Agricultural Science Grade 9

Topic: Banana Cultivation

Common Name: Banana

Botanical Name: Musa acuminata
Family: Musaceae

Origin of Banana
Malaysia is believed to be the origin country of bananas which was first documented about 4000
years ago.

Distribution of Banana
Bananas now grow in tropical regions throughout the world; namely, Africa, the Americas, the
Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Economic Importance of Banana

Banana may be consumed in the following ways:
1. Raw.
2. As chips.
3. As ice-cream sundae or milkshake.
4. Baked into bread.
5. The potassium in bananas helps to regulate the fluid balance in the body, and the fibre
aids in digestion.

Banana Fruit Banana Chips Banana Bread

Banana Milkshake Banana Split Ice Cream Sundae

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Soil Requirements of Banana

While banana thrives in a variety of soil types from the poorest to the richest soils. Deep, rich
loamy and salty clay loam soil with pH between 6 and 7.5 is most preferred for banana
cultivation.
Further, the soil should have good drainage, adequate fertility and moisture.

Climatic Requirement of Banana

Banana is a topical crop which thrive in regions where the average annual temperature is 27°C
and the yearly rainfall is between 78 and 98 inches.

Varieties of Banana
There are two major varieties of coconuts; they are:
1. Gros Michel:
This variety has a similar taste and size as Cavendish. It is not available as freely as the
other varieties. Gros Michel has a sweet taste, a strong smell and has a creamier texture.
This high quality variety is highly susceptible to the Panama disease and to leaf spot; as a
result, it is being replaced by varieties of lesser quality.

Image of the Gros Michel Variety of Banana.

2. Cavendish Banana:
Cavendish bananas are the most common variety. They are the long yellow, slightly
sweet bananas. They go from under-ripe green to perfectly ripe and still firm mellow
yellow, to riper deep yellow with a brown spot or two, to super soft and browning. The
Valery, Lacatan and Robusta are the three most important subgroups of Cavendish
bananas.
a. Lacatan: It is considered as a primitive type of ‘Cavendish’ from which all the
other cultivars originated by mutation.
b. Robusta: this fruit is shorter than the Cavendish with a very sweet flavour.
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c. Valery: This sub-variety is less cylindrical than those of Gros Michel. It is sweet
and consistent flavour.

Image of the Cavendish Variety of Banana.

3. Blue Java: These bananas have vanilla ice-cream like flavour, and are also famous as ‘Ice
cream bananas.’ They have silver-blue skin that turns pale yellow when ripe. The fruit
has aromatic soft and sweet flesh.

Image of the Blue Java Variety of Banana.

4. Sweet Fig: aka Lady's Finger bananas, are smaller and sweeter than Cavendish. ‘Lady
Finger’ bananas are 4-5 inches long, cigar-shaped sweet fruit. They have a bright yellow
thin peel with dark flecks when fully ripen. The flesh is creamy and more delicious than
the other common banana varieties.
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Image of the Sweet Fig Variety of Banana.

5. Sour Fig: this variety of banana has a somewhat sweet-acidic taste. When ripe, it is
usually eaten raw or used in smoothies, puddings, and other treats. It can also be cooked
green.

Image of the Sour Fig Variety of Banana.

6. Apple Banana: this variety is exceptionally sweet. It has a stout and plump shape, with a
thick firm peel and a light, creamy flesh. Young apple bananas have a tangy and sweet
taste with a hint of apple.

Image of the Apple Variety of Banana.

7. Red bananas: these have red-purple skin, sweet flesh with a pink and orange tinge. Few
of them are smaller and plumper than Cavendish banana. When fully ripen, they have a
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cream to light pink flesh. Some of the fruits have a slight raspberry taste, and others have
an earthy flavour.

Image of the Red Banana Variety of Bananas.

Propagation of Banana
1. Banana is propagated using natural vegetative propagation.
2. The pseudo stem produces three main types of suckers:
a. Sword suckers: these are very vigorous and are produced by the main stem. The
suckers are relatively large from the bottom and taper towards the top. The leaves are
long, thin and blade-like. Sword suckers are the best suckers for planting.

b. Water suckers: here, the stem is the same width from top to bottom. These are
usually produced by the remote or grandparent corm and must never be used for
planting.

c. Maiden suckers: the stem tapers somewhat from bottom to top, but not to the same
degree as in the sword sucker. Maiden suckers also make good planting materials.
The best plants are obtained from the corms of old stems which have one or two buds
on them.

Replanting of Banana
1. Bananas keep growing for several years. There are many alluvial valleys and plains where
they remain in production for 10 – 20 years without being replanted.
2. The average period of productive growth, without replanting, is about 5 years, especially
for crops cultivated in clayey soils.
3. All new planting materials for banana should be free from pests and diseases. Whether old
corms or suckers are being planted, they should be inspected for plant borers and
nematodes.

Spacing Requirement of Banana

1. Suckers or corms, sometimes referred to as heads, are planted in holes about 45cm wide
and 45cm deep at a spacing of about 2.4m × 2.1m or closer.
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2. Spacing depends on the:

a. Fertility of the soil
b. Slope of the land
c. Banana variety used

Note: Bananas are sold by weight; therefore, the farmer’s aim is to produce a high tonnage per
hectare. This means that if the spacing between plants is reduced, more plants can be planted
per hectare and higher yield can be obtained.

Cultivation of Banana
1. Land Clearing:
All obstacles, obstructions and vegetation is removed from the land.

2. Land Preparation:
Fencing should be done to protect plants from animals and thieves.
Drainage and irrigation systems must be in place to ensure that there is an adequate
supply of water and that the land is well drained.
On sloping lands, soil and water conservation measures must be put in place.
Layout of the plot must be done to incorporate the appropriate spacing requirements for
the banana plants.

3. Irrigation:
Daily irrigation is crucial to the plants’ growth. Bananas should be watered at least twice
a day as they require an average of 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water per week, depending on the
weather.

Note: Overwatering can cause root rot.

4. Weed Removal:
Weed removal should be done frequently until plants are tall enough to shade out
competing plants and should be started about 6 weeks after planting and should be
maintained for the first few months after plantation when the banana plants are small and
there's little shade.

5. Manure Application:
The banana plants are fast growing and require the frequent addition of nutrients. The
rate of application and type of fertilizer used have to be determined by soil testing.

6. Pruning:
In fertile soils, as many as four or five suckers may be allowed to develop from the parent
plant; whereas, in less fertile soils, it is advisable to allow only two suckers to be
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produced at different stages of development. In short, the farmer has to decide whether
sucker removal is necessary and to what extent it should be done.

Major Pests which affect Banana

The following are pests which affect banana:
1. Banana Aphid
2. Banana Skipper
3. Banana Weevil
4. Coconut Scale

Major Diseases which affect Banana

The following are diseases which affect banana:
1. Panama Disease
2. Tropical Race 4
3. Black Sigatoka
4. Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV)
5. Banana Bacteria Wilt

Harvesting of Banana
When cutting the bunch, a shallow cross cut is made with a knife/ cutlass in the stem facing the
bunch. The weight of the bunch causes the stem to bend. A saw is commonly used to cut the
bunch from the stem and carried away.
The top portion of the pseudo stem is cut off and allowed to remain at the base of the plant. This
serves as a source of mulch.

Most losses occur during harvesting. To prevent losses, paddings are used around each bunch of
banana to prevent any rubbing between bunches. In some plantations, the young fruits are
wrapped in polythene bags to prevent grazing of the fruits. When transporting bunches away
from the farm, bunches are placed upright onto a trailer that is padded.

Rejection of bunches is usually based on:

1. The maturity of the fruit which is often harvested when immature.
2. The damages/ bruising sustained by the fruit.

After harvesting, the bananas are transported from the field to a packaging facility where they
are hung and the paddings are removed. Next, they bananas are dehanded, washed, and then
packaged.

Bananas should be stored at temperatures of 13°C – 15° to prolong shelf life.

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Agricultural Science Grade 9

Web Links:
1. Pest and Diseases of Bananas: https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/banana/infos