As we know, fruits are part of our daily life. And here, we discuss things about banana farming in this blog. Banana cultivation is commercial farming which is the primary economic fruit of India. This farming needs 20% of the land from the total under crop in India. Due to the many techniques available, banana farming is getting easier than earlier. Banana is the only fruit that is eaten all over India. The Mahindra Jivo tractor model is best for banana farming for maximum productivity. 

Banana is one of the major and economically important fruits of India. Bananas account for 20% of the total cropped area in India. Farmers grow most bananas are by sucking method. The technology development in agriculture is very fast, as a result, tissue culture techniques are developed.

Banana Plantation Climatic Conditions

Banana is a tropical crop that thrives well in a temperature range of 15ºC – 35ºC with 75-85% humidity. It likes humid tropical lowlands and is lifted from the sea level to an elevation of 2000m. above m.s.l. This crop is grown in climates ranging from moist tropical to dry mild subtropics in India by selecting appropriate types. Chilling damage happens at a temperature below 12ºC. From June to September, monsoon with an average of 650-750 mm. Rain is most important for the vegetative growth of bananas. Therefore, banana farming is restricted to a few higher altitudes like ‘Hill banana”.

Deep, rich earthy soil with a pH between 6.5 – 7.5 is the most favoured banana farming. Soil for bananas should have adequate drainage, adequate fertility, and water. Saline solid, calcareous soils are not appropriate for banana farming. A soil that is neither too alkaline or acidic, rich in organic fabric with a high nitrogen range, adequate phosphorus level, and plenty of potash is appropriate for a banana.

Banana Plantation Suitable Soil 

In Banana cultivation, Soil for bananas should have adequate drainage, adequate fertility, and water. However, it is drained, poorly aerated, and nutritionally poor soils are unsuitable for the banana. Saline solid, calcareous soil is not appropriate for Banana farming. 

A soil that is not too sour and alkaline, rich in organic fabric with a high nitrogen range, good phosphorus level, and plenty of potash are suitable for the banana. 

Banana Varieties

In India, bananas are grown under various situations and production systems. Therefore, in your banana agriculture, the Selection of varieties is based on many kinds catering to several needs and difficulties. 

Grandnaine is gaining favour and may soon be the choice variety due to its tolerance to biotic pressures and good quality bunches. Lots have well-spaced hands with straight figures, more prominent in size. Fruit develops an appealing uniform yellow colour with better shelf life & quality than other cultivars.

Banana Planting Land Preparation

Before planting bananas, grow the green manuring crop like dacha, cowpea, etc., and bury them in the soil. You should plough the land 2-4 times to take it its fine tilth and with this, you should level it. Then, use a rotavator or press to break the clod and bring the soil to a fine tilth. Also, the Mahindra YUVO tractor model for land preparation is good because it offers the latest technology.  

The size for the plantation must be 45cm x 45cm x 45cm. You should leave prepared pits to solar radiation supports in killing toxic insects, is effective against soil-borne diseases, and aids aeration. After that, you should modify the Pit mixture to incorporate organic matter in saline-alkali soil, where PH is above 8.

Banana Crop Planting Material

About 70% of the farmers use suckers as planting material, while 30% use tissue culture seedlings. Sword suckers with well-developed rhizome, conical or spherical, actively developing conical buds, considering about 450-700 gm, naturally used as reproducing.

In Banana Farming, we can typically contaminate suckers with pathogens and nematodes. Also, due to the divergence in age and size of the sucker, the crop is not even, harvesting is lengthy, and management becomes complicated. However, as a result, they are healthy, disease-free, uniform in growth, and early-yielding. 

Banana Irrigation Management

But Banana roots are the poor escape of water. Therefore under Indian conditions, the banana presentation should support by an efficient irrigation system like drip irrigation. The water requirement of bananas is around 2000 mm per Annum. There is 56% water-saving and increasing yield by 23-32% under the drip.

Irrigate the plants immediately after planting. Apply sufficient water and maintain field capacity. However, excess irrigation will guide root zone congestion due to releasing air from soil pores, impacting plant organisation and growth. 

Banana Plants Fertilizers

Banana requires many nutrients, often provided only in part by the soil. The nutrient essential performed out on an Indian basis is 20 kg FYM. Bananas require heavy nutrition. Traditionally growers use more urea and less phosphorus and potash. To avoid supplemental losses from common manures for example loss of N through sewers, evaporation, disappearance, and loss of P and K obsessively in filth, use of water-soluble or dribble water systems irrigation (fertigation ) is support. An increase of 25-30% in yield has been observe using fertigation. In addition, it saves work and time and the transportation of supplements is uniform.

Banana Crop Intercultural operations

The Root system of bananas is simple and easily damaged by cultivation, use of intercrop, which is not seductive. However, short durational crops (45-60 days) like cowpea, mung, and dhaincha are green manuring produce.  You should bypass the Yields from the cucurbitaceous family as these carry viruses. The root system of bananas is superficial and is easily damaged by cultivation, use of intercrops which are not desirable. Although short duration crops (45-60 days) like moong,

Banana farming Post-harvest management

Injured and over-mature fruits are discard at the collection site, and for a local market, bunches should provide through lorries or wagons. However, for a more refined and export market where the rate is predominant, doses should need, fruits are release in running water or dilute sodium hypochlorite solution to pull the latex and treated with thiabendazole; air-dried and graded founded on the size of fingers as already stated, filled in circulated CFB boxes of 14.5 kg capacity or as per the requirement with polythene lining and pre-cooled at 13-15ºC temperature and 80-90% RH.

Banana Yield 

The cultivated crop gets ready for yield within 11-12 months of planting. So, firstly, the ratoon crop would prepared by 8-10 months from harvesting. Then, it is possible to harvest three crops, i.e. one main crop and two ratoon crops. Under drip irrigation connect with Fertigation yield of Bananas as high as 100 T/ha can receive with the help of the tissue culture method. A parallel output in the ratoon crops can reach if you manage the crop well.

Tissue Culture of Banana Cultivation

The tissue culture method is the growth of tissues or cells isolated from the organism. This is usual facilitate by the use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth medium, such as broth or agar, under sterile growing conditions in vitro. Banana propagated vegetatively; Thus tissue culture as a propagation technique provides a robust means to prepare disease-free planting material that can provide the first line of defence in developing an integrated disease-management program for bananas. Established tissue-culture methods for bananas include shoot and meristem culture, callus culture, somatic embryogenesis, cell suspension, and protoplast culture.

By all these steps we cultivate bananas and produce more benefits by this method. For more related blogs please connect with us.