Effect of Optimized Number of Suckers and Use of PGR on Growth, Yield and Quality of Banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) cv. Udhayam

Aim: Banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) is a member of the family Musaceae and the order Zingiberales which is 2nd most important crop in India after Mango. The plant expands rapidly. A few weeks after planting, it begins to develop suckers, which compete with the parent plant for resources (such as nutrients and water), hence reducing productivity. Therefore, plant growth regulators, in addition to desuckering, are required for proper control of plant development.

Study Design: The experiment comprised of 10 treatments of different levels of desuckering and IAA replicated thrice in a Randomized Block Design. The main objective of the experiment was to find out the optimized number of suckers and use of PGR on growth, yield & quality as well as to evaluate the economics of various treatments on Banana. IAA levels ranged between 80 and 100 ppm, while desuckering levels ranged between 1 to 3 suckers per plant.

Place and Duration of Study: So, to find out Effect of optimized number of suckers and use of PGR on growth, yield and quality of banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) cv. Udhayam. A field experiment was conducted at the Horticulture Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS), Prayagraj, during month August 2021- April 22.

Results: Treatment T4, which consisted of the Mother plant + 1 sucker + IAA (80 ppm) had the best effect on height of mother plant (3.49 m), height of suckers (215.68 cm), number of leaves per plant (11.57), leaf area (32.39 m2), leaf area index (7.34), number of days taken from stalk opening to harvest (120.44 days), total chlorophyll content (SPAD-502 value, 60.05), number of hands per stalk (10.88), number of fingers per hand (14.14), finger length (15.09 cm), finger girth (4.31 cm), stalk weight (22.62 kg), yield (51.27 t/ha), firmness of finger at ripening stage (4.33 kg/cm2), moisture content of finger at ripening stage (78.84 %), total soluble solid (TSS) (16.26° Brix). From the economics point of view, Treatment T4 Mother Plant + 1 sucker + IAA (80 ppm) was found to be most economically viable in terms of gross return (Rs 769050/ha), net return (Rs 611858/ha) and benefit cost ratio (3.89).

Conclusion: According to the present investigation it is concluded that treatment T4 Mother Plant + 1 sucker + IAA (80 ppm) was found most effective in terms of growth, yield and quality of banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) cv. Udhayam.