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Introduction
Banana is the fruit of a plant of the genus Musa (family Musaceae), which is cultivated primarily for food and secondarily for the
production of fibre used in the textile industry are also cultivated for ornamental purposes. Almost all the modern edible
parthenocarpic bananas come from the two wild species – Musa acuminataMusa balbisiana. The scientific names of bananas
are Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana or hybrids of Musa acuminata and balbisiana, depending on their genomic
constitution.Bananas are vigorously growing, monocotyledonous herbaceous plants.The banana is not a tree but a high herb that
can attain up to 15 meters of height. The cultivars vary greatly in plant an d fruit size, plant morphology, fruit quality and disease and
insect resistance. Most bananas have a sweet flavor when ripe; exceptions to this are cooking bananas and plantains. Plantains are
hybrid bananas in which the male flowering axis is either degenerated, lacking, or possess relicts of male flowers. Plantains are
always cooked before consumption and are higher in starch than bananas. The two groups of plantains, French and Horn, produce
fewer fruit per plant than sweet bananas. The groups differ in whether the male parts of the inflorescence are present or absent.

Varieties
Dessert
Robusta, Dwarf Cavendish, Grand Naine, Rasthali, Vayal vazhai, Poovan, Nendran, Red Banana, Karpooravalli, Co.1, Matti, Sannachenkadali, Udayam and
Neypoovan are popular varieties in banana. Cavendish groups are generally prefered in export market.

Culinary
Monthan, Vayal vazhai, Ash Monthan and Chakkia are cultivated for culinary purpose. Nendran is a dual purpose variety used for dessert and culinary.

Hill areas
The popular varieties of bananas suitable for hilly areas are Virupakshi, Sirumalai and Namarai. Red Banana, Manoranjitham (Santhana vazhai) and Ladan are also
cultivated in hills.

Karpuravalli Rasthali

Red Banana Grandnine

<< More Varieties... >>

Soil and Climate

Well drained loamy soils are suitable for banana cultivation. Alkaline and saline soils should be avoided.
Season of planting
Wet lands Garden lands Hill Banana Padugai lands
Poovan, Rasthali, Monthan, Karpooravalli Banana can be cultivated in garden April – May (lower Palani hills), June – In Padugai lands, the crop can be
and Neypoovan can be cultivated during lands during January – February and August (Sirumalai) are the suitable cultivated during January – February and
February – April. November – December. seasons for cultivating hill banana. August – September.

Nendran and Robusta can be cultivated

during April – May.

Selection and pre-treatment of suckers

Select sword suckers of 1.5 to 2.0 kg weight which are free from diseases and
nematodes. Trim the roots and decayed portion of the corm, cut the pseudostem
leaving 20 cm from the corm and grade the suckers to size. To avoid wilt disease in
Rasthali, Monthan, Virupakshi and other wilt susceptible varieties, infected portions
of the corm may be pared and dipped for 5 minutes in 0.1% Emisan solution (1 g in 1
lit of water). Pralinage is done with 40 g of Carbofuran 3 G granules per sucker. (Dip
the corm in slurry solution containing 4 parts clay plus 5 parts water and sprinkle
Carbofuran to control nematodes). Alternatively,shade dry for atleast 24 hours and
plant. Sow Sunhemp on 45th day; incorporate it after about a month.This operation
reduces nematode build up. Use tissue cultured banana plants with 5-6 leaves. At
the time of planting, apply 25 g Bacillus Subtils / plant.

Field preparation
Wet lands
No preparatory cultivation is necessary.

Garden land
2 – 4 ploughings are required before planting.

Padugai
One deep spade digging is essential.

Hill Banana
Clean the jungle and construct contour stone walls before planting.

Digging Pits
Wet lands
Place the suckers at ground level and earth up at stages.
Sucker treatment and planting

Spacing
S.No. System of Planting Planting Distance Plant population /ha

1. Dwarf Cavendish 1.5 x 1.5 4440

2. Robusta and Nendran 1.8 x 1.8 3080

3. Rasthali, Poovan, Karpooravalli, Monthan 2.1 x 2.1 2260

4. Paired row 1.2 x 1.2 x 2.0 5200

5. 2-Suckers /hill 1.8 x 3.6 3200

6. 3-Suckers/hill 1.8 x 3.6 4800

High density planting can be adopted for higher productivity. Plant 3 suckers /
pit at a spacing of 1.8 x 3.6m (4600 plants/ha) for Cavendish varieties and 2 m
x 3 m for Nendran (5000 plants/ha).

1 sucker / pit at 2x2 m 3 suckers / pit at 3.6x3.6 m

3- Plants /Hill Paired row system

1.8 X 3.6 m (4800 pi/ha) 1.2x1.2x2.0m (5200 pl/ha

Normal planting 3 suckers/pit 4 suckers/pit

(2.0 x 2.0 m) (3.6 x 3.6 m) (1.8 x 3.6 m)

Irrigation
Irrigate immediately after planting; give life irrigation after 4 days; subsequent irrigations are to be given
once in a week for garden land bananas and once in 10 – 15 days for wetlands. Irrigate the fields
copiously after every manure application. Use drip irrigation @ 5-10 litres/plant/day from planting to 4th
month, 10-15 litres/plant/day from 5th to shooting and 15 litres /plant/day from shooting to till 15 days
prior to harvest.
Drip Irrigation Schedule
Quantity of Water
S.No Crop Growth Stage Duration (Weeks)
(1/Plant)

1. After Planting 1-4 4

2. Juvenile Phase 5-9 8-10

3. Critical Growth Stage 10-19 12

4. Flower bud differentiation Stage 20-32 16-20

5. Shooting Stage 33-37 20 and above

6. Bunch Development Stage 38 x 50 20 and above

Intercropping
Leguminous vegetables, beetroot, elephant foot yam and sunhemp can be grown as intercrops. Avoid
growing cucurbitaceous vegetables.

Application of fertilizers

General recommendations for garden land, wetland Hill bananas

banana and hill bananas
After forming semicircular basins on uphill side, apply 375 g of 40:30:40 NPK mixture, plus 130 g muriate of
Details N P K potash per clump per application during October, January and April. Preceding the chemical fertilizer
application, apply Azospirillum and Phosphobacterium @ 20 gm each at planting and 5th month after
Garden land planting.
110* 35* 330*
Varieties other than Nendran Apply N as Neem coated urea. Apply N and K in 3 splits on 3rd, 5th and 7th month, Phosphorous at 3rd
150 90 300
Nendran month of planting. Apply 20 g in each of Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria during planting and five months
after planting. (This should be applied prior to chemical fertilizer application).
Wetland The fertigation technique must be followed for maximizing the productivity. Apply 200:30:300 g N: P2O5 :
210 35 450
Nendran K2O / plant using water soluble fertilizers along with 25 litres of water/day. For economizing the cost of
210 50 390
Rasthali fertilizers, fertigate using normal fertilizers (Urea and Muriate of potash) with 50% of the recommended
160 50 390
Poovan, Robusta dose along with recommended dose of phosphorus as basal at 2nd month after planting. Fertigate at
weekly intervals as per the following schedule.

* For Tissue culture banana, apply 50% extra fertilizers at 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th month after planting.
Fertigation Scheduling
Units / day Kg/ha/day
Stage
N P2O5 K 2O N P2O5 K 2O

Days after Planting

1- 150 days 3 2 1 3.24 0.82 1.03

151 - 240 days 1 3 2 1.08 1.23 2.06

241 - 270 days 1 1 2 1.08 0.41 2.06

271 - 360 days 0 0 3 0.00 0.00 3.08

Fertigation for tissue culture banana

After cultivation
Garden Land
Digging at monthly intervals and earthing up of soil will facilitate better establishment of
plants. Desuckering should be done at monthly intervals. The dry and diseased leaves
are removed and burnt to control the spread of leaf spot diseases. Male flowers may
be removed a week after opening of last hand. In Robusta banana, floral ruminants
may be removed a week after opening of the last hand to avoid ‘fingertip disease’. The
plants at flowering stage may be propped. Cover the peduncle with flag leaf to prevent
main stalk end rot. Cover the bunch with banana leaves to avoid sunscald. Polythene
bunch cover will improve the external appearance of banana fruits.
Wetland
Form trenches in between alternate rows and cross trenches at every 5th row. The
trenches are periodically deepened and the soil is spread over the bed. Surface
diggings may be given at bi-monthly intervals and desuckering at monthly intervals.
Remove the male flower a week after opening of last hand. Propping / Support

Prop plants at or prior to flowering. Cover the peduncle with flag leaf and the bunch with leaves to avoid
sunscald. For ratoon crops in respect of Poovan, Monthan and Rasthali allow the follower at flowering
stage of the mother plant and remove the other suckers during harvest.
Perennial banana
Surface digging should be done once in two months. One deep digging may be given during January –
February. Other operations should be done as similar in garden land.
Hill banana
Give four forkings in January, April, July and October. Remove outer sheaths to keep the corm inside the
soil and ward off borer. Maintain two bearing plants and two followers per clump along the contour.
Growth regulators
To improve the grade of bunches 2, 4-D at 25 ppm (25 mg/lit) may be sprayed on Poovan and Co 1
banana after the last hand has emerged. This will also help to remove seediness in Poovan variety.
Spray CCC 1000 ppm at 4th and 6th month after planting.
Micronutrients
Spray micronutrients viz., ZnSO4 (0.5%), FeSO4 (0.2%), CuSO4 (0.2%) and H3BO3 (0.1%) and 3, 5
and 7 MAP to increase yield and quality of banana.

Deficiency Symptoms

Nitrogen(N) Potassium (K) Boron (B) Phosphorus (P)

Magnesium (Mg) Iron (Fe) Sulphur (S) Copper (Cu)

Bunch cover for better appearance

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.

Intercropping:Leguminousvegetables, Beetroot, ElephantfootyamandSunhemp.Avoid growing

Cucurbitaceous vegetables.

Plant protection
Pests
Corm weevil Stem weevil (Odoiporus longicollis)
Apply carbaryl 10 – 20 g/plant in the soil Remove dried leaves periodically and keep the plantation
around the stem. clean. Prune the suckers every month.
Alternatively,pseudostem at monthly
Weevil infested corm Weevil infested plant interval from 5th to 8th month.

Do not dump infected materials in the

manure pit. Infected trees should be
uprooted, chopped into pieces and
burnt.

Stemweevil infested
Stem weevil infestation
plant

Banana aphid

The pest is the vector for Bunchy top virus disease. Spray any one of the following systemic insecticides to control it. Phosphamidon 2 ml/lit
or Methyl demeton 2 ml/lit or Dimethoate 30 EC 2 ml/lit. The spray may be directed towards crown and pseudostem base upto ground level
at 21 days interval atleast thrice. ml/plant (1 ml diluted in 4 ml of water) at 45 days interval from the 3rd month till flowering is very effective.
Use ‘Banana injector’ devised by the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University. .

Banana Aphid

Thrips and Lace wing bugs

Spray Methyl demeton 20 EC @ 2 ml/lit or Phosphamidon 40 SL
@ 2ml/lit.
Nematode
Pre-treat the suckers with 40 g Carbofuran 3G. If pre-treatment is
not done, apply 40 g of Carbofuran around each plant one month
after planting (refer selection and pre-treatment for alternate
technology) or pare and dip the corm in shade dry and plant. Then
grow Sunhemp after 45th day and incorporate one month later.
Lace wing Bug investation
Press mud application @ 15 t per ha one month after planting and
neem cake 1.5 t per ha one month after planting will also control
the nematode infestation.

Diseases

Sigatoka leaf spot

Remove affected leaves and burn. Spray any one
of the following fungicides commencing from
November at monthly interval. Carbendazim 1
g/lit., Benomyl 1 g/lit., Mancozeb 2 g/lit., Copper
oxychloride 2.5 g/lit., Ziram 2 ml/lit,
Chlorothalonil 2 g/lit. Alternation of fungicides for
every spray prevents fungicidal resistance. Always Yellow Sigatoka leaf spot
add 5 ml of wetting agent like Sandovit, Triton AE,
Teepol etc. per 10 lit of spray fluid.

Anthracnose

Spray copper oxychloride 0.25% or Bordeaux mixture 1% or chlorothaloail 0.2% or Carbendazim 0.1%.
Post harvest dipping of fruits in Carbendazim 400 ppm, or Benomyl 1000 ppm.

Bunchy-top
The Banana Aphid Pentalonia nigronervosa is the vector of Bunchy-top virus disease. Spray Phosphamidon 1 ml/lit or Methyl
Demeton 2 ml/lit to control it. The sprays may be directed towards crown and pseudostem base upto ground level at 21 days
interval atleast thrice.

Use ‘Banana Injector’ devised by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. .

Anthracnose on ripe fruits
Bunchy top affected plant
To prevent the disease

1.Use virus-free suckers

2.Paring and pralinage: Pare the corm and sprinkle 40 g of Carbofuran 3
G over the Corm (Before sprinkling, corm should be dipped in mud
slurry).
3.Destroy virus affected plants.
Insert a gelatin capsule containing 200 mg Fernoxone (2,4 – D) into the
corm 7 cm deep using capsule applicator or inject 5 ml Fernoxone
solution (125 gm/lit of water) into the pseudostem by using the injection
gun. The plant collapses and topples in 3 – 5 days.

Panama Disease
Uproot and destroy severely affected plants. Apply lime at 1 – 2 kg in the pits after removal of the
affected plants. In the field, Panama wilt disease can be prevented by corm injection methods. A small
portion of soil is removed to expose the upper portion of the corm. An oblique hole at 45° angle is made
to a depth of 10 cm. Immediately, a gelatin capsule containing 60 mg of Carbendazim or 3 ml of 2 %
Carbendazim solution or capsule application for 50 mg of Pseudomonas fluorescens is injected into the
hole with the help of ‘corm injector’ on 2nd, 4th and 6th month after planting.
Fusarium wilt
Management
Varieties Poovan, Robusta, Moongil show resistance.
Rasthali, Monthan, Karpooravalli susceptible to the disease.
Flood fallowing the infected fields. Raise paddy for one season to suppress the pathogen.
Nematodes predispose the pathogen, paring and paralinage with carbofuran 40g / rhizome and 10 g
of P.fluoroscens .
Removal of infected trees and application of lime @1-2 Kg/pit.
Capsule application of carbendazim or P.fluoroscens @ 60 mg/capsule/tree on 2nd, 4th and 6th
month after planting. The capsule is applied in the corm by making a hole of 10 cm depth at 45°.
Corm injection with 3 ml of 2% carbendazim.
Spot drench with carbendazim 0.1%.

Fusarial wilt Internal symptom

Internal symptam corm
infected plant pseudostem

Freckle leaf spot

Management
Spray copper oxychloride 0.25% or Bordeaux mixture 1%.

Freckle leaf spot on leaves and fruits

Kottaivazhai in Poovan
Spray 2,4 – D at the rate of 25 ppm within 20 days after opening of last hand (1 g/40 lit/200 bunches) or
1.2 g of Sodium salt of 2,4 – D dissolved in 40 lit of water for 200 bunches.

Crop duration
The bunches will be ready for harvest after 12 to 15 months of planting.
Harvest
Bunches attain maturity from 100 to 150 days after flowering depending on variety, soil, weather
condition and elevation.
Yield (t/ha/year)
Poovan : 40 – 50
Monthan : 30 – 40
Rasthali : 40 – 50
Robusta : 50 – 60
Dwarf Cavendish : 50 – 60

Market information
Growing Districts
Coimbatore, Erode, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Trichy,
Vellore,Kanyakumari and Karur districts
Major Markets in Tamil Nadu
Trichy, Coimbatore, Theni
Preferred Varieties and Hybrids
Grand Naine, Dwarf Cavendish, Robusta, Rasthali, Poovan,
Nendran, Red Banana, Ney Poovan, Pachanadan, Monthan,
Karpuravalli
Grade Specification
The hands are graded based on the number and size of fingers
in each hand.
Overripe and injured fruits are discarded.
Banana is sent to the local market as bunches.

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