BANANA FARMING AND PRODUCTION

Posted in Agri By Mixph On September 14, 2016

Banana is one of the most common and widely grown fruit crops in the Philippines. It is also one
of the country’s major dollar earners, and has consistently ranked next to coconut oil and prawns
in terms of value earnings during the last five years.

In 1991, banana topped local production among the other major fruits such as pineapple and
mango, thus eating up more than one-third of the production pie.

Banana has various uses. The ripe fruit is pureed, candied, and preserved in various forms when
not eaten fresh. Its extract is used in the manufacture of catsup, vinegar,and wine. The unripe
fruit is powdered and chipped.

In rural areas, the young leaves are pounded to suppress bleeding and treat wounds. The leaves
are also widely used as packing materials for fruits and vegetables in market centers. Banana
fiber is manufactured into rope, sack, and mat. Sheets of paper and paper boards are also made
from banana peel. Banana blossom is exported dried. Filipino housewives use it in special
dishes.

Variety
Banana is native to Southeast Asia where the climate is warm and humid. Of the 57 banana
cultivars, the following are the most common in the Philippines:

1. Saba – grows to as tall as 20 feet; fruit is angular; has thick peel that is green when unripe,
yellow when ripe; flesh is white when ripe; gestation period is 15 to 16 months.
2. Lacatan – grows to a height of five to nine feet; fruit is round, seedless; has thick peel that
has green when unripe, yellow-orange when ripe; gestation period is 14 to 15 months.
3. Latundan – grows from six to 10 feet tall; fruit is round; has thin peel that is green when
unripe, yellow when ripe; flesh is white when ripe; gestation period is 12 months.
4. Bungulan – fruit is round, very sweet, seedless and easily rots; has thick peel that is green
when unripe and remains green when ripe; flesh is white when ripe; gestation period is 12
months.
 5. Cavendish – reaches five to 10 feet high; fruit is bigger than Bungulan; peel is green when
unripe, yellow when ripe; flesh is yellow when ripe; export quality; gestation period is six to
eight months.
6. Other varieties grown in the country include the Morado, Pitogo Los Banos, Senorita,
Tindok, Gloria, Granda, and Tumok.
Climate and Soil Requirements
Banana is well adapted to well-drained, loamy, soil that is rich in organic matter. Areas with an
average rainfall of 4000 millimeters (mm) a year are ideal sites for a banana plantation. A
temperature between 27 to 30 degrees Celsius is most favorable to the crop.

Banana grows at sea level up to 1,800 meters altitude. It is susceptible to root rot when exposed
to too much water. Typhoon belt do not make good plantation sites.

Propagation
Banana can be propagated through its rhizomes and suckers. The latter, however, is the best
recommended. Suckers must be parasites-free and have healthy roots. These are spaded out of
the clumps when four-to-five feet tall.

Land Preparation
The fields is plowed and harrowed thrice. All stumps and bushes must be removed. Knee-deep
holes with 45-cm diameters are dug and 3each hole is fertilized with 10 grams of complete
fertilizer and a few of granular nematode.

Planting
Suckers are set on field in vertical position, then covered with surface soil. Compost material
added to the soil enhances the recovery and growth of the new plants. The soil is stumped around
each base and watered regularly. During dry months, irrigation, if possible, is advised.Planting is
the best at the start of the rainy season.

Cultivation and Maintenance

Cultivation should go beyond six inches from the base of the plant to avoid root injury.
Intercrops or Glamoxine or Karmex sprays act as weed control. Plants must be propped with
bamboo poles during fruiting for support against strong winds.

Desuckering or Pruning
Unnecessary suckers must be killed by cutting them off the mother plants. Only one or two
suckers must be allowed per hill to reduce soil nutrients competition.

Fertilization
For poor soils, fertilizers should contain N-P-K at a ratio of 3-1-6. the ratio is doubled when
fertilizers are applied to young plants. The amount of fertilizer applied increases as the tree
matures. At flowering and fruiting period, a tree needs five to six pounds of complete fertilizer.

Pest and Diseases

There are at least 27 insect pests that attack banana plants in the Philippines. However, there are
only three pests known to cost significant damage over all types of banana.

The banana corm weevil feeds on suckers and destroys the corm tissues. It causes the suckers to
die of bore attack. To control this pest, spray the soil with Furadan 5 G, 10 G. Sanitation and
cutting of affected corms are also effective cultural controls, and are environment friendly.

Fruit-peel sarring beetle damages the fruit surfaces. The banana bunch is usually sprayed with
Decis to control infestation. The banana floral thrips can be easily controlled by Diazinon 40/60
EC or Decis 2.5. 100 EC spray.

The three major diseases of banana are the sigatoka, pitting or wilting and the moko. Sigatoka is
a leaf spot disease caused by Mycosphaerella musicola. This causes the premature death of
leaves. In severe cases, the size of bunches and fingers is reduced. The fruit is also ripens
prematurely and develops abnormal flavor and smell. Plants are usually sprayed with Bordeaux
mixture. Badly spotted leaves are removed to avoid contamination.

Pitting or Wilting disease is characterized by dry, reddish-brown or black, circular or oval,

depressed spots. Sanitation is one way of preventing the disease which comes in season with the
rainy days. All collapsed leaves should be removed.

Moko disease, on the other hand, transmitted from plat to plant by insects and infected tools. The
impact of moko to plants is similar to that of the sigatoka. Only, it does not emit unfavorable
smell. Infected fruits also blacken inside. Infection is prevented by disinfecting tools with
formaldehyde.

In view of environmental considerations, alternative controls to pests and diseases are being
introduced under Integrated Pest Management. Infected plants and weeds must be uprooted to
keep the area free of host plats for six to 12 months.

Harvesting
Regardless of variety, the maturity of banana can be distinguished when the last leaf turns
yellow. The angle formation of the fingers also determines ripeness. The rounder the angle of the
fingers, the more mature the are.
 o Saba is harvest 15 to 16 months after planting
o Lacatan, 4 to 15 months
o Latundan, 12 months
o Bungulan, 12 months
o Cavendish, 6-8 months
Harvesting needs two people to serve as the cutter and the backer. It involves cutting deep into
the middle of the trunk and letting the top fall gradually until the bunch is at the reach if the
backer. The peduncle is cut long enough to facilitate handling.

Fruits for immediate shipping are harvested 5 to 10 days before ripening. Bananas for marketing
are packed in crates as tightly as possible to lessen unnecessary vibrations during transport.

source: www.da.gov.ph