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Soil suitability and Soil suitability and management for management for

banana production banana production

SOIL SUITABILITY FOR BANANA

Banana grow in all types of soils with adequate soil moisture.

Deep, well drained, friable loamy soil with adequate organic matter is

ideal for its cultivation.

Banana is one of the few fruits which have a restricted root zone.

Therefore, depth and drainage are the two most important

considerations in selection the soil for banana.

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SOIL SUITABILITY FOR BANANA

It can grow well in slightly alkaline soils. Banana can be grown well in pH

range of 6.5 – 7.5.

Alluvial and volcanic soils are the best for banana cultivation.

In India heavy clay soil of the Cauvery delta, alluvial soils, black loam in

Maharashtra are also famous for growing good crop of banana.

The coastal sandy loams as well as the red lateritic soil of the hilly tracts

also yielded good crop.

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CLIMATIC REQUIREMENT OF BANANA

Major banana growing areas of the world are geographically situated

between the Equator and latitudes 200N and 200S.

Tropical, with comparatively small temperature fluctuation from day to

night and from summer to winter is ideal for banana.

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CLIMATIC REQUIREMENT OF BANANA

In subtropics, between 200 and 300 North or south of the equator also

banana is grown.

In the subtropics, wide temperature fluctuations between day and night

and between summer and winter, the high and the low rainfall which is

also poorly distributed.

Bananas perform very well under humid tropical conditions but can be

cultivated successfully even under humid or semi arid sub tropical

conditions.

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CLIMATIC REQUIREMENT OF BANANA

Better growth and yield of banana at a temperature range of 25-35°C

though they can be cultivated at a temperature range of 10-40°C.

A suitable banana climate is a mean temperature of 26.67°C and mean

rainfall of 10 cm per month.

There should not be more than 3 months of dry season.

Under cooler climates the crop duration is extended.

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METHODS OF SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

1.Clean culture

Involves regular ploughing and removal of weeds.

Deep and frequent cultivation may be avoided and also cultivation

when the soil is too wet.

To avoid loss of humus, nitrogen, soil erosion, formation of hard pan

etc.,

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2. Clean culture with cover crops

Involves raising of a cover crop or green manure after removing

the weeds.

Green manure crops like Sunnhemp, Cowpea, Dhaincha, Lupins

etc. are more commonly used.

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3. Mulching

Crop residues like straw, cotton stalks, leaves, saw dust, pine

needles, coir dust arid other materials like polythene films or certain

special kinds of paper are spread in the tree basins and in inter

spaces between trees.

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4. Sod

In this method, permanent cover of grass is raised in the orchard

and no tillage is given.

5. Sod mulch

This is similar to sod with the only difference is that the vegetation is

cut frequently and the cut material is allowed to remain on the

ground.

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6. Intercropping

The practice of growing any economic crop in alley spaces of the plant or

in the unoccupied spaces of the long duration crop in the early periods is

referred as intercropping.

Ex. Intercropping of short duration vegetables such as tomato, oninon

etc in banana fields.

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7. Mixed cropping

It refers to the practice of growing certain perennial crops in the

alley spaces of the main perennial crops.

The main advantage is the effective utilization of available area and

increase in the net income of the farm per unit area.

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8. Multitier system of cropping Intercropping and mixed cropping involve jointly multitier system of

cropping

It defined as a compatible companion of crops having varying

morphological frames and rooting habits, grown together in such a

manner that their canopies intercept solar energy at varying heights

and their roots forage the soil at different zones.

The main principle here is that the land, water and sunlight should be

effectively used.

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