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Soil suitability and management for 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 and management for banana production

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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Soil suitability and management for banana production

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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Soil suitability and management for banana production

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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Soil suitability and management for banana production

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

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

A suitable banana climate is a mean temperature of 26.67C 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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Soil suitability and management for banana production

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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Soil suitability and management for banana production

2. Clean culture with cover crops

Involves raising of a cover crop or green manure after removing the
weeds.
Green manure crops like Sun hemp, Cowpea, Dhaincha, Lupins etc. are
more commonly used.

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Soil suitability and management for banana production

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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Soil suitability and management for banana production

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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Soil suitability and management for banana production

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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Soil suitability and management for banana production

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