Feed back from TNAU, NRCB and Farmers

Dear readers,

You are aware that this blog carries an exhaustive load of details regarding micro-nutrient deficiencies in Banana and their remedies.

On cross verification with other websites it was found that even the most trusted websites carry major flaws.

TNAU Agritech portal is no exception and the mistakes pointed out by this blogger was corrected in their website immediately (within 12 hours). 

The above discussed subject along with the disputed pictures were sent to National Research Centre for Banana, Trichy also for re-confirmation at their end. Fast came the reply to our surprise.

 'KUDOS' to TNAU and NRCB on behalf of farming community for their quick response.

Our letter and the response from both TNAU and NRCB is given here for record:

 

Dear Mr. Sankar,

Thanks for the mail and information,

We accept the link was a mistake and rectified immediately,

We will welcome constructive suggestion to improve on,

With kind and warm regards

N. Anandaraja,
Asst. Prof (AEX)

TNAU

On Mon, Nov 7, 2011 at 1:16 PM, Vishnu Sankar <vishnusankar@ymail.com> wrote:

Respected sir,

I regret to note some major flaws in your Agritech portal in the link:

http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/horti_fruits_banana.html.

In the above link, some pictures are published under the heading ‘Deficiency symptoms of Banana’.  These pictures are copied from NRCB website http://www.nrcb.res.in/soil.html.

1.    Mistake 1: The picture shown as P deficiency is actually S deficiency as per NRCB website link: http://www.nrcb.res.in/soil.html.

2.    Mistake 2: The picture shown as Mn deficiency is actually Mg deficiency as per NRCB website link: http://www.nrcb.res.in/soil.html.

3.    Mistake 3: The picture shown as S deficiency has two different pictures combined in to one picture. In actual, the upper picture shows Zn deficiency and the lower one depicts S deficiency as per NRCB http://www.nrcb.res.in/soil.html.

Please correct the mistakes immediately which might have occurred by oversight at your end.

Thanking you,
Yours Sincerely,
A.Vishnu Sankar

http://agrowmania.blogspot.com/

http://tcbanana.blogspot.com/

--

Dr. E. Vadivel
Project Officer (e-Extension)
e-Extension Centre
Directorate of Extension Education
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
Coimbatore-641 003
Ph:   0422-6611383

Fax: 0422-6611521

e-Mail: portal@tnau.ac.in

The mail received from NRCB:

From

Dr.K.J.Jeyabaskaran, Senior Scientist (Soil Science),

National Research centre for Banana,

Tiruchirapalli - 620 102 (Tamil Nadu)

Dear Mr. Vishnu Sankar,

Please refer to your e-mail to directornrcb@gmail.com dt 7-11-2011. The photographs depicting nutrient deficiency symptoms found in our website, http://www.nrcb.res.in are from authentic source (from our experimental fields). They are CORRECT.

With regards,

Yours Sincerely,

K.J.JEYABASKARAN

Feed Back from our Beloved farmers:

Dear Sir,

I am _______, a banana farmer from Mysore. I'd like to express my sincere thanks to you for your very informative blog on TC banana. It helped me a lot in getting an excellent yield of 55kg avg. 

Attached some of the photos from my farm. 

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Posted in: 21. Feed back from TNAU NRCB & Farmers

Enhancing bunch size of Banana through feeding N and K through distal end of rachis:

Dear reader,
 You are kindly requested to visit the link: "Banana Bunch Care and procedures to maximize the bunch size", which is a must read article that covers all aspects of bunch care and proven methods to increase the bunch size, before commence reading the following article. Thank you.

Maximizing banana bunch size by feeding  N and K through distal end of rachis:

There is considerable increase in bunch size in ‘Robusta’ and ‘Grande naine’ banana, when feeding the following mixture through the distal end of rachis soon after fruitset.  

Preparing the nutrient mixture:

• Ammonium Sulphate            -           15gm
• Sulphate of potash (SOP)    -           7.5gm
•  Fresh cow dung                    -           500gm blended in 100 ml of water.

(Cow urine can also be used instead of water. 500 gm of fresh cow dung contains substantial amounts of about 5.5gm of N, 3.5gm of K 1.6 gm of S besides other minerals and bio-chemicals).

Method of application:

v     Select bunches where the fruit set is complete and about 10 – 15 cm long rachis is available after the last hand. Avoid bunches where fruit set is incomplete or during partial deflowering time.

v     Remove male flower bud close to the rachis.

v     Take the already prepared nutrient slurry in a used milk bag.

v     Insert the slurry filled bag into the de-navelled stalk end of the bunch and tie it with a strong string.

 Benefits:

Ø      Bunch weight increased by 67% over control in which male flower bud was retained till harvest. In the field demonstrations, a response of 22 % to 28% increase in bunch weight was evident. Using ‘N-isotope label the movement of 51% of N into the bunch from AmSo₄ was confirmed.

     (Courtasy: ICAR News, Research update, Success story, April – June 2007).

For elaborate details on "Banana Bunch Care and procedures to maximize the bunch size" click this LINK.

(Readers are requested to visit this link: 'Effect of excessive application of chemicals  on bunch'  also before exiting this page).

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Posted in: 25. Banana Bunch care - Feeding nutrients thro' distal end of rachis

FERTILIZER TARGET CHART FOR BANANA UNDER PRECISION FARMING:

FERTILIZER TARGET CHART FOR BANANA ADOPTING

PRECISION FARMING TECHNOLOGY:

CAUTION: REQUIREMENTS GIVEN HERE ARE TARGETS ONLY,

SO DO NOT APPLY THE GIVEN QUANTITY AT THE GIVEN AGE.

		T A R G E T
GROWTH STAGE	Age	Requirement in gms/plant			Requirement in %
		N	P	K	N %	P%	K%
EARLY ESTABLISHMENT STAGE -I	30	30	30	10
	45	45	40	20
	60	60	60	40	21	50	11
ESTABLISHMENT STAGE -II	90	90	80	80
	120	110	90	120	19	25	21
VEGETATIVE STAGE -III	150	150	120	160
	180	180	120	200
	210	200	120	240	32	25	31
SHOOTING STAGE- IV	240	230	120	270
	270	260	120	310
	300	280	120	350	28	0	29
DEVELOPMENT OF BUNCH AND HARVESTING STAGE -V	330	do	120	380	0	0	8
		280	120	380	100	100	100

CAUTION: REQUIREMENTS GIVEN HERE ARE TARGETS ONLY,

SO DO NOT APPLY THE GIVEN QUANTITY AT THE GIVEN AGE.

Regards,
A.Vishnu Sankar

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Posted in: 15. Fertilizer target chart for banana under Precision farming technology

Using Pseudostem injector for effective control of Fusarium wilt, Erwinia rot and Weevil attacks.

A novel method for effective control of Fusarium wilt, Erwinia rot and Weevil attack in Banana plants.

Using Pseudostem injector:

Step 1:

Prepare a solution of 700ml of water + 300ml of Monocrotophos + 20 gms of Carbendazim + 1 gm of Streptomycin with Tetracycline sulphate.

Step 2:

Take the above solution in a Pseudostem injector. Dig the soil to expose the banana corm and inject 3 ml to 5 ml of the above solution directly into the corm.

Step 3:

Inject an additional dose of 3ml to 5 ml of the prepared solution to the Pseudostem 2 feet above ground level in a 45 degree slanting angle.

• In severely affected plantations administering a second dose of the above solution is necessary within 15 days for an effective control.
• Usage of 'Pseudostem injector' is recommended for above 3 months old banana plants only.
• Avoid inserting the needle beyond 2” as it will harm the main stem.
• Fusarium wilt (Panama wilt), a fungal disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum is a major disease prevalent in banana growing belts. This fungal disease can be effectively prevented by this solution since it contains Carbendazim - a wide spectrum systemic fungicide (2% concentration) which is administered directly into the affected parts.
• Erwinia soft rot (Head rot, snapoff, tipover) and Moko bacterial wilt are some bacterial attacks normally affecting tissue culture banana plants. These bacterial attacks are also prevented by the above solution because of the antibiotic ingredient Streptomycin and Tetracycline sulphate in it.
• Rhizome weevil and Pseudostem borer are some of the major pests affecting banana plantations. By injecting the above solution containing Monocrotophos, a systemic insecticide the weevils and the borers will be killed. The adult weevil feed on Pseudostem and the young larvae on the rhizome so injection in both the plant parts is recommended.
• Click this link: Panama or Fusarium Wilt, to know more about this fungal disease.  

  

A.Vishnusankar

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Posted in: 44. Using Pseudostem injector for effective control of Fusarium wilt

Fertilizer burn - Effect of excessive use of chemical fertilizers,

What is fertilizer burn?

The chemical fertilizers that we use for farming are hygroscopic in nature. When a farmer applies excess chemical nutrients and fails to water the plants sufficiently, the applied chemicals because of their “thirsty” nature starts absorb water particles not only from the soil but also from the plant roots.

This withdrawal of water from the plant tissues (dehydration) will cause ‘drying out’ of tender parts like roots and foliage. This injury will be visible very soon after the application of fertilizers like browning of part or all of the foliage. In some cases, severe injury will cause death of the entire plant. Since the symptoms in the leaf look like 'thermal radiation burn out' this is called “Fertilizer burn’.

Remember: “Over fertilizing is just as bad as under fertilizing”.

Fertilizers are normally soluble but some are highly soluble. The higher the solubility of a chemical fertilizer then higher the chances of “burn” if not used properly.

In most of the ‘burn out’ cases, it was found to be the application of excess nitrogen beyond the needs of the plant that caused the plant burn.

A case history:

Fertilizer burn may occur to plants that are provided with drip / fertigation system also.

Continuous fertigation, less water and hot climatic condition may cause ‘burn’ as happened to a Banana farmer who had applied 200gm of Single Super Phosphate and 100gm of Di Ammonium Phosphate as basal fertizers and after a week started to give daily dose of 1gm each of Ammonium Sulphate, Urea, Calcium nitrate, Potash and water soluble 19:19:19 (Total 6gm per Banana plant). The inevitable ‘burn’ happened one hot noon and the farmer was advised to stop fertigation and asked to irrigate the plant copiously.

Pictures taken on 01/09/2011 at his field (Uthamapalayam, Theni District, Tamilnadu) are published here above.

Remedy:

Irrigate copiously to leach (wash out) the excess chemicals from the soil.

Regards,
A.Vishnu Sankar

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Posted in: 38. Fertilizer burn - Effect of excessive use of chemical fertilizers

Effect of excessive dose of MKP and Urea when used them for banana bunch development

Dear reader,
 You are kindly requested to visit the link: 

 "Banana Bunch Care and procedures to maximize the bunch size", 

which is a must read article that covers all aspects of bunch care and proven methods to increase the bunch size, before commence reading the following article. Thank you.

A case of excessive dose of MKP and Urea when used them for banana bunch development and its detrimental effect:

The two pictures shown here under were taken at a field where the farmer was asked to spray 0.5% MKP (Mono potassium phophate) + 1% Urea on bunches for bunch development. This wrong selection and overdose of chemicals has resulted in total spoilage of the bunch due to abnormal elongation of fingers (11 to 12 inches) and very thin fingers with no scope for further development. (See the lesions in the peduncle). 

To avoid damage to the developing Banana bunch learn to use fertilizers judiciously.

At the banana bunch development stage the following fertilizers are  normally recommended to enhance the size of fruits / bunch: 

Option 1: Application of 2% (20gm / 1litre) Potassium sulphate (0:0:50) as foliar spray on bunches, two times with 15 days interval.

(OR)

Option 2: Application of 1% (10gm / 1litre) Potassium nitrate (13:0:45) as foliar spray on bunches, two times with 15 days interval.

(OR)

Option 3 (Considered as best since it addresses all nutritional deficiencies): Application of 0.5% (5gm / 1litre) Potassium nitrate (13:0:45) + 0.5% (5gm / 1litre) of foliar grade Micro nutrient mixture as foliar spray on bunches as first spray followed by a second application of 2% (20gm / 1litre) of Potassium sulphate (0:0:50) + Biozyme 2ml / 1litre after 15 days. Repeat the second one again as III application after 15 days interval.

Important Note 1: In all the above applications you can also add 0.2% Bavistin (Fungicide) for prophylactic control of fungal infections. Use wetting agents also. 

Important Note 2: Nowadays farmers are going for a minimum of four applications within a period of 60 days (4 sprays with 15 days interval between each spray) and are getting very good results. 

Precautions: 

• Care should be taken to spray the above fertilizers only after all the hands are fully opened and after sufficient extension of male flower bud in the rachis. 
• Do not apply any fertilizers or pesticides 15 days before harvest since there is a possibility of the unabsorbed chemical residues entering human food chain.
• Application of excess dosage of fertilizers, Enzymatic and synthetic Growth promoters and plant protection chemicals on bunches are to be strictly avoided.

Good quality bunches that were sprayed with SOP, Multi K, foliar grade M.N and Biozyme solution. Please visit the following links also:  "Banana Bunch Care and procedures to maximize the bunch size",  'Banana bunch care as recommended by ICAR'.

Regards,  A.Vishnu Sankar

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Posted in: 26 a. Banana Bunch care - Effect of excessive use of chemicals

Effect of excessive dose of Hexaconazole fungicide (Contaf) on Banana

Effect of excessive dose of Hexaconazole fungicide (Contaf) on Banana:

Hexaconazole is a systemic, broad-spectrum fungicide mainly used on banana. It is widely used to control rhizome rot, corm dry rot and root rot in banana and the application rate is 1ml to 1.5ml per plant for rootzone drenching. Application of the above fungicide @1ml in 200 ml of water for drenching around the plant is enough for a month old plant, 1.25 ml in 500 ml for 2 months old and 1.5 ml in1litre for plants above 3 months.

Here in the two pictures published here below, the injury caused to the the outer layers of the pseudo stem and the leaves is because of the root-zone application of Hexaconazole @ 6ml / 1litre for 3 month old plants by the farmer by mistake. Banana plants collapsed fully in places where he applied 2 litre of the above solution.

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Posted in: Injury due to Fungicide - Effect of wrong selection and excessive use of fungicide

Injury due to Gramoxone herbicide spray on Banana

Injury due to Gramoxone herbicide spray on Banana: 

The pictures published down here under show injury to banana plants due to spraying of Gramoxone herbicide without spray hoods. During herbicide application, whether it is Gramoxone or Glyphosate, the following precautions should be taken:

1. Use only recommended dose of herbicide. 
2. Use spray nozzles that are specially designed for weedicide / herbicide application. 
3. Apply them under low pressure. 
4. Do not speed. A slow move, slower than the normal leisurely walk is the ideal speed for herbicide application. 
5. Use spray hoods mounted on spray nozzles to prevent the herbicide product to escape and cause crop injury. 
6. During spraying the spray hood should be as close to the ground as possible make sure the hood is on the ground until it has fully moved past the plant. Raise the hood only after turning off the spray.
   Regards, 
   A.Vishnu Sankar

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Posted in: 42. Herbicide Injury - Effect of wrong selection and excessive use of Herbicide

Copper (Cu) deficiency symptoms

Copper (Cu) deficiency symptoms:

• Leaf mid rib and veins bend backwards resulting in umbrella shape appearance of the plants.
• Leaves appear yellow-bronze in colour.

Control Measures:

1. Spray copper sulphate @ 2g/l of water (neutralized with lime) at weekly interval for 2-3 weeks.

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Posted in: 37. Copper (Cu) deficiency symptoms

Zinc (Zn) deficiency symptoms

Zinc (Zn) deficiency symptoms:

• Narrow pointed and chlorite young leaves, bunchy top crowns are the symptoms of zinc deficiency which is often falsely identified as BBTV by the farmers.
• The young emerging leaves have high amount of anthocyanin pigment on the lower side of the leaves, which often disappears as the leaf unfolds.
• Leaves are narrow with yellow to white stripes between the secondary veins.
• Later on oblong, brown or necrotic patches develop on the yellow striped areas.
• The leaves of the young suckers may become distorted, comprising of mid-rib and serrated narrow lamina only.
• Bunches developing on such plants have twisted fingers with prominent light green tip.
• The characteristics symptoms appear in young leaves which become significantly smaller in size and more lanceolate in shape.

Control Measures:

1. Manual application of Zinc sulpahte @ 2g/plant.

                                                (OR)

2. Spray chelated Zinc @ 2-3 g/1 of water at 7-10 days interval till deficiency symptoms disappear.
3. For ratoon crop apply the above preparation 45 days after cutting the mother plant.

The bunchy top crowns shown in the picture below are the symptoms of zinc deficiency which is often falsely identified as BBTV by the farmers.

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Posted in: 36. Zinc (Zn) deficiency symptoms