Effect of combined application of inorganic fertilizers and biofertilizers on yield and quality of banana cv Robusta (AAA)

Banana is a gross feeder and exhausts large quantities of nutrients from the soil and requires a continuous replacement of nutrients without harming the environment. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of biofertilizers with graded levels of chemical fertilizers on the yield and quality of banana cv Robusta (AAA). Biofertilizers viz Azospirillum, phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AMF) at 25 g and 50 g each were applied along with 50, 75 and 100 per cent recommended dose of NPK. Among the different levels of chemicals and biofertilizers, application of 100 per cent recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF @ 110:35:330 g/ plant) along with 50 g each of three biofertilizers (Azospirillum, PSB and AMF) registered better yield attributes viz yield, bunch weight, number of fingers and hands and finger weight. The quality attributes were similar to control (RDF alone) in the treatments which received 100 and 75 per cent RDF along with biofertilizers.