Variability and Decomposition Analysis of Banana in India and Tamil Nadu in Post Green Revolution Era

Banana called as the “fruit of the wise men” is an important fruit crop cultivated widely and consumed by the majority of the population in India as well as in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of banana in India. Banana is cultivated in about 1.12 lakh ha in Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore District holds first position in area under this crop followed by Erode and Tuticorin districts. The study was under taken to study the changes in pattern of production, variability in area, production and yield of Banana in Tamil Nadu and India. The results of the study revealed that the area and production of banana crop in Tamil Nadu and India had shown higher instability in the post green revolution era. The decomposition analysis implied that yield effect (58%) had significant contribution in Tamil Nadu and area effect (48%) has shown significant contribution in the country banana production as a whole. In order to stabilise the growth and to increase productivity, efficient management approaches such as Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), Integrated Water Management (IWM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) may be followed.