Sustainable Banana Cultivation Practices and Pest Control Strategies

1. Cultural practices and resistance varieties in banana Next Previous End

2. Cultural or ecological control involves purposeful manipulation of the environment to make it less habitable for pest species Any change in the spatial distribution of host plants (crop rotation, intercropping, or trap cropping), variations in the time of planting or harvesting, application of water and fertilizer, and management of ground cover and / surrounding vegetation may have a significant effect on the survival and growth of pest populations Next Previous End

3. Climate and Soil Requirements Banana is well adapted to well-drained, loamy, soil that is rich in organic matter. Areas with an average rainfall of 4000 millimeters (mm) a year are ideal sites for a banana plantation. A temperature between 27 to 30o Cis most favorable to the crop. Banana grows at sea level up to 1,800 meters altitude. It is susceptible to root rot when exposed to too much water. Typhoon belt areas do not make good plantation sites. Next Previous End

4. Propagation Banana can be propagated through its rhizomes and suckers. Suckers must be parasite-free and have healthy roots. These are spaded out of the clumps when four to five feet tall. Land Preparation The field is ploughed and harrowed thrice. All stumps and bushes must be removed. Knee-deep holes with 45-cm diameters are dug and each hole is fertilized with 10 grams of Complete fertilizer and a few of granular nematode. Next Previous End

5. Planting Suckers are set on field in vertical position, then covered with surface soil. Compost material added to the soil enhances the recovery and growth with the new plants. The soil is stumped around each base and watered regularly. During dry months, irrigation if possible, is advised. Planting is best at the start of the rainy season Next Previous End

6. Cultivation and Maintenance Cultivation should go beyond six inches from the base of the plant to avoid root injury. Intercrops / Glamoxine or Karmex spray act as weed control. Plants must be propped with bamboo poles during fruiting for support against strong winds. Next Previous End

7. Intercropping One of the way to reduce pest populations by increasing environmental diversity. Intercropping lowers the overall attractiveness of the environment, as when host and non-host plants are mixed together in a single planting.   Next Previous End

8. Managed application Water or fertilizer can have a big impact on the survival of pest populations in some crops. Annual flooding, for example, is a cultural practice that eliminates many potential pests. Balance diet application of irrigation and fertilization keeps plants healthy, vigorous, and more resistant to insect injury. It is not unusual for small amounts of injury to actually stimulate compensatory growth in healthy plants. Next Previous End

9. Sanitation Cultural control strategy that may be highly effective for pest’s control. Removing crop debris from banana fields after harvest eliminates corn weevils. Collecting the removed side coppice after that Shredding or burning. Next Previous End

10. Crop Rotation Rotating the field to a different type of crop can break this cycle by starving pests that cannot adapt to a different host plant. Crop rotation schemes work because they increase the diversity of a pest's environment and create discontinuity in its food supply. Next Previous End

11. As a rule, rotations are most likely to be practical and effective when they are used against pests that: Growing a single crop year after year in the same field gives pest populations sufficient time to become established and build up to damaging levels. • Attack annual or biennial crops • Have a relatively narrow host range • Cannot move easily from one field to another, and • Are present before the crop is planted Next Previous End

12. Desuckering or Pruning Next Previous End

13. Fertilization For poor soils, fertilizers should contain N-P-K at a ratio of 3-1-6. The ratio is doubled when fertilizers are applied to young plants. The amount of fertilizer applied increases as the tree matures. At flowering and fruiting period, a tree needs five to six pounds of complete fertilizer. Next Previous End

14. Weed management • Weed control and weed management are the two terms used in weed science. • Weed control is the process of limiting infestation of the weed plant so that crops can be grown profitably. Weed management includes • Prevention • Eradication • Control by regulated use • Suppression of growth • Prevention of seed • production • Complete destruction • Restricting invasion Next Previous End

15. Bunch covering Use transparent polyethylene sleeves with 2% (during cool season) - 4% (during summer season) ventilation to cover the bunch immediately after opening of the last hand. Next Previous End

16. Soil Flooding This is a pre-planting practice which can be regarded as a soil disinfestations treatment. A classic case of control on a large scale was demonstrated with the Panama wilt disease of bananas caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense). The harmful effect of flooding on soil-borne pathogens related to a lack of oxygen, increased CO2 or various microbial interactions, e.g. production of substances that are toxic to the pathogen upon anaerobic processes. (Cont).. Next Previous End

17. The soil is flooded for 3–4 months or more, with a minimum of 30 cm of water. Flooding was not effective when large populations of the pathogen were present, or in soil which contained unknown factors which favored the pathogen. Flooding also apparently destroys Pseudomonas solanacearum and the nematode Radopholus similis. Where flooding was practiced in the past to eliminate soil-borne organisms including fungi, nematodes and insects. Next Previous End

18. Host Resistance Breeding plants (or animals) for resistance to insects is really just another form of biological pest control. Rather than finding insects to attack the pests, breeders look for genetic traits (or combinations of traits) that reduce an organism's susceptibility to attack or injury by its insect pests. Next Previous End

19. Resistant varieties in banana • Major banana varieties grown in India • Poovan: • It is the most important commercial variety in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. • It is also known as Lalvelchi in Maharashtra. • It is resistant to Panama wilt. Next Previous End

20. Dwarf Cavendish or Basarai: • It is a dwarf variety. • It is resistant to Panama disease. • It is a high yielding variety with fruits large and of good quality. Next Previous End

21. To sum up • Different cultural practices increase the production and protection of plant. • They are field preparation, planting material – free from pest and diseases, irrigation system- drip irrigation (to avoid wastage of water), intercropping(increase the productivity), weed management,sanitation, crop rotation, soil flooding, resistance varieties , bunch covers for increase the quality to protect fruits from cold, sun scorching. Next Previous End