Dos and Don'ts in TC Banana cultivation

MANAGEMNT OF TC RAISED PLANTS IN THE FIELD

No	Parameters	Do’s	Don’ts
1		Study the cultivation practices pamphlet in detail for information and recommendations.
2	Soil testing	It’s essential to understand the status of major and minor elements for their deficiency / excessiveness and presence of pathogenic fungi / bacteria / nematodes.	Don’t cultivate Banana in nutrient deficient and nematode infested field.
3	Soil type	Sandy loam soil organically rich with pH 6.0 – 7.5 and having good drainage.	Soils exceeding pH 7.5 are not suitable. Addition of decomposed press mud & organic manuring will reduce alkalinity.
4.	Field Manuring	Green manuring followed by dung manuring is very useful for soil conditioning.	Try to avoid planting of banana in the field devoid of organic matter.
5.	Wind shield	Always put a wind shield all around the field preferably of Sesbania ( Dhaincha or crotalaria juncea (Sunhemp) plants for maintaining humidity and high velocity wind control.	Don’t plant banana plants in the field without wind shield.
6.	Planting	Use Thimet, Furadon and neem cake powder in the pits before planting. Avoid planting during cold weather (below 150 C), extreme summer (above 400C) or heavy rainy days.	Don’t plant Banana plants in the filed without application of insecticides and neem cake powder in the pits.
7	Spacing	For Grand Nain 6 feet x 5 feet spacing has proved ideal. Even 6 feet x 6 feet, 7 feet x 5 feet could also be used considering climate & soil conditions.	Lesser spacing i.e 5 feet x 5 feet or still lower is not advisable for Grand Nain.

8.	Surrounding cultivation	Remove the cucurbitaceous plants such as Smoothguard, Riderguard, Ashguard, Cucumber, Pumpkin etc., Solanaceous plants such as Brinjal, Tomato, Chili etc. Legume crops such as Beans, Moong etc and virus susceptible weeds from the surrounding of the Banana field because these are hosts for viruses. Various aphids, mealy bags and insects acts as vector in spreading viral diseases in Banana.	Don’t cultivate plants of the said families and don’t allow virus susceptible weeds to grow in the neighbourhood of Banana plot. Try to refrain Sugarcane and Citrus planted fields in the neighbourhood of Banana plot and also the planting of T.C Banana in Sugarcane fields (previous crop in the field)
9	Pesticides sprays	Continue intermittent foliar sprays of insecticides, fungicides and soil application of pesticides right from the initial establishment of plants in the field to keep the aphids and insects away.	Don’t be irregular in spraying of insecticides otherwise the crop may be affected.
10	Removal of infected plants	Uproot the diseased ( Virus or other ) plants along with the suckers and roots, burn them outside the field.	Don’t leave any virus infected plant growing in the field otherwise that will serve as an inoculum for the spread of disease.
11	Irrigation & Fertigation	Always prefer for drip irrigation system and apply liquid fertilizer for better growth of plants. Do optimum irrigation. Apply additional quantity of water during winters to avoid injury from chilled weather.	Don’t go for flood irrigation and application of chemical fertilizers from above. Don’t let the field dry in cold weather during weather.

12	Cultural practices	Strictly follow the cultural practices recommended by the company because these have been developed after intensive trials	Do not follow cultural practices other than recommended by the company.
13	Initial care of plants	Extreme care must be taken for initial three months of planting regarding irrigation, fertigation & pesticides sprays otherwise yield will be affected. Continue the fertigation schedule without fail.	Don’t let shortage of fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation for at least initial three to four months of planting.
14	Desuckering	Keep desuckering on, right from the establishment of plant till harvesting.	Don’t allow clusters of baby shoots growing all around the mother plants. It will weaken them and reduce the yield to a high extent.
15	Weeding	Make weeds removal as a routine practice and keep the field clean in and around.	Weeds should not be allowed to grow in and around the Banana field.
16	Propping	Prop suitably the plants bearing heavy bunches.	Do not leave plants without prop bearing heavy bunches.
17	Bunch Protection	Protect the bunches from heat by dry leaf cover and from insects & pests by skirting polybag.	Don’t leave the bunches uncovered.
18	Harvesting	Harvest the bunch and give a top cut to the plant leaving the Pseudostem as such so that the nutrients in it leach down and are available to young plant left for first ratoon (if to be taken).	Don’t cut the Pseudostem from base as it is a common practice of the farmers.
19	Agronomist help	Incase of any problem please contact our authorized Agronomist or our dealer in your area.	Do not consult any other person for the hitech cultivation practices.

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