Effect of intercroppings on growth and yield of banana (Musa paradisiaca) cv. Grand Naine under drip irrigation

An experiment was conducted to find out the effect of different intercroppings on growth and yield of banana (Musa paradisiacal L.) cv. Grand Naine at Soil and Water Management Research Farm, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, during 2009–10. The growth parameters, viz. plant height, girth of pseudostem, number of leaves and leaf area of banana reduced due to intercropping 3 and 5 months after planting. However, banana intercropped with onion, garlic and cauliflower showed similar growth to that of sole banana. The days required to inflorescence emergence and harvesting did not influence significantly due to various treatments. The yield and yield attributes also affected due to imposition of intercrops and reduction were increased under cauliflower. However, intercropping remain non-significant for yield attributes, viz. number of hands/bunch, average weight of fingers, number of fingers/bunch, and length and girth of fingers. However, banana + garlic (A₂) gave higher yield-attributing characters. Among intercrops, cauliflower caused severe reduction in banana yield under all planting patterns.