Effect of planting density and nutrient management on growth, yield and quality of micro-propagated banana Rasthali Pathkapoora (AAB).

摘要

Field studies were conducted in Orissa, India, to improve the productivity of local banana cv. Rasthali syn. Pathkapoora. The treatments comprised 3 planting densities, i.e. 4444, 3265 and 2500 plants/ha, and 6 combinations of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) fertilizers, i.e. 200 g N + 200 g K, 200 g N + 300 g K, 250 g N + 200 g K, 250 g N + 300 g K, 300 g N + 200 g K and 300 g N + 300 g K. The results showed that plant height (315.99 and 302.15 cm) and fruit yield (37.707 and 35.28 t/ha) increased significantly due to increasing planting density in the main and ratoon crop, but earlier shooting (by 10 and 15 days) was observed due to lower planting density (2500 plants/ha). There was no adverse impact of increasing planting density on the quality parameters of banana fruits, such as total soluble solids (TSS), sugars and acidity. Application of N and K significantly improved the plant growth and yield of banana. Significantly maximum plant height (307.58 and 293.77 cm) and fruit yield (30.83 and 27.91 t/ha) were recorded due to combined application of 250 g N and 200 g K per plant in the main and ratoon crops, respectively. Higher doses of N and K increased the TSS and sugars, but decreased the acid content in the ripe fruits.