Banana
prefers tropical humid lowlands and is grown from the sea level to 1000 m above
MSL. It can also be grown at elevations up to 1200 m, but at higher elevations
growth is poor. Optimum temperature is 27’C. Soils with good fertility and
assured supply of moisture are best suited.
Season
Rain
fed crop : April-May
Irrigated
crop : August-September
Adjest
planting seasons depending upon local conditions. Avoid periods of heavy
monsoon and severe summer for planting.
Varieties
Nendran
(Clones) : Nedunendran, Zanzibar,
Chengalikodan and Big Ebanga.
Table
verieties : Monsmarie, Robuste, Giant
Governor, Dwwarf Cavendish, Chenkadali, Poovan, Palayankodan , Njalipoovan,
Amritsagar, Grosmichael, Karpooravally, Poomkalli,Koompilla-Kannan, Chinali,
Dudhsagar, BRS-1, BRS-2, and Yangambi.
Culinary
varieties : Monthan, Batheesa,
Kanchikela, Nendrapadathy.
Preparation of land
Prepare
the field by ploughing or digging and dig pits for planting.Size of its depends
upon soil type, water table and variety. In general, pit size of 50 cm X 50cm X
50cm is recommended. In law lying areas, take mounds for planting suckers.
Selection of suckers
Select
3-4month old disease free sword suckers from healthy clumps. In the case of Nendran variety, cut back
pseudo stem to a length of 15-20cm from corm and remove old roots. The rhizomes
are to be smeared with cow dung
solution and ash and dried in the sun for about 3-4 days and stored in shade up
to 15 days before planting.
Spacing
Spacing
may be provided as indicated below:
Variety
|
Spacing (m)
|
Suckers/ha
|
Poovan
Chenkadali
Palayankodan
Monthan
|
2.1 X 2.1
|
2260
|
Nendran
|
2.0 X 2.0
|
2500
|
Grosmichael
|
2.4 X 2.4
|
1730
|
Robusta
Monsmarie
Dwarf Cavandish
|
2.4 X 1.88
|
2310
|
Planting
Plant
suckers upright in the centre of pits with 5 cm pseudo stem remaining above
soil level. Press soil around the sucker to avoid hollow air spaces.
Manuring
1. Apply compost, cattle
manure or green leaves @ 10kg/plant at the
time of planting.
2. Apply N:P2O5:K2O at the following
dose (g/plant/year)
Nendran
(irrigated): 190:115:300
Other
verieties depending upon soil fertility level : 160-200 :160-200 :320-400
Palayankodan
(rainfed): 100:200:400
Palayankodan
(reclaimbed alluvial soils of Kuttanad)
Plant
crop 100:200:400
First
ratoon 150:200:800
Second
ratoon 150:200:800
Apply
the fertilizer 60/75 cm around the plant in two equal split doses; the first, two months after planting and the
second, the four months after planting.
For ratoon crop, the entire fertilizers have to be applied in a single dose
immediately after the harvest of the preceding crop . Irrigate immediately after manuring.
Note
: For Nendran apply the fertilizer in six split doses.
Irrigation
1. During summer months,
irrigate once in three days
2. Ensure good drainage and
prevent water logging.
3. About 6-10 irrigations per
crop may be given depending upon soil conditions.
Weed control
Pre-emergence
application of diuron 1.5kg/ha-1 or oxyfluorfen 0.2kg/ha-1 is effective. Weeds
emerging later could be controlled by the application of glyphosate 0.4
kg/ha-1. If hand weeding is resorted to, give 4-5 surface diggings depending on
weed growth.
Note:
Avoid deep digging. Do not disturb soil after plants start producing bunches
Plant protection
Pests
Banana pseudostem weevil (Odoiporus longicollis)
The
weevils resemble the rhizome weevil.
Adult female weevil punctures and inserts eggs in to the pseudostem.
Grubs emerging out feed extensively on the pseudostem and there by the entire
plant collapses.
Management
1. Field sanitation is the
most important factor in the prophylactic and curative control of this pest.
2. Remove affected plants
along with the rhizome in full and destroy them by burning the life stages of
the insect using kerosene
3. Destroy the parts of rhizome and pseudostem of harvested plants in
the field as described above.
4. Remove the dry outer
sheaths of the pseudostem of all infested
and un-infested plants in the endemic areas and spray any of the
recommended insecticides.
Banana rhizome weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus) 
Female adults puncture healthy rhizomes and insert eggs
through it. Grubs tunnel into the rhizome and feed on it resulting in the
stunting of rhizome.
Management
1. Adopt strict field
sanitation
2. Select only healthy
planting material.
3. Deep ploughing of the land so as to expose the inner soil
layer to sun.
4. Cut and remove the outer
layer of the rhizome and sundry for 3-4 days after smearing it with slurry of
cow dung and ash.
5. Set traps using pseudostem of approximately 0.5m length,
wwhich are split lengthwise and laid in the field. Adults attracted to it during nights may be collected and
destroyed.
Aphid (Pentalonia nigronervosa)
Act
as a vector for the transmission of the dreadful bunchy top disease in banana.
Spindle
leaf miner (Assuania sp.)
Spray
dimethoate 0.05/cent on the spindle for controlling the leaf miner
Nematodes
Major
species are burrowing nematode, root knot,
root lesion and cyst nematode.
In
case of severe infestation there will be severe reduction in number of leaves,
total bunch weight and number of fruits.
Management
Pare
the rhizomes and apply neem cake @1kg/plant. At the time of planting.
Diseases
Bunchy top disease
This
is a virus disease transmitted by aphids.
Management
1. Eradicate disease affected
plants.
2. Use disease free suckers
for planting.. Karpooravally, Kanchikela,Njalipoovan and Koomplpillakannan are
less susceptible varieties.
Panama wilt (Banana wilt)
1. Dip suckers of susceptible
verities in 0.1-0.2/cent carbendazim solution to prevent spread of the disease.
2. Drench the soil around affected clumps with 0.05/cent
carbendazim solution to prevent the disease.
3. Remove and destroy
affected clumps along with corms.
4. Apply lime @ 1kg/pit and
allow to eather.
Sigatoka leaf spot (Mycosphaerella sp.)
1. Cut and burn all severely
affected leaves.
2. Spray 1/cent Bordeaux mixture soon after the
appearance of the initial symptoms of the disease.
3. Power (mineral oil ) oil 1/cent emulsion is also effective.
Kokkan disease (Banana bract mosaic
virus)
The
affected plants produce only small bunch. The figures are small, curved and
widely divergent with pale green to ashy green colour as compared to healthy
oones.
Management
1. Sucker should not be taken
from affected plants, which show necrotic streaks or abnormal color of the
pseudostem.
Infectious
chlorosis
(Cucumber mosaic virus disease)
Loss of leaf color in patches, appearance of parallel
chlorotic streaks on the younger leaves
giving a striped appearance of the leaves.
Management
1. Use disease free suckers
for planting
2. Eradicate disease affected
plants.
3. Avoid growing leguminous
and cucurbitaceous vegetables as intercrop in banana in disease prone areas.
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