Growth pattern, flowering and yield potential of tissue cultured plants of banana "Musa (AAB Group) Nendran" and standisation of fertilizer schedule

Abstract

The present study was under taken with the objective of comparing the growth pattern flowering and yield potential of tissue cultured plants of Nendran banana with that of plants produced from suckers and to formulate a suitable fertilizer schedule for the tissue cultured plants Two separate experiments were conducted for this purpose in the Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani for two seasons from March 1991 to February 1993. The first experiment was laidout in split split plot technique and the second in confounded factorial design in RBD. Tissue cultured plants recorded an increase in yield of 25.63 per cent compared to plants from suckers. The highest yield were obtained in both seasons with the application of 300g nitrogen and 450g potash per plant NK interaction on yield was also significant . Treatments with fertilizer application exceeding six splits did not enhance yield . The optimum nitrogen and potash for the two seasons was 299. 5g and 465. 5g per plant respectively.