Articles
CROP PHYSIOLOGY AND CULTURAL PRACTICES – A SYNERGY IN BANANA AND PLANTAIN (MUSA SPP.)
Article number
986_2
Pages
41 – 49
Language
English
Abstract
Knowledge of crop physiology can inform choices made about cultural practices.
In the case of irrigation and water relations, what we know about the physiology of banana and plantain provides differing views on how the plant or crop system might be made more efficient.
This review examines the methods used to determine the reference evaporation for banana and concludes that on most occasions, banana and plantain use less water than the evaporation from a class A pan evaporimeter.
Differences between the tropics and subtropics are not always consistent.
There are different ways of estimating the amount of water needed for a desired yield and this makes it difficult to draw generalizations about a crop factor.
There is a need to integrate knowledge of the physiology of water relations in bananas in a quantitative way so that the importance of each process can be evaluated in each situation.
Then informed choices can be made and options selected that match the range of environments in which banana and plantain are grown.
In the case of irrigation and water relations, what we know about the physiology of banana and plantain provides differing views on how the plant or crop system might be made more efficient.
This review examines the methods used to determine the reference evaporation for banana and concludes that on most occasions, banana and plantain use less water than the evaporation from a class A pan evaporimeter.
Differences between the tropics and subtropics are not always consistent.
There are different ways of estimating the amount of water needed for a desired yield and this makes it difficult to draw generalizations about a crop factor.
There is a need to integrate knowledge of the physiology of water relations in bananas in a quantitative way so that the importance of each process can be evaluated in each situation.
Then informed choices can be made and options selected that match the range of environments in which banana and plantain are grown.
Authors
D.W. Turner
Keywords
agronomy, evaporation, irrigation, review, water relations
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