bananimal

Nick ------- I don't have FHIA 2. But here is some info from some wierd source.

MONA LISA
FHIA-2, SH-3486 (090)

DESCRIPTION:
[s]o-called because scientists thought it a work of art. It is being harvested on a small coastal plantation in Guapiles, an hour-and-a-half drive from Costa Rica's capital, San Jose. (017) A recent product of the banana breeding [program] in Honduras. Good wind resistance, cold tolerant. Very good tasting Banana. (032) [A] synthetic hybrid [that] has been marketed as a "pesticide-free" banana in Canada. The fruit is to be eaten fresh; it is ripe when it is greenish yellow in color. (032) Another variety that is very similar to 'Goldfinger', though with a heritage very similar to Cavendish. Listed as a fresh eating type, but I have never met a banana that couldn't be cooked at some stage. Has arching, decumbent foliage. It is a fast re-cropper. Whereas 'Goldfinger' can take a full 18 months to bear after its first crop, this form can bear another crop the following year (under favorable conditions!). Resistant to disease, robust, drought resistant. This variety is highly colored and quite ornamental. Clusters range in the 30-80 lb. range, fruit is light yellow green when ripe. (079) [H]ardy, semi-dwarf, cooking banana which is resistant to black Sigatoka, Panama disease, and Moko disease, and is tolerant to nematodes. Is being grown commercially in Cuba (where it is eaten primarily as a ripe dessert banana) and Grenada. Adapted to a wide range of climates, including subtropical conditions and high altitudes. The strong plant supports bunch weights of more than 100 lbs. without a need for propping. (092) Williams x SH3393 cross. (038) [A] cooking banana. It is also a very good dessert banana, but the fingers tend to break at the branches when ripe. The average bunch weight is 40 lbs. [C]onsidered as a robust and drought resistant variety. The variety is however susceptible to Fusarium Wilt race 1. Because of the low tolerance of this variety to FW race 1, the diffusion has been limited and finally completely stopped. (038) The Department of Primary Industries, Queensland has utilised a range of varieties resistant to black Sigatoka as part of the Banana Replacement Program which has operated in Cape York and the Torres Strait. One of these varieties has been FHIA 02. With increased interest in the commercial production of niche and black Sigatoka resistant varieties it is timely to present the following information about this variety. [b]red at the Fundacion Hondurena De Investigacion Agricola (FHIA) in Honduras by the late Phil Rowe. Its parentage is supposedly Williams (Cavendish) x SH - 3393, but there remains some doubt over whether Williams is the female parent. [Also]lso known as SH-3486 (SH=Selected Hybrid) and Mona Lisa (central America). Bunch weights ... were about 15-20% less than Williams, plants ... were about 15% taller than Williams and fruit length of FHIA 02 was 15-20% shorter than Williams. [H]ighly resistant to black Sigatoka and is also resistant to yellow Sigatoka. This has made it a possible candidate for organic production in central America. The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has been pursuing this vigorously by marketing FHIA 02 in Canada. However, there is still much to be done to secure and build such a market. It is also grown on over 100 ha in Cuba.(090) [s]usceptible to both Races 1 and 4 of this disease. Thus its commercialisation has not been pursued in southern Queensland or New South Wales where the disease is widespread. Production should be more possible in north Queensland where Race 4 is not present and Race 1 is less prevalent. [R]elatively less susceptible to Race 1 when compared to Lady Finger.The taste is quite agreeable, not acidic like Goldfinger can be, and not quite as strong a flavour as Cavendish. Its taste should be relatively well accepted in the marketplace. (090) A new variety similar to the Goldfinger. The fruit has a very good flavor (063)

TYPE: DESSERT, COOKING
GENETICS: AAAA (079), AAAB (038)
HEIGHT: 7-10' (079), 10-12' (032), 14' (038)
DISEASE: Black sigatoka resistant (126), Panama resistant (092), Panama (race 1 and 4) Susceptible (091) (038) (090), MOKO resistant (092), Nematode tolerant. (092), Yellow Sigatoka resistant (090).
HIGHLIGHTS: FHIA hybrid. Disease resistance.