botanical_Bryce]

Originally Posted by beam2050

well...……… and for those people who want to be very serious about the plants they get...……… money can be a little precious.

For me it's often a money thing. We grow our own food because life is expensive and getting the wrong thing after spending hard earned money has an extra jab on me. Fortunately this plant even though disappointed me is excellent at production.