Banana is a globally significant fruit crop with a production of 97.5 million tonnes. It assists the livelihood of millions of people in India. Total annual production is 16.91 million tons from 490.70 thousand hectares. Maharashtra ranks first in the production of 60 tonnes per hectare.
Banana is 20% of the total cropped area of India. Maharashtra ranks first in productivity and second in the area in India. Technology has developed very rapidly in agriculture, resulting in the development of tissue culture techniques. Banana fruit contributes 37% to total fruit production in India. Jalgaon is a major banana producing district of Maharashtra, spread over 50,000 hectares.
Banana Farming requires the most prominent kind of equipment, which plays a vast role in agro-processing. Therefore, equipment, harvesters and tractors are main in banana cultivation. Hence, we suggest the Mahindra 275 Tractor. Moreover, we also suggest rotavators, cultivators for this banana farming.
Ideal Condition For Banana Farming
For growing banana plants, Coastal regions are the ideal places that require a humid climate and ample rainfall. banana crops thrive at an altitude of 1100m above sea level. Followers are described below.
Banana Farming – Climate requirement
Banana is generally a tropical crop, growing best in the temperature range of 13ºC to 38ºC with an RH regime of 75 to 85%. Therefore, crop cultivation in India is being done by selecting suitable cultivars like Grandnine in humid tropical to dry mild subtropical regions.
Chilling occurs at temperatures below 12ºC. Banana growth starts at 18ºC, goes up to an optimum at 27ºC, then decreases and stops at 38ºC. The sun is scorching due to the highest temperature. In addition, a high-velocity wind of over 80 kmph damages the crop.
Banana Farming – Soil Requirement
For a banana crop, the soil should have good drainage, ample moisture and fertility. Rich loamy soil, deep with a pH between 6-7.5, is preferable for banana cultivation. Soils with poorly aerated, poor drainage and nutrient deficient are not suitable for bananas. You should avoid the soil of low laying areas, very sandy with poor drainage and heavy black cotton.
Farmers can use the soils that are neither too alkaline nor acidic; high nitrogen content, ample phosphorus levels and rich in organic matter containing plenty of potash are the best for bananas.
Banana – Varieties
In India, farmers grow bananas under diverse conditions and production systems. Therefore, the selection of varieties is the basis of a large number of cultivars meeting a wide variety of needs and conditions. However, around 20 cultivars viz Karpuravalli, Karthali and Grand Nine, Nendran, Red Banana, Nyali, Safed Velchi, Basara, Ardhapur, Dwarf Cavendish, Robusta, Monthan, Provan, Rasthali etc.
The Grand nine is achieving popularity, and it will soon become the preferred variety due to its tolerance to biotic stress & superb quality bunches.
Preparation of land
Plough the land thoroughly at least 3 to 4 times, and during the last ploughing, add about 10 tonnes of well-decomposed cow dung or manure. And mix well or 10-15 kg of cow dung per pit of 60x60x60 cm dimensions.
Selection of Suckers
Select ‘Sword Suckers’ broad corms with narrow sword-like leaves from parent plants free of viral, fungal and bacterial diseases. You should use suckers 3-5 months old, uniform in size, weighing 1-1.5 kg for Rasthali, Ney Poovan, Nendran and Poovan banana varieties. Farmers should use the varieties such as Karpuravalli and red banana, large suckers weighing 1.5-2.0 kg.
For planting ’tissue culture’ bananas, farmers should plant approximately 30 cm tall, 5 cm in diameter, with a minimum of five fully open healthy leaves. The figures are well-spaced, which are large, with a straight orientation. The fruit develops a uniform yellow colour which is attractive with better shelf life.
Sucker Planting and Treatment
- Selected suckers should be ‘pared’ by trimming all roots & the superficial layers to remove rotten parts of the corn.
- Dip the parade suckers in a solution of 0.2% Carbendazim (2 L of water) for about 15 to 20 minutes as a prophylactic measure against Fusarium wilt disease.
- Before planting, keep the treated suckers in the shade overnight. Plant the sucker in the pit’s centre & tamp down the soil firmly around the sucker.
- You should protect the plants from nematode attack, apply 40 gm Carbofuron granules per pit and irrigate the field thoroughly.
- In the case of tissue culture plants, before one-week planting, apply 10 g carbofuran and 1.0 % bleaching powder or 0.2 % Emissan in 100 ml water. Drench into the polythene bags to protect against bacterial rot (Erwinia Rot) and nematode infestation disease, respectively.
Land Preparation
Before planting bananas, grow green manure crops such as dhaincha, cowpea and bury them in the soil. Next, farmers can level the land by ploughing 2-4 times. Then, use a harrow or rotavator to break the lump and turn the soil finely. During the soil preparation, farmers should add the basal dose of FYM and mix it thoroughly into the soil.
Normally the size you need for the pit is 45cm x 45cm x 45cm. You refill the pits with topsoil mix with 10 kg of cow dung (well decomposed), 20 g of Confuron and 250 g of Neem cake. The prepared pits are exposed to solar radiation, which helps kill harmful insects, effectively against soil-borne diseases and aids in aeration. In saline-alkali soils where the pH is above 8, the pit mix has to be amended to include organic matter.
Adding organic matter helps reduce salinity, while adding perlites improves aeration and porosity. Then, depending on the soil level, one can select the appropriate method and the distance and depth at which the plants need to be planted.
Planting time
Farmers plant the tissue culture banana throughout the year except when the temperature is too low or too high. When you plant the Banana fruit, then drip irrigation is important. There are two significant seasons in Maharashtra, India;
- Mrig Baug (Kharif) planting month June – July.
- Kande Baug (Rabi) planting month October – November.
In completing the guidelines of this farming, We have revealed some important points about banana farming. In such a way, we suggest the Mahindra Arjun 605 tractor. Apart from this, farming needs various equipment such as a rotary tiller, cultivator and many implements.
For more information regarding banana farming, stay tuned with us.
