This work was carried out in the EPAMIG/CTNM's Experimental Farm, wich is located in the irrigated area of Jaiba county in the north of Minas Gerais state. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of hand prune on the harvest time and on the crop characteristics. A completely randomized design was used with 23 replications and three plants per plot. The treatments were pruning and nonpruning of last hand of each bunch. There was no effect of treatments on the harvest time for two first crops, and on fruits characteristics. In the second crop cycle, total fruit weight decreased with last hand prunning. In the third crop the last hand prune treatment increased the mean weight of fuits and of the hands, and the diameter of the central finger of the second hand, but there was no effect in the total fruit weight
Musa sp.; hand prune; Prata Anã; fruit quality
