Cardaba:

Type of material: Landrace

ITC number:1259

Tolerance to pests and diseases:

The variety is resistant to Fusarium Wilt race 1; many plants attacked by weevils have been recorded.


General acceptance and performance:

Farmers have different opinions about this variety. According to the results of palatability tests, the variety is moderately accepted, mostly for cooking (99%) and at some extent for roasting. Some are using it also for brewing. The size and weight of the bunch is very much variable and occasional presence of seeds have been found in fingers. Farmers often mistake it for the locally common Silver Bluggoe. Cardaba is quite drought resistant. We continue to multiply this cultivar at low rate and distribute it on specific request to interested farmers.

The average bunch weight is 14 Kg with a minimum and maximum recorded weight of 2 and 38 Kg respectively (see graph - 224 bunches harvested).


Direct and indirect diffusion:

Cardaba has been introduced for the first time in the region by KCDP in 1997. A total of 2.161 in-vitro plants have been received from KULeuven until December 2001. 12,368 plants have been directly diffused till December 2001. 31,852 plants have been indirectly diffused so far on the minimum hypothesis that one plant produces 2 suckers every year. This brings the total diffusion of Cardaba to 44,220 plants in December 2001.