Download Banana (Musa)

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VICARP R & D INFORMATION SHEETS
Printed with official permission from PCARRD, the PROSEA representative in the Philippines
Sources of Information:
Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA)
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resources Research & Development (PCARRD)
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Department of Agriculture (Zamboanga Provincial Office)
Banana
(Musa)
Considered the most popular fruit in the world,
banana continues to dominate the country’s domestic
and international fruit trade. It is a fascinating plant
and many people still think of it as a tree.
Description
As an herb, the overlapping leaf sheaths serve as its
trunk. The green leaf is large and bladelike,
measuring up to 400 cm long and 100 cm wide. The
flowers are enclosed in a large and pointed red bract
shaped like a heart. The bracts are shed when fruits
start to develop.
The fruit clusters form a "hand" and individual fruits
are called "fingers". The fruit is usually seedless,
green, yellow, or reddish.
Variety
The following are some popular banana cultivars: 'Sucrier' or 'Pisang Mas', 'Lakatan', 'Gros Michel', 'Bungulan',
'Giant Cavendish', 'Latundan', ‘'Tindok', and 'Saba' .
Uses
The fruit is eaten raw, cooked, or processed into starch, puree, vinegar, and chips. 'Saba' is used as a vegetable.
Rejected or defective fruits may be used to feed animals.
Unripe fruits are included in diets of persons spitting blood caused by bleeding lungs (haemoptysis) and diabetes.
When dried, it prevents scurvy. Ripe ones act as laxative when taken early in the morning.
The leaves are used to polish floors, wrap food, and line rice pots. Leaf sheaths can be eaten as fodder or used as
mulch. Young unfolded leaves ease chest pains, prevent hair loss, and dress blistered skin. They are also used
against gonorrhea, dysentery, and diarrhea.
The Philippine dresses, called "barong" and "saya," are often made from banana fibers. In powder form, the roots cure
anemia, malnutrition, and weakening of the body. Its juice helps reduce fever.
Soil and Climatic Requirements
The best soil for banana is deep loam with good drainage and aeration. Highly fertile soil is good and organic
matter should be 3% or more. The plant tolerates pH values of 4.5-7.5.
2
VICARP R & D INFORMATION SHEETS
Printed with official permission from PCARRD, the PROSEA representative in the Philippines
Sources of Information:
Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA)
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resources Research & Development (PCARRD)
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Department of Agriculture (Zamboanga Provincial Office)
The best temperature for banana growth is 27°C, with limits set at 15°-38°C. Chilling injury occurs at temperatures
below 13°C. Three varieties can however tolerate cold temperatures nearing 0°C. These are 'Mysore', 'Dwarf
Cavendish', and 'Pome'. Most bananas grow best in the full sun, but too much of it causes sunburn. Under light
shade, however, the growth cycle is longer and the bunches are smaller.
Banana is sensitive to wind, which easily shreds the leaves and may cause crown distortions. Worse, too much wind
can uproot the plant. Steady moisture is required for best growth. Monthly rainfall should be 200-220 mm.
Cultural Management
Propagation. Suckers mostly propagate bananas. Sword-leaf suckers arc preferred. These bear larger bunches in
the first crop. Corms or pieces of corms are also used as planting materials. However, these must be immersed in
hot water (52°C) or a pesticide solution to kill nematodes and borers before planting.
Tissue culture is now used to propagate banana rapidly. This method has been adopted commercially.
Planting. Depending on the cultivar, a hectare needs some 1,000-3,000 plants. Row cropping may be practiced,
usually in two rows. A 3-m x 3-m planting distance is normally followed. Plant suckers at the start of the rainy
season. Set the depth at 30 cm.
Banana can be used as an intercrop in new rubber and oil palm plantations. It can also thrive under mature coconut.
As a main crop, it can be interplanted with other annual crops. As a nurse crop, it is planted among young cocoa,
coffee, and black pepper plants.
Weed frequently. Control weeds by mechanical (slashing or hoeing) or manual means. Pre-emergence herbicides
are also effective. When the plants reach a height of 1.5 m or more, use contact herbicides.
Irrigation. Irrigation is essential in areas with a long dry season or with rainfall less than 200-220 mm per month.
Use a sprinkler or apply irrigation by furrow or by drip method.
Fertilization. Banana needs large amounts of nutrients. In home gardens, apply manure and compost with .25 kg of
urea and muriate of potash every three months.
Other cultural practices. Remove withered leaves to prevent disease infection. Practice desuckering, propping of
plants, and bagging of bunches.
Pests and diseases. The following insects attack banana: aphids, flower thrips, and the red rust thrips. Diseases,
which attack banana, are nematodes, yellow Sigatoka or leaf spot, Fusarium wilt or Panama disease, and bacterial
wilt or Moko Disease.
Harvesting and Postharvest Handling
The fruit is harvested at mature-green stage. In big plantations, it is harvested 10-14 weeks after flower emergence.
3
VICARP R & D INFORMATION SHEETS
Printed with official permission from PCARRD, the PROSEA representative in the Philippines
Sources of Information:
Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA)
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resources Research & Development (PCARRD)
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Department of Agriculture (Zamboanga Provincial Office)
Two people, a harvester and a backer, collect the crop. The backer carries a shoulder pad to cushion the fall of the
bunch. The bunches are transported to the packinghouse by cable system or tractor-drawn padded trailers. In small
farms, the harvest is carefully brought to the farmhouse, collection points, or direct to the market.
The bunches are dehanded and hands deflowered, washed, sorted, and packed in carton boxes for export. The fruit
is treated with fungicides to prevent rotting. Storage life ranges from 21-30 days at 13°-15°C.
Use calcium carbide (CaC2) at .29 g/liter or ethephon solution (500-l,000 mg/liter depending on the cultivar) to
ripen green mature fruits.
Source:
PROSEA Leaflet No. 51. 1992
ISBN 971-20-0294-2