1. Director, Open and Distance Learning
Dr. V. Valluvaparidasan
Director, Open and Distance Learning
TNAU, Coimbatore

2. 1. Title
Cultural Practices under INM in Banana
2. Date
3. Objective
To learn about the cultural practices carried out in Banana Crop
4. Target Group
Farmers / Extension Workers / Educators / Students
5. Description
RLO on Cultural Practices

3. 6. Duration
5 – 10 minutes
7. Co-Authors
P. Santhy
8. Abstract
The cultural practices that are followed for a banana crop includes tillage practices, land preparation, weed management, intercropping which helps ultimately to maintain soil fertility and higher yield of the crop

4. 9. Keywords
Tillage, Intercropping, Weeding
10. Complexity
Simple
11. Language
English

5. CULTURAL PRACTICES UNDER INM IN BANANA

6. Major Cultural Practices in Banana
Tillage practices
Intercropping
Weed management

7. Tillage Practices
Wet lands : No preparatory cultivation is needed Garden land : 2 – 4 ploughings required Padugai : One deep spade digging Hill Banana : Cleaning the jungle and construction of contour stone walls before planting is required

8. Green Manuring Growing green manure crops viz., Daincha Cowpea Sunhemp
and ploughing them into the field
2-4 times ploughing and leveling
FYM 50 t/ha before last ploughing

9. Spacing S. No System of Planting Planting Distance
Plant population /ha 1.
Dwarf Cavendish
1.5 x 1.5
4440 2.
Robusta and Nendran
1.8 x 1.8
3080 3.
Rasthali, Poovan, Karpooravalli, Monthan
2.1 x 2.1
2260 4.
Paired row
1.2 x 1.2 x 2.0
5200 5.
2-Suckers /hill
1.8 x 3.6
3200 6.
3-Suckers/hill
4800
Source: TNAU Agritech portal-2008

10. Digging Pits S. No Land type Pits 1. Wetland
Suckers are planted at ground level 2.
Garden land, Padugai and Hill Banana
Dig pits of 45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm size. 
Fill pits with topsoil
+10 kg of FYM g of Neem cake

11. High density planting
3 suckers /pit at a spacing of 1.8 x 3.6m (4600 plants/ha) for Cavendish varieties
2 m x 3 m for Nendran (5000 plants/ha).

12. planting (2.0 x 2.0 m)
3 suckers/pit (3.6 x 3.6 m)
4 suckers/pit (1.8 x 3.6 m)

13. 3- Plants /Hill 1.8 X 3.6 m (4800 pi/ha)
Paired row system   1.2x1.2x2.0m  (5200 pl/ha)

14. Avoid growing cucurbitaceous vegetables
Intercropping
Vegetables like beetroot, sweet potato, Cabbage, and Coconut can be grown as intercrops.
Avoid growing cucurbitaceous vegetables
Banana+Beetroot Banana + Sweet potato

15. Banana + Coconut Banana + Cabbage

16. Weed Management
Spading is commonly used and normally four spadings a year are effective in controlling weeds
IWM includes
Cover crops
Judicious use of herbicides
Intercropping
Hand weeding based on need

17. Cultural control - Double cropping of cowpea is equally effective in suppressing the weed growth. Chemical control -Pre-emergence application of Diuron (1kg a.i./ha) or Glyphosate (2 kg a.i./ha) is effective

18. Summary
In this RLO THE CULTURAL PRACTISES THAT COULD enhance soil fertility and enhance the yield are described. By learning this, a farmer can practise good intercropping practises, Integrated weed management and best tillage practise that could be suitable for his land type.

19. Assessment Choose the correct answer
1. Sucker treatment to avoiding of _______
incidents
a). Diseases b). Soil micropes
c). Pest
2. Soil solarization is reduced _________
and __________
a). Weeds & pests b). Soil micropes
c). Organic Contents

20. 3. Propping is avoidance of __________
a). Pests Diseases b). Multicropping
c). Intercropping
4. IWM directly enhanced in ___________
a). Soil Structures b). Pests & Diseases
c). Reduced Herbicides incidence
5. The practices of intercropping for _____
a). additional income b). Reduced manuring c). Improve soil microps