Banana Farming
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Banana Farming |
Introduction:
Banana (Musa sp.) is a
large perennial herb with leaf sheaths that form trunk like pseudostem.
Banana has its origin in tropical region of South East Asia. Banana is a
nutritious gold mine. They are high in vitamin B6, which helps fight
infection and is essential for the synthesis of heme, the iron
containing part of hemoglobin. They are also rich in potassium and are a
great source of fibre. In recent years, considering the adverse impact
of indiscriminate use of chemicals, new trend for organic production of
banana is increasing in the country. A new name, i.e. "Green Foods" for
this has been coined.
Growing bananas does not require much effort but to achieve high yields
requires skills, dedication, and proper planting methods. Below are some
pertinent guides that any Banana growers should be aware of. The list
is not exhaustive and certainly requires some adjustments depending on
the variety of the Bananas.
Climate:
Bananas need warm subtropical climate, adequate moisture and
protection from wind. Most varieties of Bananas grow best with 12 hours
of bright light and high humidity of 50% or higher. The ideal
temperature range is around 26-30°C (78-86F) with RH regime of 75-85%.
Growth begins at 18ºC, reaches optimal growth at 27ºC and stop entirely
when temperature reaches 38ºC. Although Bananas grow best in bright
sunlight, high temperature will scorch leaves and fruit. For best appearance and higher photosynthetic rate, wind protection is
advisable. High velocity wind which exceeds 80km per hour damages the
leaf. Bananas are also vulnerable to being blown over due to the weight
of the stem of fruit. Thus, Propping should be done during the last few
months of its life cycle before harvest.
Soil :
Bananas need rich, moisture and well-drained soil with 40% clay, 75%
silt, 85% loam. Bananas prefer a more acidic soil with pH between 6-7.5.
Low pH soil makes banana more susceptible to Panama disease. Avoid soil
that is sandy, salty, nutritionally deficient and ill-drained soil. If
soil is not in the most favorable condition, improve it! Light sandy
soil can be improved by placing mulch around the Banana plants. This
will improve water retention and prevent nutrients from percolating
quickly into the soil. Nutritionally deficient soil can be improved by
incorporating organic matter to the soil before you plant your Bananas
and then mulch them thickly. This process should be repeated as often as
possible. Bananas do not tolerate waterlogging because its roots will
rot. This however can be resolved by planting the Bananas in raised
beds.
Varieties of Banana :
there are diffrent varieties depending upon its time to cultivation are as follows
Bananas varieties | Weight (kg) | Planting to Flowering (months) | Flowering to Harvest (months) |
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Suckers | Tissue Culture | Optimal | Suckers | Tissue Culture | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dessert | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Berangan | 10 – 15 | 12 – 18 | 25 – 36 | 10 – 12 | 7 – 8 | 11 – 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cavendish (Novaria) | - | 20 – 25 | 30 – 40 | 10 – 12 | 6 – 7 | 10 – 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cavendish (Montel) | - | 20 – 25 | 30 – 40 | 10 – 12 | 6 – 7 | 10 – 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Emas | 8 – 10 | 8 – 10 | 10 – 15 | 8 – 10 | 6 – 7 | 7 – 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Embun | 14 – 25 | 20 – 25 | 30 – 40 | 10 – 12 | 6 – 7 | 10 – 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rastali | 10 – 14 | 12 – 18 | 20 – 30 | 10 – 12 | 7 – 8 | 11 – 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Raja | 12 – 16 | 12 – 18 | 20 – 30 | - | 7 – 8 | 11 – 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For cooking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abu | 15 – 22 | 15 – 28 | 30 – 40 | 7 – 9 | 12 – 14 | 14 – 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awak | 18 – 22 | 18 – 22 | 20 – 25 | 7 – 9 | 7 – 8 | 11 – 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gading | 15 – 20 | 15 – 20 | 20 – 25 | 7 – 9 | 7 – 8 | 11 – 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nangka | 15 – 20 | 15 – 25 | 25 – 30 | 7 – 9 | 7 – 8 | 11 – 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tanduk | 7 – 10 | 7 – 12 | - | 7 – 9 | 7 – 8 | 11 – 12 |
Planting :
Planting Material :
The best way is to start with tissue culture plantlets. Tissue culture plantlets are recommended for planting because suckers, in general, are infected with some soil-borne pathogen and nematodes.Tissue culture plantlets are healthy, pest and disease free, uniform and shorter harvesting period. Suckers on the contrary are not uniform and have a rather longer-harvesting period thus management of the plantation can be somewhat wearisome.
Planting Time :
Tissue culture Bananas can be planted throughout the year.
Nutrients Required By Bananas :
Bananas need nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium with a ratio of 3:1:6 and
other micronutrients to ensure the plants grow vigorously.
Crop Geometry :
The most economical and efficient spacing is 1.82m x 1.52m with 3,630
plants per hectare (a wide spacing of 1.82 m between rows). The diagram
below provides a good indication of how the plants should be planted: -
Planting Method :
20% of perlite should be mixed with the soil for optimal growth. Depending on the soil quality, one must apply the appropriate method as well as the depth and spacing at which plants are required to be planted.Step 1: Mark the spots where the plants will be planted. Avoid marking and planting as you go because any oversight may lead to uneven spread of the Bananas. The best method to avoid this from happening is to use a long measuring tape.
Step 2: Dig a hole with a foot in diameter and ten (10) to twelve (12) inches deep and place the plants in the hole keeping the pseudo-stem 1 inch below the ground level.
Step 3: Toss a small amount of fertilizer into the hole to boost the growth of the plant and fill the hole with soil. Soil around the plant should be tramped down firmly to remove air pockets.
Intercropping :
![Banana Intercropping Banana Intercropping](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ja7thZkTfpc/UutXnm-67rI/AAAAAAAAAOg/JWAGatA-KhQ/s1600/intrcroping.jpeg)
Onion, soyabean and cowpea can be grown as intercrop in Banana by planting on raised bed which will give additional income. Growing intercrops like cowpea and soyabean also helps in suppressing weed growth. In preparation of model scheme, the income and expenditure for intercropping is not considered.
Manuring :
15 t of FYM/compost is applied at the time of
land preparation. After plantation, the manuring is done by applying 5
kg FYM, 2 Kg Bhumilab, 20 g trichoderma and 30-50 ml humus per plant
in first year and FYM @ 10 kg, Bhumilab @ 2.5 - 3 kg per plant during
subsequent two years. The spraying of Gomutra (Cow urine) and Jeevamrut
is also taken up. The jeevamrut is prepared by adding 10 kg cowdung, 5
l of cow urine, 2 kg black jaggery, 2 kg ground pulses powder, handful
of bund soil in 200 l of water, the solution is kept for 2 to 7 days
in shade for fermentation. During the fermentation, the solution is
stirred on daily. Biofertilizers like Azatobacter(20 g/plant),
Phosphate Solubilizing bacteria (PSB) (20 g/plant) and EM solution at
the rate of 1 l per acre. The EM (Effective Microorganisms) solution is
prepared by adding 1 l EM, 2 kg black jaggery, 50 g salt mixed in a
drum of suitable size.
Irrigation :
The plants need to be irrigated immediately after planting. About 30-40 weekly irrigations are required. When summer temperature crosses 37.5 0C, irrigation on every 3rd day is essential. Inadequate irrigation to banana leads to delayed flowering, irregular bunch size, delayed maturity, reduced fingers and poor keeping quality of the fruits. The drip system of irrigation is being followed in most of the organic banana cultivation in Maharashtra. In this model scheme, the cost of installation of drip is not considered.
Interculture operations :
Propping :
Propping or supporting the bearing plants can
be done by suitable propping material like bamboo or wooden poles.
Mulching :
Mulching is desirable immediately after
planting. Mulching controls weed growth, conserves moisture, hastens
growth and improves yield.
Desuckering :
All varieties of banana throw suckers from
2-3 months after planting. All these suckers should not be allowed to
grow as they will compete with the mother plants for water and
nutrients thereby reducing the yield of main crop. Desuckering with
sickle at 15-20 days interval right from the beginning till flowering
is essential. Wrapping the bunches is essential to have blemish /
bruise free fruits with uniform size and quality. For this, black
coloured polythene may be used for covering the fruits
Other operations :
Weeding is done 3-4 times in a year. Trashing
is done by removing dried leaves. Earthing up of the soil is required
to be carried out two times annually
Plant Protection :
The major pests and diseases observed in banana
crop are rhizome weevil, nematodes, bunchy top, leaf spot, etc. In the
case of organic farming, dasparni arka and neem cake are used to control
pests and diseases. The dasparni arka, which means mixture of leaves of
ten kinds of plants (das=ten, parna=leaf, arka=concentrated form of
solution) is prepared by adding 25 kg neem leaves and 2 kg leaves each
of custard apple, nirgudi, kaner, cotton, papaya, castor, karanj,
gudwel, drumstick in 200 l of water, 5 to 10 l of gomutra & 2 kg of
green chillies, the solution is kept for 15-20 days for fermentation.
The stock solution is prepared by filtration through muslin cloth. The
spraying is done by diluting the arka further by adding 100 l of water
to 2.5 l of the arka.
Harvesting :
The crop gets ready for harvest after 11-12
months of planting. First ratoon crop is ready after 8-10 months from
harvesting the main crop and second ratoon after 8 months of harvesting
of the first ratoon crop. Thus over the period of 27-30 months, it is
possible to harvest three crops i.e. one main crop and two ratoon crops.
Yield :
With the conservative estimate, it is expected
that at least 80% of the plants would produce bunches of banana.
Accordingly, the yield/ha is estimated as under :-
- is 80% for all varieties
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