Banana nutrition – A review

Banana crop is a great lover of nutrient elements and it exhausts major and micronutrients from the soil in large quantities and the banana soils require a continuous replenishment. Split application of inorganic fertilizers along with organic manures increases the leaf nutrient status, uptake and distribution of nutrients and ultimately it results in better growth and yield. In general, under Tamil Nadu conditions a fertilizer dose consisting of 20t FYM, 5 kg Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria/ha, 250g neem cake/plant (basal dose at the time of planting) + 200:35:330 g NPK/plant (three split doses during 3^rd, 5^th and 7^th month after planting) along with foliar application of 0.5% ZnSo₄, 0.2% FeSo₄, 0.2% CuSo₄ and Borax 0.1% (at 3^rd, 5^th and 7^th month after planting) is recommended to get higher yield and quality fruits in banana.