Integrated weed management is necessary for Banana cultivation.

Banana plant care in SEVAI Kalanjium farm in Amoor

“Integrated weed management is necessary for Banana cultivation’ Sakthivel of Kalanjuim farm in Amoor (a project of SEVAI) oriented the members of women self help group farmers of Amoor area in Kalanjium centre. He further detailed, “Banana is one of the most important major fruit crops grown in Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, bananas are so predominant and popular among people that poor and rich alike like the fruit. Considering the nutritive value and fruit value of bananas, it is the cheapest among all other fruits in the country. India is believed to be one of the centres of origin of banana. Fertility of soil is very important for successful cultivation, as banana is a heavy feeder. Banana is one of the few fruits, which has a restricted root zone. Hence, depth and drainage are the two most important considerations in selecting the soil for banana. The soil suitable for banana should be 0.5 1m in depth, rich, well drained, fertile, moisture retentive, containing plenty of organic matter. Banana is grown in Tamil Nadu on a variety of soils of the Cauvery delta and the red lateritic soil of the hilly tracts. Banana is essentially tropical plant requiring a warm and humid climate. Yields are higher when temperatures are above 24°C for a considerable period. Poovan is a leading commercial cultivar grown in Tamil Nadu. It is generally cultivated as a perennial crop. Tamil Nadu is the leading producer of Poovan cultivar owing to its climatic and marginal soil condition. Poovan is also commercially cultivated for leaf industry throughout Tamil Nadu. Fruit is slightly acidic, firm and has typical sour-sweet aroma. Fruits turn to attractive golden yellow on ripening. Medium sized bunch, closely packed fruits, good keeping quality and resistant to fruit cracking is its plus points. Nendran is a popular variety where it is relished as a fruit as well as used for processing. Commercial cultivation of Nendran has picked up rapidly in Tamil Nadu in the recent past. Nendran is known to display considerable diversity in plant stature, pseudostem colour, presence or absence of male axis, bunch size, etc. Bunch has 5-6 hands weighing about 12-15 kg. Fruits have a distinct neck with thick green skin turning buff yellow on ripening. Fruits remain as starchy even on ripening. Monthan is a widely cultivated variety for processing. Monthan is a fairly tall and robust plant bearing bunches of 18-20 kg after 12 months. Fruits are bold, stocky, knobbed and pale green in colour. The skin is usually green. Apart from its culinary use of fruits, pseudostem core is a highly relished vegetable with many medicinal properties. Monthan is also cultivated for production of leaves in Trichy district of Tamil Nadu. Commercial bananas are seedless and propagated exclusively by vegetative means. The banana has a reduced underground stem, called the rhizome, which bears several buds. Each of these buds sprouts and forms its own pseudostem and a new bulbous rhizome. These daughter plants are called suckers. Banana is mostly propagated by rhizomes and suckers viz. sword suckers and water suckers. The fertilizer dose depends upon the fertility of soil and amount of organic manure applied to the crop. Spading is commonly used and normally four spadings a year are effective in controlling weeds. Integrated weed management by including cover crops, judicious use of herbicides, intercropping and hand weeding wherever necessary will contribute in increased production”. -Govin