Salalah – Agricultural specialists at Royal Razat Farm in Salalah, operating under Royal Court Affairs, have achieved a breakthrough in banana cultivation. 

The farm has developed a new banana variety, which first evolved naturally through spontaneous genetic mutation within a field of Williams variety (AAA) bananas, a member of the widely cultivated Cavendish group and a principal variety grown in Oman.

Efforts for this scientific development began in 2015 when experts selected several seedlings of this novel variety for cultivation. The new banana plant variety was developed through meticulous observation and cultivation over three years. 

A period of careful monitoring confirmed the genetic stability and advantageous attributes of the new variety when compared to its progenitor, the Williams variety.

The new strain exhibits several unique genetic traits, including exceptional adaptation to local soil, water and climatic conditions. Notably, the flower-bearing stem of this variety is shorter than that of its parent, a trait that enhances the plant’s ability to support the fruit cluster and shield it from wind damage.

Named Moz Razat in homage to the farm where it was developed, the variety boasts robust leaves and the plants reach harvest maturity three weeks earlier than the Williams variety. Additionally, it produces heavier stems and yields bananas that are less curved, and promises to increase economic returns of banana cultivation in the region.