Climate for banana tree cultivation

Bananas need warm subtropical climate, adequate moisture and protection from wind. They need a lot of water and plenty of moisture in the air. They do best when planted in groups fairly close together, as this helps to retain moisture in the leaves.

Banana can be grown from sea level to all altitudes of 1200 meters. It can be cultivated in a temperature range of 10°C and 40°C with high humidity but growth is retarded at temperatures of 20°C and less and more than 35°C. It can be found in plantations in a wide band between 30° north and south of the equator.

Yields are higher when temperatures are above 24 C for a considerable period. In cooler climate, the crop requires longer time to mature. Plants exposed to low temperature and humidity during active growth stage show reduced growth and yields.

The total water requirement of banana plants is about 900- 1200mm for an entire life cycle and this can be met through both natural precipitation (rainfall) and supplementary irrigation. In the tropical conditions, water requirement is 900-1800mm per crop.

For best appearance and higher photosynthetic rate, wind protection is advisable. High velocity wind which exceeds 80km per hour damages the leaf. Bananas are also vulnerable to being blown over due to the weight of the stem of fruit.

Commercial plants are usually grown to just a few meters tall and are replanted every six years or so using the bulbous shallow-rooted rhizomes (called corms) that the adult plants produce.
Climate for banana tree cultivation

Soil suitable for growing banana

Banana growth slows below 16 °C and stops at 10 °C. Temperatures below -2 °C may kill plants to ground level. However, new growth usually sprouts from the underground rhizome with the return of warm weather.

Bananas do best on flat (slope 0–1 %), well-drained, deep soils high in organic matter with a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. Low pH soil makes banana more susceptible to Panama disease. Avoid soil that is sandy, salty, nutritionally deficient and ill-drained soil.

Nutritionally deficient soil can be improved by incorporating organic matter to the soil before planting the bananas and then mulch them thickly.

Clay loams are preferred with no heavy clay or rock shelves within 50 cm of the surface. Sandy soils are less suitable as they dry out rapidly, lose nutrients quickly, fail to provide adequate root anchorage in windy weather, have low nutrient retaining ability and are susceptible to serious erosion. Bananas do not tolerate waterlogging because its roots will rot.

Once the plantation is established, the soil should be managed to provide the best environment for the plant roots. This will involve the application of fertilizers and soil additives aimed at improving the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil to benefit crop growth.
Soil suitable for growing banana

Banana Disease: Malayan leaf Spot

Banana Disease: Malayan leaf Spot
This is usually a minor disease in Fiji, Tonga, Western Samoa and the highlands of peninsular Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. Severe development occurs in areas of Fiji with > 1 m of annual rainfall where temperatures are below 24 degree C, and on some local cultivars in Papua New Guinea.

Symptoms are varies in the different locations. In Fiji, lesions on the upper leaf surface are diamond shape, light grey, 2 - 4 x 3 – 5.5 mm, and have 0.5 mm wide black borders. Profuse growth of the causal fungus, Haplobasidion muscle, occurs on the leaf undersurface.

In Malaysia, lesions have dark purple borders, are pale grey on the upper and pale brown on the lower surface, and are either ellipsoid (2 – 4 x 3 – 12 mm) or round (2 – 5 mm in diameter). Lesions are similar in Papua New Guinea, and large patches of confluent necrosis can develop. Symptoms develop as early as the second or third leaf on local ‘Mala’.

Single to six conidiophores of H.musae are produced at the ends of hyphae that arise through the epidermis on the leaf’s lower surface. They are straight or flexuous, pale brown, one to four celled and 50 – 110 x 4 – um. They terminate in a subglobose cell. Conidia are spherical, brown, verrucose, 4 – 6 um in diameter, and borne singly or in chains of two to five.

Although control measures usually are not needed, maneb was effective. Spray oil enhanced disease development.
Banana Disease: Malayan leaf Spot