Banana cultivation

Varieties And Crop Improvement

Species And Cultivars > Amruthapani > Tella Chakkarakeli > Karpura Chakkarakeli > Bontha > Robusta > Vamanakeli > Yenugubontha >

Species And Cultivars

Species

• The banana belongs to the family Musaceae. There are only two genera,

viz Ensete and Musa with about 50 species in this family. Ensete is an old

declining genus, which probably originated in Asia and spread to Africa,

has about 6-7 species, of which E.ventricosa is reported to be grown in

Ethiopia as a food crop.

Cultivars

• There are about 300 recorded cultivars of banana. The important cultivars

are described below.

Poovan (Tamil Nadu)

• The plant is tall, hardy and grows vigorously under

the ratooning system of cultivation. It is a true

cosmopolitan cultivar growing with equal vigour

both in India and the West Indies.

• One of the distinguishing characters of the plant is the rose-pink colour on

the outer side of midrib. It can grow under unirrigated condition or with

scanty irrigation.

• The fruit is medium to small, yellow skinned,

firm fleshed with a sub-acid taste. It has a

good keeping quality. It is resistant to Panama

wilt and fairly resistant to bunchy top disease.

The average bunch weight is about 15 kg.

Kanchkela (West Bengal)

• This is the most important commercial culinary banana cultivar of India.

The plant is tall, robust, light green, very hardy and grows under

unirrigated condition. Average bunch weight is about 15 kg. In Tamil

Nadu, the ripe fruit is also popular.

Dwarf Cavendish

• It is the leading commercial cultivar of Maharashtra.

The plant is dwarf, fruits large, curved, skin thick and

greenish, flesh soft and sweet.

• The greenish colour of the fruit is retained to some extent even after

ripening, but fruits ripen during the winter season develop yellow colour.

It is susceptible to bunchy top and leaf spot disease but resistant to

Panama Wilt. The keeping quality of fruit is, however, not good. A bunch

on an average weighs about 20 kg.

Harichal

• Bombay green (Maharashtra), Peddapachaarati (Andhra Pradesh), Robusta (Tamil Nadu). It is a semi-tall sport of Dwarf Cavendish. It is another important commercial banana of Maharashtra. Fruits are large, skin thick, greenish to dull yellow, sweet and delicious. The fruits have better keeping quality than that of Dwarf Cavendish. Average bunch weight is about 20 kg.

• Martaman (West Bengal)

• Musa (AAB) group-Syn. Rasthali (Tamil Nadu), Mutheli (Maharashtra),

Malbhog (Bihar), Amruthapani (Andhra Pradesh), Rassabale (Karnataka),

Sonkel (Kerala), Silkfig (Trinidad).

• It is the choicest table cultivar of West Bengal. The plant is tall and can be

identified by the yellowish green stem with brownish blotches, reddish

margins of the petiole and leaf sheath. The average bunch weight is about

12 kg. fruits are medium-sized and similar to that of Poovan in

appearance, skin thin, ivory-yellow in colour, flesh firm, sweet with a

pleasant aroma. Its cultivation is decreasing due to susceptibility to

Panama wilt. The other demerits are easy dropping of ripe fruits from the

bunch and formation of hard lumps in the pulp.

Hill Banana

• Musa (AAB) group-Virupakshi Syn. Mala vazhai. The hill banana is a

speciality of Tamil Nadu. These are perennial bananas of high quality.

There are two main types: Sirumalai and Virupakshi. Fruits of Sirumalai

have better taste compared with Virupakshi. The average bunch weight is

about 12 kg.

Nendran (Kerala)

• This cultivar is known in all parts of the world as

plantain. This is a dual-purpose cultivar of Kerala. It

has very good keeping quality.

• The fruit is relatively longer and thicker than most

other bananas. The bunch is not compact. The

average bunch weight is 15 kg.

Safed Velchi

• It is under stray cultivation throughout South India and Maharashtra and

mostly grown as intercrop in coconut and arecanut garden. The plants are

medium-sized with slender, yellowish pseudostem having reddish petiole

margin. The fruits are small, firm-fleshed and sweet. The average bunch

weight is about 12 kg.

Lalkela (Maharashtra)

• This cultivar is grown throughout the world. The colour of the pseudostem

petiole, midrib and fruit peel is purplush red. The fruit is of good size and

has a characteristic aroma. Average bunch weight is 20 kg.

Kunnan (Kerala)

• This is a quality cultivar of Kerala. The plants are

medium-sized and slender. Fruits with firm pulp,

taste well.

Gros Michel

• Among the dessert banana cultivars of the world, Gros

Michel occupied the first rank in desirable fruit

characters, such as size, quality, flavour, attractive

skin colour, resistance to bruising, grade yield,

symmetry and strength of bunch. The most serious

demerit of this cultivar is its susceptibility to wilt.

Giant Governor

Musa (AAA) group-Cultivation of this cultivar is gaining popularity in West Bengal.

The plant is medium-dwarf, fruits large, greenish to dull yellow in colour, flesh firm

and sweet. A bunch on an average weighs about 15 kg. the cultivar Amruthapani

(Rastali, Pedda Sugandam)

Wt. In Kg

No.of fruits

No.of hands

Duration

Spacing

p 12

p80-100

p 8-10

p 13-14

p 2.0X2.0 m

• is susceptible to leaf spot (sigatoka) but resistant to wilt.

Characteristics

• This is a choice table fruit. The plant suckers moderately and is medium

tall and does not bear heavily.

• The fruit is better in size to Poovan more rounded with a glossy green

colour and the tip is less pronounced.

• The rind is thin and develops an ivory yellow colour when ripe. The flesh

is white, rather firm but tasty with a characteristic flavour.

• Occasionally hard lumps develop in the pulp which is a drawback. It is

highly resistant to Leaf Spot but very susceptible to 'Panama' disease.

• It is exported to Orissa and West Bengal. It is suitable for the entire

State. But it is not grown in Rayalaseema and Telangana Regions. Climate And Soils

Climate > Soils >

Climate

• The major banana-growing areas of the world

are geographically situated between the

equator and latitudes 200 North and 200

South.

• Conditions in this area are mainly tropical,

with temperature fluctuations from day to

night and from summer to winter being

comparatively small.

• Banana is essentially a humid tropical plant, coming up well in regions with a

temperature range of 10° C to 40° C and an average of 23° C. In cooler climate

the duration is extended, sucker production is affected and bunches are smaller.

The growth of the banana plant responds quickly, within a matter of an hour or

two to changes in air temperature. All growth ceases as soon as the temperature

of the surrounding air falls below 11° C.

• As long as the temperature remains 11° C, no growth whatsoever takes place. As

the air temperature rises above 11° C growth starts and the growth rate

increases gradually at first, and then with rising temperatures, more and more

rapidly.

• The biggest increase in growth rate for every degree that the temperature rise

appears to lie between approximately 19° C and 23° C.

• The daily growth at 23° C is, in fact, about double that at 19° C. With further rise

in temperature, the growth continues to increase, but more and more slowly as

high levels of temperature are reached. In the experiments conducted, no falling

off or even leveling off of the growth rate was observed,.

• Banana is cultivated under different conditions in India.

Temperature, Rainfall and Latitude details of banana growing states in India.

State Latitude ° N Temp° C Region Rainfall (Cm)

Andhra Pradesh 16-18 16-43 Coastal 100

Telangana 81

Rayalaseema 68

Assam 25-27 16-38 - 252

Bihar 22-25 10-46 - 137

Karnataka 14-28 13-18 Coastal 326

South 124

North 69

Kerala 10-14 16-38 - 301

Maharashtra 19-22 13-41 - 92

Tamil Nadu 10-12 16-41 - 102

Uttar Pradesh 25-28 7-43 East 102

West 96

• Bananas can be grown from sea level to an altitude of 1200 metres. The 'hill

bananas' of Tamil Nadu are raised between elevations of 500 to 1500 metres

mostly under rainfed conditions.

• The wind prone areas cause devastating damage to the banana plantations by

toppling down the plants due to pseudostem breakage. Similarly, bananas cannot

withstand frost to any extent. So, at higher elevations the low temperatures

prevailing cause delayed cropping and slow growth.

• In coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu the cyclonic wind damages

the plantations. Hence it is advisable to select areas where mean temperature is

around 25-30° C with a mean annual rainfall of 100 mm per month.

Effects of low Winter temperatures

• The problems which result in a banana plantation from low winter temperatures

serve to only emphasize the importance of adequate heat as a factor, in banana

production.

• The most important of these are 'choke throat' 'November dump' and frost

damage.

Choke throat

• Low winter temperatures greatly reduce

vegetative growth of the banana plant. During

the coldest months, the leaf emergence and

number of leaves produced are affected.

Bunch bursting through pseudostem

The top hands become trapped in the throat of the plant

• The elongation of the leaf internodes is reduced.

This reduction in length of the internodes causes

a constriction at the throat of the plant and

combined with the correspondingly reduced

elongation of the internodes of the bunch stem,

makes it difficult for the bunch to emerge

through the throat.

• This condition is referred to as 'choke throat' and the trapped bunches which are

exposed to the sun are also called "sun lookers".

• This is a major problem with Dwarf Cavendish. Flowering during the winter period

can result in considerable losses, especially during colder years. Severely

chocked bunches should be cut down to let the follower develop faster.

November dump

• Cold temperatures also have a marked effect on bunch development. When the

flower initiation occurs during the winter, a characteristically a peculiar bunch can

be expected.

• The November dump bunch is small and composed of

hands of uneven size and often deformed fruits. The

smaller fingers on the hands are, in many cases, fuller at

the flower end and thinner at the stalk end.

• The flower end is often black, rough and cracked and

during a good rainy season, fungal diseases further

damage these fruits.

• Another common symptom is the cone-shaped protuberance at the flower end.

This protuberance is pale green in colour. The amount of misshapen fruit as

November-emerging bunches varies from year to year.

• It must be stressed that November dump symptoms are caused by cold

temperatures and they are not mineral deficiency or drought symptoms. A good

orchard practice is to cut down all the plants producing severe November dumps.

Soils

• Banana comes up in relatively wide range of soil

conditions. Two important factors to

be looked into are the soil

depth and drainage. Soils of atleast 50 cm depth, well

drained, fertile lands are necessary for banana cropping.

Soils of Banana growing states in India

State Soil Type

Maharashtra

Coastal Areas

Plains

Sandy soil

Black cotton soil

Tamil Nadu

Cauveri Delta

Hill slopes

Clay soil; Alluvial

Loamy type

Central India

Gangetic delta

Alluvial soil

Andhra Pradesh Alluvial, clay

Kerala

Coastal area

Plain & Low hill slope

Sandy loam tract

Red laterite

• Bananas can grow well in slightly alkaline soils, but saline soils with salinity

exceeding 0.05 per cent are unsuitable. In alkaline soil wilt disease is less

prevalent.

• The physical condition of soils on which bananas are cultivated is very important,

since root development is determined chiefly by the degree of aeration of the

soil.

• In poorly aerated soils, that is soils which have compacted as a result of poor

structure, or badly drained soils which are over irrigated, there is a marked

decrease in root development.

Season of Planting

• The season of planting of banana varies between the various states. In most parts the colder seasons

of the year are unsuitable for planting.

• In West Coast, planting is done from September to November, when irrigation facilities are available.

Planting is done all the year round in order to secure better prices during the off season.

• In other areas planting is done during South west monsoon in May-June, and continues thereafter till

November. Bontha and Mauritius and for Poovan the best time is November to January because it has

a longer duration.

• Planting in cold season is a problem and great care is to be given for irrigating the crop in summer

and also it exposes the plants to high winds or cyclone damage during bunch season.

• In Kerala, where Nendrans are cultivated as pure crop planting is done in September-October. On the

Lower Palneys, including Sirumalai April planting is preferred. February-March is the best planting

season in wet lands along the Cauvery bank as in Trichy. But in the perennial plantations in Tanjore,

planting is done from January to June.

• October-November is considered to be the best time. They suggested that the rapid progress of plant

growth during the four months of the monsoon is particularly helpful in plants in building up their

growth and establishing themselves in advance of the setting of cold weather in November, when

growth is retarted.

• The best time for planting in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa is by the end of the June and in

West Bengal, Bihar and Assam planting could be done at any time during the South West monsoon,

when the rains are not too heavy.

• The planting should not be taken up during very cold and very hot months. Similarly, that planting

season should be so adjusted that during the period of high winds, banana should not be in flower or

near flowering stage. The period of planting should be so adjusted that active growth phase of the

plants can continue unhampered during flower bud initiation stage.

• In view of the divergence of climatic and soil conditions in our country, bananas are grown all through

the year, while the peak seasons vary in different parts of the country. Different planting seasons

adopted in different states are given below.

Variety and Planting seasons in different States in India

States Variety Season of planting

Maharashtra Robusta August-December

Tamil Nadu

Poovan

Rasthali

Hill bananas

April-December

Kerala

Rasthali

Nendran

November-January

May-September

West Bengal

August-December

March-April

Bihar

July-October

Andhra Pradesh

December-April ( East Godavari)

August-September (West Godavari)

Gujarat

August-January

Assam

May-September

Karnataka

April-June

September-March

Tripura

August & September

Fruits from rhizomes planted in April took two weeks longer for development than those planted in May

Planting Materials

• The nature of banana plant has made it imperative that reproduction be

accomplished by vegetative means, since most commercially grown

bananas are vegetatively parthenocarpic and effectively seed sterile.

• There are certain problems in propagation of banana plant.

• Planting materials (Sucker) are more bulkier and difficult for transport

• Proper identification of clones in younger stages may not be possible

• Rapid multiplication methods are required to produce more plants from an

achieved hybrid

• Disease free and disease resistance seed materials have to be produced.

• Besides the above, there are factors like soil, climate, temperature,

manuring, size age, type etc., which may adversely affect the propagation

of the plants.

• In banana, the material commonly used for planting is

sucker. Sword suckers have a well-developed base with

narrow sword-shaped leaf blades at the early stages.

• The second type is the water sucker with broad leaves,

which do not produce a healthy banana clump.

• Planters throughout the world usually plant sturdy and

healthy sword suckers.

• Suckers of 3 months old well developed, disease free

corms are seperated from the mother plant and planted

for starting a new plantation.

• Bananas planted in March/April made better growth and gave higher yields than those planted upto

December. Flowering occurred in less than 300 days after planting in March/April.

• Growth and flower bud differentiation and fruit development were adversely affected, when the

average temperature was below 750 F.

• Sprouting of rhizomes was inhibited when the monthly average maximum temperature went above

980 F. Six months old rhizomes were better planting material than two month old rhizomes.

• Sword suckers having strong base, gradually tappering to a slender point

with one or two narrow sword like leaves at the tip are preferred for

planting, since it grows faster and comes to bearing early compared to

water suckers.

• Suckers from high yielding and healthy plant crop are selected. The

suckers are cleared of old roots over the corm, and can be stored in a cool

dry place under shade of a tree for a week.

Planting Distance

• Plant population per unit area depends on cultivar, topography, soil

fertility, various aspects of management and duration of plantation etc.

• In general, tall cultivators are given wider spacing than the dwarf ones.

High density planting may be practiced in mono-crop culture, while wider

spacing is advocated for ratoon crop.

• Tall cultivars 9 feet x 10 feet

• Dwarf cultivars 6 feet x 6 feet

Cultivar Recommended spacing

Robusta 1.0 x 2.0 m

Jahaji of Assam 1.2 x 2.0 m

Nendran 1.2 x 1.5 m

Dwarf cavendish 1.5 x 1.5 m

Karpura chakrakeli 2.0 x 2.0 m

Pedda pacha arati 1.8 x 1.8 m

Vamanakeli 1.4 x 1.4

For intercropping 3 x 1.5 m

• A density of 4,500 plants/ha is practiced in Maharashtra and Gujarat

• The palnt to palnt distance is 1.2 m , row to row ddistance is 1.5 m and

between row to row is 2.0 m . considering the per hactare yield , net

returns and quality of fruit spacing of 1.5 X 1.5 m corresponding to a

plant population of 4,444 /ha was found to be optimum.

• The maximum profit in Dwarf Cavendish banana when spaced at 2m x 2m

or 2.5m x 2.5 m. Closer spacing also produced higher yield of fruits.

• From a trial with Robusta banana spaced at 2.4 m x 1.8 m and 2.4 m x

2.4m, the highest yield was obtained with a spacing 2.4 m x 1.8m.

Though there was higher yield in high density planting, the growth was

found to be slower and shooting was delayed.

• Finger tip disease was severe in close planting. In high density plantation

nearly 30 percent of the plants could not be harvested in time

Preparing Suckers And Planting Material

• If any damage is noticed to the corm of the sucker at the time of

seperation of the suckers from the mother plant, the damaged portion of

the corm may be clearly sliced off.

• The top portion of the pseudostem of the suckers may be gven a slant cut

leaving six to nine inches psuedostem over the corm.

• This will fecilitate easy draining of plant sap, rainn water, leading to

successful establishment of the suckers.

• But in coastal Andhra Pradesh the top portion of the sucker is retained

while planting and deheaded to 2/3 size in about 20 days when growth is

visible to maintain uniform height of the plantation.

• All the old roots of the rhizome should also be trimmed. The suckers thus

prepared should be dipped in 0.1% Ceresan at the rate of 1g in one litre

solution for five minutes and then planted.

• In areas of endemic for banana stem weevil, they should also be treated

with 0.1% metasystox solution

• Only flat lands or lightly slopy lands can be selected for planting of

banana. When banana is grown on hill slopes, soil conservation methods

like bench terracing or contour bunding based on the gradient have to be

necessarly adopted.

• Banana suckers should not be planted either too deep or too shallow. The

suckers must be planted in the centre of the pit in such a way that the

corm and another two inches of the pseudostem over it should submerge

in the soil.

• Press the soil arround the sucker to avoid air spaces, to give firm stand to

the stem and for better sprouting of the suckers.

• Suckers must be grouped according to their size and then planted.

Gapfilling

• Generally the banana suckers strikes roots within 10-15 days after

planting, even after 15 days if there are no roots to the planted suckers it

means it has died.

• Inspite of all precautions taken, some suckers may fail to sprout. This

may be due to defective planting or defective plant material or defective

irrigation. So, one should go around after 15 days in banana gardens and

search for the causalities.

• All such causalities should immediately be gap filled with fresh sword

suckers. Maintaining optimum population for unit area always leads to

higher yields.

• So all gaps in the banana plantation must be filled with fresh suckers with

in 20 days. This will also ensure fair uniformity in the stand of the crop.

Micro-propagation

• Rapid multiplication of banana suckers has been engaging the attention of scientists since a very long

time. There is a problem when a new clone is being generated for extended cultivation or when a

large amount of planting material of a specific pathogen tolerant clone is to be distributed to the

growers.

• The prevalence of disease problems and the need for generating clean planting stock in large

quantities have stimulated recently a surge of interest in the production of banana clones raised

though aseptic micropropagation techniques.

• Shoot tips isolated from the rhizomes were found suitable for platelet production in vitro. Shoot tips

with several older sheathing leaf bases enclosing the axillary buds regenerated multiple pantalets.

• Individual shootlet when separated and subcultured, produced a new crop of multiple shoots.

• Each plant cell has the potential to generate into a single plant. This is called Totipotency and when

this character is involved into rapid and mass multiplication of propagules at optimum levels is called

Micropropagation.

• This is an alternate to slow vegetative plant propagation.

• In Tissue Culture when a group of undifferentiated and meristamatically active cell called tissue is

aseptically disserted out and put into a medium containing nutrient and incubated under conducive

controlled conditions of light and temperature, it establish it self and starts growth.

• This is called Culture and the concept of 'tissue culture'.

Tissue culture involved following stages

Preparation of Stock plant

• The elite plants are selected and maintained under hygenic conditions (by spraying fungicide,

bactericide and insecticide) and then the plant parts are taken for initiation.

Initiation (Stage-I)

• The innermost tissue of surface sterilised plant in dissected aseptically and put an to the medium of

growth, Medium contains major and miner elements, same vitamins. Amino acids and growth

promoting hormones, solidified by agar.

Multiplication (Stage II)

Shooting and Rooting (Stage III)

Root Organogenesis

• After multiplication, the single shoots are separated

and placed into a shooting are rooting medium. At

this stage the hormones may or may not be

required.

• The shoot elongates and new root came up. Rooting

takes place within 3-4 weeks.

Hardening (Stage IV)

Complete Plantlet

• It involves acclimatisation of bottle grown

plants to the natural environment in Green

House.

• The plants are taken out of the bottle and the

media adhering to the root system in washed

fully.

• After wards the plants are graded as per their

size and then transferred singly to wells of

portrays containing sterile medium (a mixture

of peat moss and perlite).

• The whole portray with plants is maintained under high humidity conditions for a couple of weeks and

there after the portrays are kept in open in the Green House under controlled temperature and

humidity.

• This hardening taken 6 weeks and is called primary hardening - Regular sprays of plant protection

chemicals are sprayed to achieve good hygenic condition of the plants.

•• Established Plantlet

Phosphorous

• Phosphorus helps to produce healthy rhizome and a strong root system. It

also influences flower setting and general vegetative growth.

• The deficiency of P causes complete cessation of elongation, at a height of

about two feet rosetting of leaves with older leaves becoming increasingly

irregularly necrotic, leaf production is reduced, and marginal chlorosis and

premature death are caused.

Dose :

40-60 g/plant

• Entire quantity of phosphorus fertiliser should be applied at the time of

last ploughing or applied at the time of filling the pits.

Potassium

• Stimulates early shooting and significantly shortens the time required for

fruit maturity. It improves bunch grade, and size of fingers. The quality of

the fruits is also improved by potassium.

• Deficiency of potassium causes marked reduction in growth, interval

between the production of new leaves become longer and leaves are

profusely smaller, premature yellowing of plant.

• Once the potassium contained in the storage organs is exhausted,

deficiency symptoms appear suddenly starting with a yellowing of the tips

and distal margins of older leaves, closely followed by necrosis and

dessication.

• The yellowing and necrosis spread rapidly

in a proximal direction until the whole leaf

has withered standing in a normal position.

Introduction

• Banana root system spreads in the top 60 cm soil. Being an exhaustive

crop, proper manuring and fertilizer application has to be resorted to in

obtaining good yields.

• The choice of fertilizers, the dosage of nutrients, time of application etc.

varies widely with respect to agroclimatic regions and varieties.

The effects of proper fertilization of banana are

• increase of the crop yield by the improvement of grading, or of weight of

bunch,

• reduction in crop duration

• increasing the number of marketable good quality bunches per hectare,

and

• Improvement in quality, with physical and chemical characters leading to

high return to farmers.

Nitrogen

• Nitrogen is the chief promoter of growth. It induces the vegetative growth

of pseudostem and leaves giving them desired healthy green colour.

• A healthy robust vegetative frame is an essential pre-requisite for high

yields and nitrogen is mainly responsible for such a vegetative frame.

Banana plants which have not received N produce only seven leaves

against 17 leaves produced by banana plants supplied with adequate N.

• If N is deficient in bananas the leaves take 23 days for unfolding against

10 days for the leaves of banana supplied with N.

• It was observed that greater the number of healthy and large leaves

produced during the first 4-6 months, larger will be the size of fruit bunch,

N influences the longitudinal growth of petioles.

• Nitrogen increases the bunch grade, and sucker production. Nitrogen

deficiency causes slow growth and paler leaves with reduced leaf area and

rate of leaf production.

• Leaf petioles short, thin and compressed, thin profuse roots and lesser

number of suckers are produced due to lack of N. Phosphorus uptake is

higher due to N deficiency.

Nitrogen fertilization

Statewise fertilizer recommendations for banana

Mode of application of nitrogen

• Nitrogen should be applied in five split doses. Nitrogen is to be applied in

five split doses one at the time of planting o 2nd 45 days after planting (DAP)

o 3rd - 90 DAP

o 4th - 135 DAP

o 5th - 180 DAP

• For banana if 25 % nitrogen is applied in organic farm and remaining

amount is applied through inorganic fertilizers that increases the yield.

• Application of 1 kilo neem cake as a inorganic nitrogen source for banana

not only icreases the yield andd quality but also reduces the nematode

problem considerably.

• Application of nitrogen at flowering and fruiting stage not only stops the

State Spacing (m) N (g) P2O5 (g) K2O (g) FYM (Kg/pl)

(per plant)

Andaman &

Nicobar

2 x 2 160 160 280

Andhra Pradesh 2 x 2 200 0 200

Arunachal

Pradesh

2 x 2 180 100 225 20

Assam 1.8 x 2.4 110 35 330 12

Bihar 2 x 2 125 80 225 9

Goa 75 75 240

Gujarat 1.8 x 1.8 or 1.2

x 1.2

180 90 180 10-15

Karnataka (DC)

(Robusta)

Others

1.8 x 1.8

2.2 x 2.2

2 x 2

540

405

400

325

245

240

675

507

500

40 t/ha

40 t/ha

40 t/ha

Kerala

Nendran(irrg.)

Palayankonda

(Rain)

Others

2 x 2

2.2 x 1.8

2.2 x 2.2

190

100

160

115

200

160

300

400

320

10

10

10

Maharashtra 1.5 x 2.5 600 720 600 100 cart-load/ha

Mizoram 2 x 2 100 50 300 10-20 kg

Orissa 1.8 x 2.0 80 32 90

Tamil Nadu 1.8 x 1.8

(garden land)

1.5 x 1.5 (wet

land)

110

110

35

35

330

330

10 kg

10 kg

Uttar Pradesh 2-3 m 200 100 250

West Bengal

Robusta

Cavendish

Champa

2.4 x 2.4

1.8 x 1.8

3 x 3

140

90

140

35

35

50

90

90

120

10-15 kg

10-15 kg

20

• Fruits are badly shaped, poorly filled and unsuitable

for marketing.

• Splits develop parallel to the secondary veins and

the lamina folds downwards, while the midrib bends

and fractures, leaving the distal half of the leaf

hanging.

• Purplish brown patches appear at the base of the petioles and in severe

cases the centre of the corm may show areas of brown, water soaked

disintegrated cell structures.

Dose :

• 200-300 g/plant

Mode of application of potassium

• Potassium should be applied in split doses. Potassium is to be applied in

five split doses one at the time of planting o 2nd 45 days after planting (DAP)

o 3rd - 90 DAP

o 4th - 135 DAP

o 5th - 180 DAP

Micronutrients

Zinc

• Zinc deficiency is found in banana when it grows in zinc deficient soils.

Narrow pointed and chlorite young leaves,Bunch top crowns are the

symptoms of zinc deficiency

• Application of 50 g/plant zinc sulphate at the time of planting is

recommended or foliar application of zinc sulphate at 3 g/litre + urea (5g

per litre) + 10 ml non ionic sticker in 20 litres of water. The above

prepared solution is sprayed at 45 and 60 days after planting.

• For ratoon crop 45 days after cutting the mother plant.

Boron

• Deficincy of boron may results in reduction in weight and size of the

bunch and it will effects the proper filling of the bunch.

• For boran deficiency apply 20 g borax per litre at the time of planting of

spray boric acid at 0.2 % in 4th of 5th month after planting.

Iron

• Iron deficiency has been recorded in alkaline soils and is identified by

interveinal chlorosis of young leaves.

• Application of iron sulphate will correct the iron deficiency.

Magnesium

• Magnesium deficiency symptoms show green

banding around the margin and next to the midrib.

• Spraying magnesium sulphate 2 g/l of water

effectively corrects the deficiency.

Water Management

Irrigation > Scheduling Of Irrigation >

Irrigation

• Water requirement of banana varies according to topography, soil,

climate, cultivar and type of culture. If there is no rain, the plants should

be irrigated immediately after planting. The soil in banana plantation

should not be allowed to dry completely

• Bananas are grown both as a rainfed crop and as an irrigated crop in

India. Wherever the adequate rainfall is not available, banana growers

resort to supplement it with irrigation.

• Proper water management is essential for obtaining good yields in

commercial banana.

• In olden days, bananas were irrigated by using flooding system or basin

irrigation system wherein, depending upon the moisture retention

capacity of the soil, irrigation is scheduled as once in 3 days, twice in a

week, once in a week likewise.

• Banana being a mesophyte, requires a huge amount of water because of

the large foliage area and moisture content of the pseudostem. The

consumptive use of water increased with increase in the available soil

moisture level.

• The total water requirement varied from 1841 mm to 2150 mm for the

various conditions. The per day consumption of water varied from 4.81 to

6.11 mm.

• The daily water consumption was greater at higher moisture regimes. The

total number of irrigation ranged from 22 to 78 for the various

treatments.

• Maintenance of high soil moisture level required frequent irrigation with

less quantity of water per irrigation, whereas, the low moisture regimes

required less number of irrigations with more quantity of water for each

irrigation.

• Maintenance of a high soil moisture range between 60 and 80 per cent of

available soil moisture may be considered optimum for economic

production of banana.

• The height and girth of the pseudostem, total leaf area and number of

leaves per plant at shooting increased significantly with increase in

available soil moisture level. The phylachron (the time interval between

the production of successive leaves) was high under dry conditions.

• Sucker production was not significantly influenced by the various

treatments. The bunch weight and the characters associated with it were

significantly increased with increasing soil moisture availability.

• Total soluble solids, reducing sugars, total sugars and acidity of fruits

increased significantly with dry soil conditions. Irrigation at 20 per cent

depletion of available soil moisture significantly advanced the shooting.

• The shooting to harvest interval was shortened with frequent irrigations.

The total crop duration was extended with decreasing moisture

availability.

• The density of roots of banana palms subjected to different irrigation

levels revealed that the mass of roots was not much affected by moisture

stress, though a slight increase in number of roots was observed with

higher moisture stress.

• The dry weight of roots increased with decrease in the available soil

moisture which may be the result of increased number of root production

and total root length.

Delay in irrigation for banana results in delay in bunch formation, delay in maturity of bunch Intercultural Operations

Weed Control > Desuckering > Male Bud Removal > Propping > Trimming > Bunch Covering >

Irrigation Schedule

• Irrigate the plants immediately after planting. After that irrigate at weekly intervels for about 35-40

times.

• Rainfall requiement for banana growing areas should be 1500-2000 mm. In summer irrigate for every

5-10 days depending up on the type of soil.

• Irrigation through drip system will

induce early bunch formation and

arround 40-45% water can be

saved. Drip system has to be

operated daily for 2-3 1/2 hours.

Weeding

• Weeds are a menace in any cropping system. In a crop like banana,

where the entire crop depends on the surface soil for its nutrition and

water requirements, weed of any sort will be of deleterious effect to the

crop.

• The weeds compete with the main crop for nutrients and moisture. They

at times also harbour pests of banana.

• The luxurious weed growth in any banana fields will reduce the yield by

way of reduction of bunch weight, grade of bunches, etc. Hence in banana

plantations, periodical weeding is taken up to have a clean cultivation.

• Weeding is done either through a light digging of surface soil, by mulching

or by manual weeding. Presently, in commercial banana gardens,

weedicides, are also used extensively to control the weeds.

• One Dalapon and Eleven Paraquat sprays controlled weed effectively in

banana plot.

• Pre-emergence application of Diuron at 4kg a.i/ha was effective in

checking both monocot and dicot weed growth. Diuron treatment did not

reduce banana quality.

• Among the post-emergence sprays, the combination of Diuron and

Gramaxone at 4 kg/ha and 1.5 l/ha gave good control of weed population.

Desuckering

• Bananas are vegetatively propagated through the suckers, which are

produced from the auxiliary buds of the underground rhizome, once the

plant crop attains maturation.

• The suckers produced by different varieties vary in number. The time of

sucker production by parent plant is that more than half the number of

total suckers produced by a plant is produced since flowering of the

mother plant.

• Some suckers are produced three or four months before flowering also. In

a pure crop of banana, where single crop is only taken, usually all the

suckers, which arise before flowering are removed as it will compete with

mother plant for nutrients resulting in reduction of bunch size.

• Hence suckers which are produced by the plant in excess, or out of place

are removed periodically to ensure better growth and bunch development

of mother plant.

• This is an important operation in growing of bananas. In perennial system

of banana culture, the 'setting of followers' at proper time will ensure

good ratoon crop to the banana growers.

• In Tamil Nadu, it is a practice to pour kerosene into cavity left after

digging the suckers. In case of hill bananas, unwanted suckers are

removed after heading off and killing them by pouring kerosene (5-10 ml

per sucker) over the cut surface of the sucker.

• While using kerosene, it should be avoided to treat suckers, which arise

on the corm above ground level and have no root system. These suckers

are entirely dependent on the parent plant and the kerosene may move

back into the sap stream and injure it.

• The best method of handling these suckers is to cut off level with the

parent corm.

• Desuckering of bananas by using chemicals like, 2, 4-D is also found to be

in use. A pruning paste consisting of a mixture of 2, 4-D, fuel oil and

grease may also be applied for desuckering.

Setting of followers for ratooning

• Removal of all suckers upto flowering of the plant and maintaining only

one follower afterwards is the best desuckering practice.

• Ordinarily daughter sucker commences to appear from the base of the

plants from about the third month of planting, but in suckers carelessly

removed as to include large slices of rhizomes, some buds may shoot up

to form new suckers even earlier than above period.

Removal of male bud

• The part of the inflorescence which consists of male flowers only, is

invariably termed in different parts of the world as male bud, heart, or

Navel. This has apparently no comprehensible function or value in the

normal bunch formation or development.

• Therefore, the male bud is more often pruned off in many places, where

intensive and efficient cultivation is practiced, obviously with the belief

that the removal of unwanted growth may favour better bunch

development.

• In one of the commercial variety Karpura Chakkrakeli Male bud was

removed (12-15 days after shooting) soon after the completion of bunch

formation, leaving a 5cm length of a barren axis. It was found that

pruning the male bud had resulted in some increase in both the length

and circumference of the fruit.

• In respect of mean duration from shooting to maturity, there was

reduction of light days in the pruned plants.

• In the case of yield also, there was a significant increase of 0.9kg in the

mean bunch weight of pruned plants which worked out to 7.5 per cent

increase in yield.

• Other advantages in pruning the male bud include extra monetary returns

by sale of male buds which are used as vegetable.

• It was observed that the banana thrips which attack the fruit and cause

unsightly brown freckling on the fruit, live and breed in the male buds in

large numbers.

• When the bunches are nucleus foci for further infection. The removal of

the male buds obviously results in less damage from this pest.

• In Dwarf Cavendish whenever the male bud was allowed to grow, it

delayed the harvest by 18 days.

• The bunches in which male bud was removed, were heavier by three

kilograms over the un removed plants

Propping of Banana plants

• One of the important problems facing banana growers is the lodging of

plants with mature or immature bunches during heavy winds and

cyclones. The plants are uprooted or broken at the middle resulting in

heavy losses to the growers.

Plant supported with bamboos

• To overcome this problem, the plants have to be

propped with bamboos or caesarian poles. Single

props are given. The top of the prop is placed

against the throat of the plant, under the

curvature of the bunch stem.

• It is important that the prop itself is clear of the

bunch to prevent fruit injury. Double props consist

of two poles of equal length and tied together. The

legs are spread to form a V at the top, in which

the bunch stem is held.

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Trimming of leaves and care of Banana bunches

• Leaf trimming is an important operation for controlling certain leaf

diseases and for promoting light penetration.

• Trimming is the removal of the dead leaves that hang down the sides of

the pseudostem. It is very important that only the dead and diseased

leaves are cut and removed and not the still green leaves that often hang

down the side of the pseudostem.

• By removing those green leaves, the photosynthetic area is reduced and

the final bunch size is affected.

• Leaf removal may be done throughout the growing season. By keeping

the plantation clean, more light and heat are available for promoting plant

growth.

• Further advantages of removing dead and dried leaves are that the

potential dangers of fruit injury and disease infection are reduced.

Bunch covering

• Bagging is a cultural technique used by planters in

the French West Indies, Latin America, Africa,

Australia, etc., particularly, where export bananas

are grown.

• The main purposes are the protection of bunches

against cold, sun scorching, against attack of thrips

and scarring beetle.

• It also improves certain visual qualities of the fruits. Bunch covering with

dry leaves is a common practice in India, which, however, may be a

source of inoculum for post harvest diseases.

Earthing up

• Earthing up should be done during the rainy season to provide drainage,

and to avoid waterlogging at the base. During summer and winter, the

plants should be in furrow and on ridges during rainy season. Disease Management

Introduction > Anthracnose > Dimond Spot > Brown Spot > Cigar End Or Tip Rot > Sigatoka Leaf Spot > Panama Wilt > Bacterial Soft Rot > Bacterial Wilt Or Moko > Bunchy Top > Infectious Chlorosis >

Introduction

• Banana is much more vulnerable to disease than to the insect pests. The

diseases often occur in epidemic proportions and bring about catastrophic

losses.

• Among the diseases, the banana wilt ranks first. In addition to fungal

diseases, the bunchy top virus has created a situation of a dismal future

for the banana industry.

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Fungal Diseases Of Post-Harvest-Fruits

Anthracnose:

Gloeosporium musarum

• Severe during June-September when temperatures are high accompanied

by rain. Attack plants at any growth stage.

• Both green and ripe fruits are attacked, however, ripe fruits are more

susceptible to the disease.

Symptoms

• Infection of green fruits, flowers and distal end of hands show circular

black, sunken spots surrounded by yellow halos later convening the entire

fruit resulting in premature ripening.

Black spots on Fruit

• Ripe fruits develop symptoms from the tip as

minute, circular dark brown sunken spots

invading the entire tip which becomes black.

• A pinkish fungus sporulation is produced in the

black, sunken areas of fruit.

Control

• Spraying Chlorothalonil 2 g/I at 15 days interval is effective in minimising

later infections.

• Careful harvesting, clean packing, refrigeration at 100C after harvest, fruit

dip in aqueous solution of Benomyl at 1000 ppm or aureofungin 100 ppm

help in reducing blemishes on fruits.

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Diamond Spot: Cercospora hayi, Fusarium spp

Symptoms

• The spot is black, sunken, diamond-shaped lesion, very much confusing

with pitting disease.

• Diamond spot is prevalent after prolonged rainy season.

Control

• Plantation sanitation, good drainage and proper spacing reduce the

incidence of this disease.

• To prevent spread of the disease, spraying of Captan or Dithane M-45 or

Dithane Z-78 is effective.

Brown Spot: Cercospora hayi

Symptoms

• Brown spots occur on the rachis, and fingers. The spots are pale to dark

brown with an irregular margin surrounded by a halo of water soaked

tissue.

Control

• Plantation sanitation, good drainage and proper spacing reduce the

incidence of this disease.

• To prevent spread of the disease, spraying of Captan or Dithane M-45 or

Dithane Z-78 is effective.

Cigar End/ Tip Rot :Verticillium theobromae and Trachysphaera fructigena

Symptoms

• A black necrosis spread from the perianth into the tip of immature fingers.

The corrugated necrotic tissues become covered with fungus and

resemble the greyish ash of a cigar end.

Control

• The only best control was the removal of the pistil and perianth by hand

as soon as the fingers emerged.

• Placing a polythene bag over the stem before the hands emerged was

effective

Leaf Spot Or Sigatoka Disease

Mycosphaerella muscicola - sexual stage

Cercospora musai

- asexual stage

• Sigatoka is the name of the valley where the disease first attracted attention. A monogrpah has reviewed information of leaf spot disease. It is a fungal disease.

• Causes severe economic losses. Spreads very fast during rainy season. Attacks mostly leaves.

Epidemiology

• Three components of weather, usually, determine the production and movement of sigatoka inoculum,

rainfall, dew and temperature.

• Conditions favouring mass infection are most common during the rainy season with temperature

above 21° C.

• Other factors, which influence the rate of disease developed and intensity of spotting, include amount

of inoculum on the leaf, age and position of the leaf, plant growth, sun and shade effects on leaf

tissue, etc.

• The major commercial cultivars of banana-Gros Michel and Cavendish group are all highly susceptible

to leaf spot disease.

• All triploid AAA desert bananas of commerce are highly susceptible to sigatoka.

Symptoms

• Spots are concentrated towards the leaf

edges.

Eye shaped spots

• Streaks enlarge and form small spindle or eye shaped spots with greyish centre and dark brown or black borders and chlorotic halo around them.

Scorching appearance

• Disease first appears as pale yellow or

greenish yellow streaks running parallel to

leaf veins on both the leaf surfaces.

• Leaves present a scorched appearance, petioles collapse and leaves hang down from pseudostem. if

severe, bunch maturity is affected.

• Early diseased plant produces poor fruits.

Control

• Removal of infected leaves and burning.

• Proper drainage, spacing, weed management are very

Spraying of Thiophanate methyl 1 g/l, or 1per cent Bordeaux mixture + 2% linseed oil, or Captan 2 g/l are some practices that can manage the disease.

Scorching appearance

• Disease first appears as pale yellow or

greenish yellow streaks running parallel to

leaf veins on both the leaf surfaces.

• Leaves present a scorched appearance, petioles collapse and leaves hang down from pseudostem. if

severe, bunch maturity is affected.

• Early diseased plant produces poor fruits.

Control

• Removal of infected leaves and burning.

• Proper drainage, spacing, weed management are very

Panama Disease Or Banana Wilt: Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Cubense

• The first major disease which attacked banana was called Panama disease

from the area where it first became serious.

• Banana wilt is a soil-borne fungal disease and gets entry in the plant body

through roots and wounds caused by nematodes. It is most serious in

poorly drained soil. Disease spreads through infected suckers.

Epidiomology

• Warm soil temperature and bad drainage favour the spread of the disease

and also light soils and high soil moisture. Greater incidence of the

disease has been noticed in poor soil with continuous cropping of banana.

Symptoms

Breaking of petioleSplitting of Pseudostem

Vascular discoloration

• Dreaded disease of banana and is wide spread in Assam, Bihar,

Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and West

Bengal where the cultivars of Rasthali group such as Rasbale, Amrutapani,

Malbhog and Mariban are grown.

Bacterial Soft Rot Of Rhizome And Pseudostem : Erwinia spp

• This is a minor bacterial disease, but causing concern in West Bengal.

Symptoms

• It is characterised by a massive soft odorous rot of the centre or a portion

of the rhizome. The rot progresses up the pseudostem destroying the

growing point and causing internal decay often with vascular

discolouration.

• Externally, the symptoms sometimes resemble those of fusariam wilt.

• Yellowing and wilting of the leaves are the characteristic symptoms.

Control

• Soil drenching with bleaching powder was found beneficial. Soil and plant

drenching with bleaching powder at 2 g/l water at an interval of 10-15

days was found effective in controlling the disease.

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Bacterial Wilt Or Moko Disease :Pseudomonas solanacearum

Symptoms

Affected sucker

• Affected plants show more or less rapid-

wilting and collapse of leaves with a

characteristic discolouration of vascular

bundles, wilting and blackening of

suckers.

Affected young plant

• If pseudostem and rhizomes are cut, a

characteristic bacterial oozing as shiny

drops can be noticed for besides vascular

discolouration.

• In Cavendish varieties, lower leaves

develop a yellowish tinge which soon

spreads to other leaves of the plant,

which subsequently droop and petioles

break at the junction of lamina or

pseudostem.

• Production of yellow fingers, discoloured vascular bundles of fruit stalks

and internal dry rot of fruits can also be noticed.

• Bacterium is soil born. Spreads through use of diseased suckers for

planting.

• In field disease spreads through irrigation water, implements and insects.

Infection is favoured by root injury.

Control

• Disease can be minimised by exposing soil to sunlight.

• Selection of healthy planting material, eradication of infected plants.

Disinfecting cutting knives and providing better drainage.

• Flower visiting insects are main agents for transmitting the disease and

this is a good reason for following the practice of removing the bud from

the male axis before the bunch matures.

• Herbicides, e.g., 2, 4-D and 2, 4, 5-T, can be used to kill infected plants in

situ and dieldrin sprayed onto a chopped down mat will prevent insects

transmitting the disease to the unaffected plants.

•• Initial symptoms appear in older leaves as characteristic yellowing which

ultimately wither, break at petiole and hang down along the pseudostem.

• Young leaves may not dry immediately but are erect and also get affected

later. If severe, entire foliage wilt within 2-3 days

• Splitting of pseudostem , discoloured vascular region in rhizome are also

seen.

• Individual strands appear yellow, in addition red or brown dots and

streaks are also seen.

• Longitudinal splitting of pseudostem, emittance of rotten fish smell when

cut, stunting of plants, wilting and death of suckers are other symptoms

of the disease.

Control

• Basrai is immune and Poovan or Champa is resistant, while Sonkel,

Rasthali Malbhog, Alpan, Morthaman, Kanthali, Sirumalai, Monthan,

Virupakshi are susceptible. Other resistant cultivars include Cavendish

group, Moongil, Peyladen Rajabale, Vamanakeli.

• Selection of healthy suckers, avoiding injury to roots

• The diseased plants should be uprooted and burnt.

• Highly infected soil should not be replanted with banana at least for 3-4

years.

• Use of disease-free planting material and resistant cultivar are

recommended.

• Other measures include use of quicklime near the base of the plant and

soaking with water.

• Application of lime to infested pits, dipping suckers in carbendazim 1 gl/I

before planting followed by bimonthly drenching starting 6 months after

planting are effective management practices

• However, once soil is generally infested, there is no economic method of

reducing the pathogen population to a level where more than two or three

crops of a susceptible cultivar can be obtained.

•

Spraying of Thiophanate methyl 1 g/l, or 1per cent Bordeaux mixture + 2% linseed oil, or Captan 2 g/l are some practices that can manage the disease.

Bacterial Soft Rot Of Rhizome And Pseudostem : Erwinia spp

• This is a minor bacterial disease, but causing concern in West Bengal.

Symptoms

• It is characterised by a massive soft odorous rot of the centre or a portion

of the rhizome. The rot progresses up the pseudostem destroying the

growing point and causing internal decay often with vascular

discolouration.

• Externally, the symptoms sometimes resemble those of fusariam wilt.

• Yellowing and wilting of the leaves are the characteristic symptoms.

Control

• Soil drenching with bleaching powder was found beneficial. Soil and plant

drenching with bleaching powder at 2 g/l water at an interval of 10-15

days was found effective in controlling the disease.

Bacterial Wilt Or Moko Disease :Pseudomonas solanacearum

Symptoms

Affected sucker

• Affected plants show more or less rapid-

wilting and collapse of leaves with a

characteristic discolouration of vascular

bundles, wilting and blackening of

suckers.

Affected young plant

• If pseudostem and rhizomes are cut, a

characteristic bacterial oozing as shiny

drops can be noticed for besides vascular

discolouration.

• In Cavendish varieties, lower leaves

develop a yellowish tinge which soon

spreads to other leaves of the plant,

which subsequently droop and petioles

break at the junction of lamina or

pseudostem.

• Production of yellow fingers, discoloured vascular bundles of fruit stalks

and internal dry rot of fruits can also be noticed.

• Bacterium is soil born. Spreads through use of diseased suckers for

planting.

• In field disease spreads through irrigation water, implements and insects.

Infection is favoured by root injury.

Control

• Disease can be minimised by exposing soil to sunlight.

• Selection of healthy planting material, eradication of infected plants.

Disinfecting cutting knives and providing better drainage.

• Flower visiting insects are main agents for transmitting the disease and

this is a good reason for following the practice of removing the bud from

the male axis before the bunch matures.

• Herbicides, e.g., 2, 4-D and 2, 4, 5-T, can be used to kill infected plants in

situ and dieldrin sprayed onto a chopped down mat will prevent insects

transmitting the disease to the unaffected plants.

Bunchy Top- Viral disease

• The disease is covered by domestic quarantine regulations. Losses were

•

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