| Management |
Activity |
Pre planting*
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| Nutrients |
• Banana requires high amount of nutrients, which needs to be supplied in the form of manures and fertilizers.
• Nutrients should be supplied on the basis of soil test report and recommendations.
• Generally banana crop requires 7-8 Kg N, 0.7- 1.5 Kg P and 17-20 Kg K per metric ton yield.
• In acidic soils, use dolomite (Mg2CO3) or limestone (CaCO3) as soil amendments.
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| Weeds |
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| Nematodes**, banana corm weevil and diseases |
Cultural control:
• Deep ploughing during summer
• Use of disease free planting material.
• Storage of large corms in the sun for two weeks prior to planting.
• Select healthy suckers.
• Avoid growing Robusta, Karpooruvally, Malbhog, Champa and Adukkar.
• Grow less susceptible varieties like Poovan, Kadali, Kunnan, Poomkalli.
• Intercropping of banana with Crotalaria juncea, marigold reduces burrowing nematodes
Chemical control:
• Before planting, the suckers should be dipped in carbofuran 3% CG @ 33g/ sucker then shade dry for 72 hrs then go for planting for rhizome weevil.
• For nematode treat the suckers with carbofuran 3% CG @ 50g/suckers.
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Planting*
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| Nutrients |
• At the time of planting, apply 10 kg FYM, 200 – 250 g N; 60-70 g P; 300 g K/ plant.
• Further application of 100 g potash and also 40 g of phosphorus are essential and applied at planting. Application of full dose of P and K at planting and N in three equal doses in shallow rings about 8-10 cm deep are recommended.
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| Weeds |
Cultural Control:
• Use weed free suckers for planting.
• Adopt intercropping of recommended crops (e.g. cowpea etc.) with recommended agronomic practices.
Chemical Control:
• Pre-emergence application of diuron 80% WP@ 0.8 Kg in 250 l of water/acre if infestation by the weed species as recommended by CIBRC.
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| Nematodes**, banana rhizome weevil and diseases |
Cultural control:
• Use of cover crop calopogonium.
• Crop rotation with non-host crops.
Chemical control:
• Before planting, the suckers should be dipped in carbofuran 3% CG @ 33g/ sucker then shade dry for 72 hrs then go for planting for rhizome weevil. For nematode treat the seed with carbofuran 3% CG @ 50g/suckers.
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Vegetative stage
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| Nutrients |
• The application of 25 % N in organic form, 75 % N in inorganic form along with growing green manure crops is found to be beneficial.
• Application of 25% N as farmyard manure and 1 Kg. neem cake is beneficial.
• Apply 100 g of N/plant as top dressing in three equal split doses 60, 90 and 120 days after planting.
• In acidic soils, triple superphosphate or diammonium phosphate is recommended.
• Application of 100 g K in two splits during vegetative phase should be done.
• Application of 200-300 g K2O is recommended depending upon the cultivar.
• Muriate of potash is generally used as a source of K. But in soils with pH above 7.5, potassium sulphate is advantageous.
• Micronutrients: Combined foliar application of ZnSO4 (0.5%), FeSO4 (0.2%), CuSO4 (0.2%) and H3BO3 (0.1%) applied at 3, 5 and 7 months after planting helps to increase yield and quality of banana.
• Fertigation: In order to avoid loss of nutrients from conventional fertilizers i.e. loss of N through leaching, volatilization, evaporation and loss of P and K by fixation in the soil, application of water soluble or liquid fertilizers through drip irrigation (fertigation) should be adopted.
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| Weeds |
Cultural control:
• Collect and destroy egg masses and caterpillars
• Use burning torch to kill the congregating larvae
• Summer ploughing to expose to the pupae.
• Grow repellant plants: Ocimum/basil
• Attractant plants: Carrot family, sunflower family, buckwheat, alfalfa, corn, shrubs (minute pirate bug & lacewing)
• Nectar rich plants with small flowers i.e anise, caraway, dill, parsley, mustard, sunflower, buckwheat and cowpea (Braconid wasp)
Mechanical control:
• Hand pick and destroy the egg masses and caterpillars
• Collect and destroy the damaged plant parts.
• Use pheromone @ 4-5 traps/acre.
• Use light trap to attract and kill the adults.
Biological control:
• Field release of egg parasitoids such as Telenomus spodopterae, T. remus
• Encourage the activity of larval parasitoids Ichneumon promissorius, Carcelia spp., Campoletis chlorideae
• Pupal parasitoids such as Ichneumon sp etc.
• Predators such as Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi, Coccinellids, King crow, Braconid wasp, dragonfly, spider, robber fly, reduviid bug, praying mantis, red ants
• Conserve nematode such as Ovomermis albicans
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| Banana rhizome weevil |
Cultural control:
• Removal of pseudostems below ground level
• Trimming the rhizome
• Prune the side suckers every months.
Mechanical control:
• Pheromone lure (‘cosmolure’) can be used for monitoring as well as trapping of banana rhizome weevil. Installing traps at low trap density 2/acre.
• Initially placed in a line of 10 meters from a border and 20 meters apart.
Chemical control:
• Soil incorporation at the time of planting carbofuran 3% CG @ 33g/sucker.
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| Banana lacewing bug/ tingid bug |
Cultural control:
• Collect and destroy the damaged leaves, flowers and fruits along with life stages
Chemical control:
• Spray carbofuran 3% CG @ 166g/sucker or dimethoate 30% EC @ 594-792 ml in 600-800 l of water/acre or oxydemeton – methyl 25% EC @ 600-800 ml in 600- 800 l of water/acre or quinalphos 25% EC @ 1200-1600 ml in 200-400 l of water/ acre, direct the spray towards the crown and pseudostem base
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| Banana thrips |
Cultural control:
• Collect and destroy the damaged leaves, flowers and fruits along with life stages
• Use blue pan water sticky trap @ 4-5/acre
• Destroy all volunteer plants and old neglected plantations. Use healthy and pest free suckers for planting
• Hot water treatment of suckers prior to planting.
• Bunch covers (which cover the full length of the bunch) protection applied very early.
• Regular checking of fruit under the bunch covers is essential to ensure that damage.
• Conserve predators such as coccinellid and lacewings
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| Leaf and fruit scarring beetle |
Cultural control:
• Practice clean cultivation by removing the grass weeds from the banana plantations.
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| Banana aphids |
Cultural control:
• Use yellow pan water sticky trap @ 4-5/acre
• Ensure clean cultivation
• Encourage activity of predator coccinellids such as Scymnus, Chilomenes sexmaculatus, and lacewing, Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi
Chemical control:
• Apply carbofuran 3% CG @ 166g/sucker or dimethoate 30% EC @594-792 ml in 600-800 l of water/acre or oxydemeton – methyl 25% EC @1200-1600 ml in 600- 800 l of water/acre, direct the spray towards the crown and pseudostem base upto ground level.
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| Hard scale insect** |
Cultural control:
• Collect and destroy the affected plant parts.
Biological control:
• Field release of coccinelid predators like Chilocorus nigritus, Symnus coccivora
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| Banana scab moth |
Cultural control:
• Careful selection of following suckers of equal size will ensure a concentrated bunching cycle that streamlines control.
Biological control:
• A range of spiders and other general predators exert a measure of natural control.
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| Sigatoka disease |
Cultural control:
• Removal and destruction of the aff ected leaves.
• Prevent water accumulation around the plant and go for periodical weeding.
• Select tolerant varieties such as Ney Poovan, Pachanadan, Karpuravalli, Fhia 1 (Gold fi nger), Sannachenkadali
Chemical control:
• Mancozeb 75% WP @600-800 g in 400 l of water/acre.
• Propiconazole 25% EC @ 0.1% (100 ml/100 l water.) in 200-400 l of water/acre.
• Copper oxychloride 50% WP @ 1Kg in 300-400 l of water/acre.
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| Moko diseases |
Cultural control:
• Providing good drainage
• Disinfestation of tools with formaldehyde diluted with water in 1:3 ratio.
• Crop rotation (3 years rotation with sugarcane or rice) & providing good drainage
• Allow fallow period or flooding during off -season.
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| Bunchy top disease |
Cultural control:
• Avoid growing of susceptible cultivars viz., Rasthali, Monthan, Red banana and Virupakshi.
• Grow resistant cultivar Poovan.
• Removal and destruction of affected leaves followed by spraying with BM (1%) +linseed oil (2%).
• Select tolerant varieties such as Dwarf Cavendish, Robusta, Fhia 1 (Gold finger), Anai komban, Nivedya Kadali.
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| Tip rot |
Cultural control:
• Remove infected plants and destroy.
Chemical control:
• Drench with mancozeb 75% WP @ 600-800 g in 400 l of water/acre.
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| Anthracnose |
Cultural control:
• Proper sanitation of handling and prompt cooling to 14° C are essential in minimising the disease in cold storage.
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| Cigar end rot** |
Cultural control:
• Prompt cooling to 14° C; proper sanitation of handling facilities reduce the incidence in the cold storage.
Chemical control:
• Mancozeb 75% WP @ 600-800g in 400 l of water/acre.
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| Infectious chlorosis |
Cultural control:
• Destroy infected plants
• Use disease free suckers
• Dry heat treatment of suckers at 40º C for 1 day
• Avoid growing cucurbits as intercrop
Chemical control:
• Control aphid vector by applying carbofuran 3% CG @ 166g/sucker or dimethoate 30% EC @ 594-792 ml in 600-800 l of water/acre or oxydemeton – methyl 25% EC @ 1200-1600 ml in 600-800 l of water/acre.
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| Banana bract mosaic virus/streak mosaic |
Cultural control:
• Dry heat treatment of suckers at 40º C for 1 day.
• Avoid growing cucurbits as intercrop
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| Reproductive stage (5th-7th month): |
| Weeds |
• Same cultural practices as in vegetative stage.
• Left over weeds before shading of seeds should be removed to reduce the weed seed bank/spread.
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| Banana stem weevil |
Cultural control:
• Remove dried leaves periodically and keep the fi eld clean
• Prune the side suckers every month
• Use healthy and pest free suckers to check the pest incidence
• Do not dump infested materials into manure pit
• Uproot infested trees, chop into pieces and burn
• Use longitudinally split pseudostem trap at 26/acre.
• 2ml at 45 cm from ground level; another 2m at 150 cm from ground level.
• Uproot infested trees, chop into pieces and burn.
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Post harvest
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| Anthracnose |
• Same as in vegetative stage |
Note: The pesticide dosages and spray fluid volumes are based on high volume sprayer.
* Apply Trichoderma viride/harzianum and Pseudomonas fluorescens as rhizome, nursery treatment and soil application (if commercial products are used, check for label claim. However, biopesticides produced by farmers for own consumption in their fields, registration is not required).
** Pests of regional significance
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