PAKISSAN.com

Banana is a major fruit crop of Pakistan. It is grown on 34,800 hectares with production of 154,800 tons. It is mainly grown in Sindh province where the soil and climatic conditions are favorable for its successful cultivation. The total share of Sindh province alone in its cultivation is 87 per cent.

Banana is the premier fruit of Asia and the Pacific. It is one of the most cultivated fruits in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Bangladesh, the South Pacific island countries, India and Pakistan. Banana also occupies an important position in the agricultural economy of Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Southern China.

History Of Banana:

Bananas trace their roots back to the jungles of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and northern Australia. They have been in cultivation since the time of recorded history and are mentioned in ancient Hindu, Chinese, Greek, and Roman texts. The first Europeans to refer to bananas were the armies of Alexander the Great during their conquest of India in 327 B.C.

Today, banana is the premier fruit of Asia and the Pacific. It is one of the most cultivated fruits in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Bangladesh, the South Pacific island countries, India and Pakistan. Banana also occupies an important position in the agricultural economy of Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Southern China.

Varieties:

MAJOR VARIETIES GROWN IN SINDH ARE:

• CAVENDISH DWARF (BARSAI) 98% (CONVENTIONAL VARIETY)

TISSUE CULTURED VARIETIES:

• Grand naine

• William hybrid

Work is being done on three Chinese cultivar in PARC, islamabad
• Pishang

• B-10

• W-11

VARIETIES OF BANANA ON THE BASIS OF USE:

Banana can be divided into following on the basis of its usage.

DESERT BANANA:
Desert banana are suitable for eating fresh because they are fleshy, sweet and they have some amount of flavor and many health benefits.

BABY BANANA:
It is a miniature variety of desert banana, which has recently enjoyed greater popularity.

COOKING BANANAS:
Cooking banana are bananas which have to be cooked before eating (mealy, starchy and plantains)

FIBER BANANAS:
Fiber banana are used for obtaining fibers. (abaca, manila hemp )

GLOBALLY GROWN VARIETIES OF BANANA:
According to estimation there are approximately 200 to 300 known varieties of banana exits in this world following are few known varieties of banana
• DWRAF CAVENDISH
• ROBUSTA
• MONTHAN
• POOVAN
• NENDRAN
• RED BANANA
• NYALI
• SAFED VELCHI
• ARDHAPURI
• RASTHALI
• KARPURVALLI
• KARTHALI
• GRANDI NAINE
• B-1O
• WILLIAM HYBRID

Majority of above mentioned varieties are grown in India and G9 variety is gaining popularity all over the world because of its good quality bunches and tolerance to words Biological stresses.

GROWTH CYCLE OF BANANA:
Scientifically classified in the genus Musa, bananas are fast-growing giant herbs from the same family as lilies and orchids. They are the largest plants on Earth without a woody stem like that of a tree trunk.

A cultivated banana plant does not grow from a seed, but rather from a bulb-like structure called a corm. The “trunk” of the plant, called the “pseudo stem,” rises from the corm and is made of sheaths of overlapping leaves tightly wrapped around each other like celery stalks. Emerging from the center of the pseudo stem, 4-15 frond-like leaves unfurl at a rate of one per week in optimal conditions as the plant grows. The leaves extend upward and outward, forming broad glossy blades up to 9 feet (2.7 m) long and 2 feet (0.6 m) wide.

Once the plant has produced a certain number of leaves, the flowering stem, called the “inflorescence,” also grows up through the pseudo stem. At first, it is a large tapered purplish bud. As the bud opens, groups of tubular white flowers are revealed. Both male and female flowers are present, and the fruit (technically a berry) develop from the females without pollination. As the young bananas grow, they resemble slender green “fingers.” A cluster of mature fruit becomes a “hand,” and under the weight of the bananas the stem bends down toward the ground. As bananas ripen, they turn from green to yellow or red depending on the variety. A single banana plant can produce 100-300 individual fruits, and can reach a height of more than 30 feet (9 m).

The time for a plant to grow and bear fruit varies, depending on climate and variety, but generally can take anywhere from 10 to 15 months,it takes approx 9 months incase of 2nd generation and so on. During that time, the plants are susceptible to drought and wind damage because the pseudo stem is 93 percent water. Severe windstorms can knock down acres of plants, and many growers will prop their crops with sturdy poles or overhead cables. Growers may also cover the fruit with a transparent plastic bag, which provides protection from insects, birds, and leaf damage, yet allows sunlight to penetrate. Once a banana plant bears fruit, it dies, and new shoots grow from the corm. Thus, bananas can be grown and harvested year-round.

CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS:
The banana cultivated in humid tropic of south East Asia is mainly grown between 30o S and N on equator. A mean temperature of about 27°C is optimal for growth. Minimum temperature for adequate growth is about 16°C, below which growth is checked and shooting delayed. Temperatures below 8°C for long periods cause serious damage. Maximum temperature for adequate growth is about 38°C, depending on humidity and the radiation intensity. Bananas are day-neutral in their response to day length.

HUMIDITY AND WIND VELOCITY REQUIREMENTS:
A humidity of at least 60 percent or more is preferable. Strong winds, greater than 4 m/sec, area major cause of crop loss due to the pseudo stems being blown down. Under high wind conditions windbreaks are desirable in order to banana plant from damages caused by high wind velocity. Wind velocity in lower Sindh is a great problem, as much as 15-20% plus losses are observed. In order to save banana from high wind velocities windbreaks are often planted around banana fields to provide some protection from cold and wind.

SOIL REQUIREMENTS:
Bananas can be grown on a wide range of soils provided they are fertile and well-drained. Stagnant water will cause diseases such as the Panama disease. The best soils are deep, well-drained loams with a high water holding capacity and humus content. Optimum pH is between 5 and 7. Banana is very sensitive to salinity and soils with an ECe of less than 1 mmho/ cm are required for good growth. Soils which have potassium level above 300 ppm and phosphorus level greater than 15 ppm are ideal soils for its successful cultivation. Banana is a long duration, highly sensitive, nutrient consuming crop, before taking decision to plant banana on any soil it is advised to get the soil analysis done so that the future investment on it could be properly utilized.

FERTILIZER REQUIREMENTS:
The demands for nitrogen and especially potash are high in banana. Since the early stages of growth are critical for later development, nutrients must be ample at the time of planting and at the start of a ratoon crop. Short intervals between fertilizer applications, especially nitrogen, are recommended. Sindh is located in desert like hot climate and dry sub tropics fertilization program starts from15 February soon after winter. More N is required, before hot summer less K,P application full dose Zn application at vegetative phase. In reproductive phase reverse the dose k&N, at this stage more K is required almost 60% total dose along with boron.

WATER REQUIREMENTS:
In Sindh province, the annual rainfall is not sufficient to meet the requirements of banana plant (50 to 200 mm per annum). Whereas banana produce excellent quality crop where average rainfall ranges from 1200 to 2500 mm/annum. Banana is mainly located in the Indus Delta zone of Sindh, it perform extremely well in the coastal belts; recently its cultivation has expanded up to the much warmer north. There should not been more than 3 months of dry season. Cool weather and prolonged drought retard growth. Banana plants hardly produce only one leaf per month in winter, 4 per month in summer (maximum in the month of May).

If a low temperature (at 13 degree C) in winter occurs, the bunch may not be able to emerge from the centre of crown, which is called ‘Choke Throating” a typical character of ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ and the bud may not be able to emerge from the stem. This will have a major impact on yield and quality. If the temperature even lower than that of 13 degree C, the leaves and new suckers starts to burn. Smudging, by burning dry trash covered with green leaves to create smoke, can raise the temperature 2 to 4 degrees.

Banana being a long duration crop, the total water requirements of banana are high. Water requirements-per year vary between 1200 mm in the humid tropics to 2200 in the dry tropics. For rain fed production, average rainfall of 2000 to 2500 mm per year, well-distributed, is desirable, but banana often grows under less rainfall.

Regular water supply under irrigation over the total growing season as compared to rain fed production with seasonal differences in water supply produces taller plants, with greater leaf area, and results in earlier shooting and higher yields. Interval between irrigation has a pronounced effect on yields, with higher yields being achieved when intervals are kept short. Under conditions of limited water supply, total production will be higher when full crop water requirements are met over a limited area than when crop water requirements are partially met over an extended area.

REQUIREMENTS FOR IRRIGATION:
Since a depletion of total available soil water in excess of about 35 percent during the total growing period is harmful to growth and fruit production, frequent irrigation is important. The irrigation interval will depend on ETm and the soil water holding capacity in the rooting depth and may vary from 3 days under high evaporative conditions and light soils up to 15 days under low evaporative conditions and high water retaining soils. When rainfall and irrigation water is limited, it is advantageous to reduce the depth of each water application rather than to extend the irrigation interval.

ORGANIC PRODUCTION OF BANANA:
According to the united nation, there is no information available as yet regarding how many countries are following organic practices in banana cultivation. And there is no official data available that how many acres or hectares are under cultivation organically, or how many producers are currently doing organic practices or how many producers are willing to produce banana organically.

PRODUCTION PRACTICES IN SINDH:
Less than 1% banana plantation is managed by owner themselves and all rest by contractors and traders because banana field soon after plantation is given to contractors said MR HADI. Desuckering is done after 4 or 5 months depending of season. Mostly conventional variety is preferred in Sindh for cultivation .Site selection, land preparation “primary & secondary tillage tools including lazar land leveling”, planting layout, intercrops, cultivars (new), healthy & disease free planting materials, time of planting, spacing, planting methods, plant establishment, followers, planting density, composting or manuring (time of application), chemical fertilization macro & micro (application timings each through soil and foliar feed on the basis of soil & leaf analysis and growth cycle), irrigation water application, earthing up, weeding, interculturing (timings and frequency), mulching, deleafing, cutting height of bunch harvested pseudostem, stool or mat management, trash management, winder breakers, debelling, propping and bunch harvest, are the cultural practices often followed by banana growers of sindh.

HARVESTING OF BANANA:
The harvesting standards may vary place to place, season, transport distance and the end use of the fruit. The fruit may be harvested fully matured stage for short distance transport; the fruit may be harvested at 90% maturity level for long distance transport. The fruit may be harvested at 75% maturity level again, the fruit are harvested for table purpose or for processed for value addition of the fruit for processing fully matured and yellow banana are preferred, in later case ,usually green banana is used which has yet to reach the climacteric stage. In cooler season, the fruit may be harvested after 105 days of flowering, but during hot season, the fruit even may be harvested between 98 to 115 days (Robinson 1996).

PEST AND DISEASE INCIDENCE:
Black Sigatoka disease is considered the most economically important disease of banana worldwide, causing typical yield losses up to 50%. The fungus grows on the leaves producing dark spots and causes the fruits to ripen prematurely. Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) attacks almost all varieties of Musa, destroying the fruits and devastating the crop. It was first identified in Ethiopia in the 1970s, but spread rapidly to other parts of the Great Lakes region after reaching Uganda in 2001. Fusarium wilt has had a huge impact on the world banana trade and is found in every banana/plantain producing area. It is spread through corms used for planting.

The major banana and plantain pests are the burrowing nematode and the banana weevil. Nematode species attack the plant's roots, resulting in whole plant toppling or reduced yield. The banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus, attacks the plant's underground corm, weakening the plant and causing stem breakage.

PRESERVATION AND PROCESSING OF BANANA:
Both preservation and processing are done in order to maximize the shelf life of banana, it is the fact that only 15% of total production of banana is involved in world trade rest of banana is consumed domestically but value added sector of the banana is yet to be developed.

Following are the methods of preservation and processing of banana:

DRYING OF BANANA :( traditional method)
Both ripe and unripe bananas and plantain are peeled and sliced before drying, banana figs are sometimes prepared by whole ripe fruit, SUNDRYING is the most widespread technique of drying of banana where the climatic is suitable but drying in oven or over fire is also practiced Plantains are often soaked or parboiled before drying. The slices of unripe fruit are normally spread out on bamboo frame work, or on mat, or on roof, or on sheet of corrugated iron.

INDUSTRIAL METHODS OF PROCESSING OF BANANA:
In general, to obtain good quality product from ripe-banana the fruit is harvested green and ripe under controlled conditions at the processing factory. After ripening the banana hands are washed to remove dust and any spray residue and peeled. Peeling is almost done by hands with the help of stainless steel knives, mechanical peeler to peel ripe banana are developed capable of peeling 450 kg per hour (banana bulletin 1974).
The peeling of unripe banana and plantain are facilitated by immersing the fruit in hot water. For example immersion in water for 5 minutes at 70 to 75ºC suggesting as an aid for peeling green bananas for flour production, while peeling of green bananas for freezing has been facilitated by immersion in water at 93ºCfor 30 minutes.

COMPLETE REPORT