ADC 211: Plantain and Banana Sucker Production PDF

ADC 211: Plantain and Banana Sucker Production by PIF Technique 1. What is Agriculture and Farming?  Agriculture refers to the cultivation of land or field and is defined as: The art, the science and the business of producing crops and livestock from the natural resources of the e...

ADC 211: Plantain and Banana Sucker Production by PIF Technique 1. What is Agriculture and Farming?  Agriculture refers to the cultivation of land or field and is defined as: The art, the science and the business of producing crops and livestock from the natural resources of the earth for economic purposes1.  Farming is the production of food, fodder and other industrial materials1. o Agriculture as an Art: It embraces knowledge of the way to perform the operations of the farm in a skilful manner. The skill is categorized as; 1) Physical skill: It involves the ability and capacity to carry out the operation in an efficient way for e.g., handling of farm implements, animals etc., sowing of seeds, fertilizer and pesticides application etc. 2) Mental skill: The farmer is able to take a decision based on experience, such as (i) time and method of ploughing, (ii) selection of crop and cropping system to suit soil and climate, (iii) adopting improved farm practices etc. o Agriculture as a Science: It utilizes all modern technologies developed on scientific principles such as crop improvement/breeding, crop production, crop protection, economics etc., to maximize the yield and profit. o Agriculture as a Business: It aims at maximum net return through the management of land, labour, water and capital, employing the knowledge of various sciences for production of food, feed, fibre and fuel. In recent years, agriculture is commercialized to run as a business through mechanization.  What is the Aim of Agriculture? o The primary aim of agriculture is to cause the land to produce more abundantly, and at the same time, to protect it from deterioration and misuse. 2. About Bananas and Plantains Both are fruit crops of the genus Musa and of the family Musaceae. Figure 1: What agriculture is. Musaceae: Genus of evergreen, palm-like, suckering perennials, with false stems formed from overlapping leaf sheaths, grown for their foliage, flowers and fruits (bananas), not all of which are edible. Needs sun or partial shade and rich, well-drained soil. Propagate by division year-round, by offsets in summer or by suckers after flowering.2 Plantains are a starchy tropical fruit that look like bananas but are bigger. Because plantains have a much higher starch content than bananas, they are usually cooked before eating. Originally, bananas and plantains were classified into two species, Musa sapientum and Musa paradisiaca respectively. But it’s now recognised that both are hybrids — produced by cross-breeding two wild species: Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana.  Banana o The scientific name of the commonly grown Cavendish banana, known as desert banana, is Musa sapientum, o Bananas grow best in humid tropical climates and well-drained, moist soil. Figure 2: a) Banana fruit and b) a bunch of banana fruits  o They grow with rainfall range of 1800–2500 mm. o They require a minimum temperature of 8–9°C and optimum temperature of 24–29°C. o Bananas are native of Bangladesh, Malaysia, etc. but they are now grown in India, Taiwan, Equator, Coast Rica, Panama, Mexico, Ivory coast, Columbia, Nigeria and Guatemala (Figure 3). o They are valued worldwide for their flavour, nutritional value, and availability throughout the year. Figure 3: World Distribution of Cavendish bananas.  Plantain o The scientific name of the commonly grown plantain is Musa paradisiaca. o The fruits are green when unripe but turn yellow, then dark, as they ripen. o Plantain is a staple food in African, Caribbean, and Latino diets. Green plantains are fried, boiled or processed into flour to be used in a variety of tasty dishes. Figure 4: a) Plantain fruit and b) a bunch of plantain fruits o Plantain is considered an excellent source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C. o Plantain fibres can be used to make ropes, paper and matting. o Plantains are native of Malaya and Philippines but are now being grown in different countries in Africa (Figure 5) o Plantains grow well in warm and humid tropical and subtropical climates. Figure 5: World Distribution of Plantains.  The physical description of plantain plants: While they resemble trees, plantain plants are actually gigantic herbs that spring from underground stems, or rhizomes. Most varieties are 3–10 metres (10– 33 feet) tall and have a conical false “trunk” (pseudostem) formed by the leaf sheaths of long spirally arranged leaves. Plantain plants have a fleshy root system, instead of a taproot. The leaves grow up to 2.7m long and 60cm wide. Plantains have both male and female flowers, the latter of which develop  into the fruits. The fruit, which is green to brown-yellow, is typically larger than the common banana and is borne in bunches. The fruits are arranged in hands, each formed of 10-20 plantains. 3. The problems facing banana and plantain farmers: Banana and plantain are important crops in many countries of the intertropical zone. Both crops are able to adapt to a variety of ecosystems and offer great potential in food production. However, despite this, plantain cultivation remains a marginal activity. The return on the effort put in by farmers is therefore unsatisfactory, leading to further discouragement among plantain growers.6 The major problem in increasing production of these crops is the lack of healthy planting material that stemmed form the negative influence of parasites that leads to the use of poor-quality suckers, resulting in a growth cycle of over two years. Fortunately, a number of intensive production techniques have been developed to produce healthy plant materials for planting. These include: o in vitro cultivation, typically used in research centres, and o macro-propagation using the plantlet from stem fragments (usually named the PIF technique) PIF is the acronyms of “Plants Issues de Fragments de Tiges” (French) which means “Plants derived from Stem Fragments”. However, the In vitro culture is more expensive and slow compared to PIF technique which is cheaper and faster. In macro-propagation (PIF), the primary buds of entire suckers or fragments of corms are destroyed and axillary buds are exposed to high humidity to induce sprouts which are then harvested, hardened, and distributed. PIF has met with great success among small-scale farmers because it is relatively easy to produce large numbers of plantlets in a short time. Using PIF technique, one sucker can produce between 10 and 50 plantlets, depending on the variety of plantain or banana and the experience of the farmer.6 4. Stages in PIF Production 1. Making a Propagator 2. Making a Greenhouse 3. Making a Shade house 4. Selecting Suckers 5. Cleaning and Trimming of Bulbs 6. Peeling of Bulbs 7. Phytosanitary Treatments of Peeled Stem before Propagation 8. Propagation of the Explants 9. Reactivation 10. Taking Cuttings 11. Replanting in bags and acclimatisation in shade houses 12. Plant care 4.1 Making a Propagator.  Propagators, or seedbeds, can be made from wood, plastic or cement, constructed at ground level or above ground. o Their size can vary and depends on the production objectives. o The most important thing is that there is easy access to the explants.  Recommended dimensions of a Propagator: o One metre wide, with variable length. o A propagator of 1 m x 10 m is a good size, allowing for easy handling of the explants.  Propagator Depth is 25 to 50 cm. The base is sealed in order to prevent direct contact between the substrate and the ground below. o A 10 cm layer of fine sand or gravel can be added to the bottom, or a sheet of polythene, perforated in order to allow drainage from watering. Figure 6: Propagator dimensions.  The seedbed is filled with a layer of light-coloured sawdust approximately 20 cm deep. o Avoid using sawdust from coloured wood (dark, red or yellow) as this may contain substances that are potentially harmful to the development of plantlets.  Figure 7: Propagator or seedbed. 4.2 Making a Greenhouse.  The greenhouse is built around the propagator. o Build a framework 80 cm to 120 cm above the seed flat. o It is best to make two slopes in order to facilitate runoff in case of rain. o The propagator should be hermetically sealed with strong, transparent polythene. Figure 8: A greenhouse 4.3 Making a Shade House.  The material used will depend on availability and resources (palm fronds, straw, netting, etc.). o It should be 1.5 – 2 metres high, and should reduce sunlight on the seedlings by about 50 percent. Figure 9: A shade house made of straw 4.4 Selecting suckers  Selection is the key to the whole operation: remove a healthy sucker from the base of a fully-grown cultivar. o The sucker should have narrow, sword-shaped leaves, with a pseudostem of 5 to 40 cm in height (sword sucker), and the bulb should be free from traces of disease (no fringing or traces of nematodes). 4.5 Cleaning and trimming of bulbs.  This involves cleaning the bulb with a sharp knife or machete. o The top of the bulb should be removed, as well as all the roots, up to 3 to 5 mm. o Once trimming is completed, the trimmed and cleansed bulb should be totally white Figure 10: A sword sucker. Figure 11: Cleaning and trimming of bulb, 4.6 Peeling of Bulb.  The success of the procedure depends on this stage. o Note that the base of the plantain plant has a conical pseudostem formed by the leaf sheaths of its spirally arranged, long, thin leaves. o Peeling involves removing these leaf sheaths one by one. o At the level of the bulb, there is a light-coloured band (the colour depends on the variety) that attaches each leaf sheath to the bulb; this is called the knot. o Each leaf sheath has a knot. Peel up to 2 mm above the knot. Remove the sheaths one by one, generally 3 to 5 layers. o The pseudostem should be cut back to 1 to 2 cm above the stem’s last visible knot. o Make a right-angled crosscut on the bud at the starting point of each leaf Figure 12: Peeling of bulb, 4.7 Phytosanitary treatments of peeled stem before propagation:  In order to eliminate fungus, insects and nematodes, the peeled stem is then soaked in a mix of fungicide and insecticide, then dried in the open air, in a dry, shady place for between 48 and 72 hours. o There are a number of different products, with different instructions for use. The local agricultural service provider should be contacted for specific information. o For example, the peeled bulbs can be soaked in a mix made up of 100 g of Callidium 50EC and Ridomil Plus in 40 litres of water. o The precise amounts of pesticides should be added to the water while stirring. o By way of example, the following table shows some commercial pesticides: Table 1: Some commercial pesticides. o Besides commercial products, it is recommended to use organic fungicides-insecticides (Table 2). Table 2: Some natural substances used as insecticide and fungicide: Natural substance Part Active Utilization used ingredient 1. Neem (Melia azadirachta L.) Seed, Azadirachtin Dilute 2 cl of neem oil as droplets leaf, in one litre of water. One litre of bark oil produces 50 litres of product for spaying. Put the mixture in a vaporiser and spray. 2. Garlic (Allium sativum) Bulbs Allicin Pour 10 litres of boiling water over 80 to 100 g of crushed bulbs. Cover the container and leave for 1 hour. Filter, without diluting, and spray once it is cold. 3. Hot peppers (Capsicum Fruit Capsaicin Mix 300 g of finely ground annuum) peppers with two litres of water. Then shake the mixture in a sealed container in order to get a good mix. Filter the mixture and add soapy water. Spray the mixture. 4. Insecticidal plants such as the Ashes Spray a suspension of the ashes in Mahogany (khaya senegolensis), soapy water, urine or milk. mango tree, acacia, etc. 4.8 Propagation of the Explants:  This stage involves placing the explants in the propagator. o Once the drying period is completed, use a sharp knife to trim the surface of the explant until only 2-3 mm of the pseudostem remains. o Make a right-angled crosscut in the centre of the explant. Leave it to stand for 30 to 60 minutes. o Place the explants side by side in the propagator with the crosscut facing up. o The number of explants per square metre will depend on the size of the explants used. o Cover with a 2 to 3 cm layer of light-coloured sawdust. o It is recommended not to water the explants on the day they are placed in the propagator, but to water thoroughly 24 to 30 hours later. Figure 13b: A right-angled crosscut in the centre of the Figure 13: Propagation of the explants explant. 4.9 Reactivation:  Two weeks later, the explants will have multiple shoots. o In some cases, plantlets stemming from side buds develop more quickly and have greater strength. o When the shoots reach thumb size, reactivation can begin. o Remove the plantlets from the explant 2 mm above the node, and make a new right-angled crosscut in the pseudostem of the plantlet. o Reactivation is not necessary and will depend on production objectives. o It is not recommended for beginners as it requires a lot of experience, but is a means of increasing the number of plantlets per explant. 4.10 Taking cuttings:  Taking cuttings occurs 30 to 40 days after propagation. o Young plants with 3 to 5 leaves are carefully removed with a scalpel, razor blade or very sharp knife. o Depending on the variety, in three months, 20 to 100 plants can be produced per explant. Figure 14: Separation of plantlets 4.11 Replanting in bags and acclimatisation in shade houses:  The plantlet is replanted, with all its roots, in a black, perforated polyethylene bag, whose size will vary according to the production schedule. o In contrast, separated plantlets without roots should be replanted in the propagator sawdust for ten days before being transferred to bags. o Bags of 17 cm x 24 cm are highly recommended.  Make sure that the bags are filled with rich compost and that water can easily drain through. o In certain conditions, the compost can be mixed with sand or coffee husks. o The quantities used will depend on the local soil types and the material available. o Once filled, the bags are placed on a plank and watered the evening before replanting. o It is recommended that the bags be thoroughly soaked when beginning the replanting. o To replant, make a hole in the centre of the bag, deep enough so that the roots will not be bent. Young plants with 3 to 5 leaves are carefully removed with a scalpel, razor blade or very sharp knife.  Figure 15: Bagging of plantlets Figure 16: Plantlets being acclimatized. o Place the plantlet in the hole and gently fill it with soil, without pressing down. o Only the bulb should be in the soil; if the plantlet is pushed too far in, it may take longer to begin growing. o Once replanting is completed, water the plantlets thoroughly. o Place them in the shade, in a temperature of 25-27°C, in order to facilitate acclimatization. o The plantlets should be watered four times a week. 4.12 Plant Care:  Weed the nursery regularly. The plantlets will suffer from competition with weeds. o In addition to treating the plantlets, insecticide can also be applied directly in the bags or in the propagator in order to control parasites. o In case of need, apply foliar fertilization. o Between six to ten weeks after taking cuttings, the young plants are ready to be planted and can be transferred to the field. Figure 17: Plantlets ready for field planting.  Figure 18: Macro-propagated plants in the field. 7. Agronomic requirements for growing plantain:  Temperature: The optimal temperature for growing plantain is 28°C. From 28 to 20°C, growth will gradually slow down, and will become negligible around 16-18°C.  Light: Shade accelerates height growth, and it is advisable to determine the density depending on the cultivar selected, in order to provide the best light conditions for the plantation.  Water: Plantain needs a lot of water. It should get around 200 mm per month throughout its life cycle.  Wind: Plantain is very sensitive to strong wind, which can cause physical damage to the plant (torn leaves, toppling).  Soil: Plantain grows best in deep soil that is well drained and rich in organic matter. Fallow land can also be used, but the yield will depend on what was previously grown and the duration of the fallow. References 1. Chandrasekaran B., Annadurai K. and Somasundaram E., 2010. A Textbook of Agronomy. 2. Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers, 2002. 3. Bawoumodom Pyabalo, Tchaou Bodjona, Komi Odah, Rassimwai Pitekelabou, and Atalaesso Bokobana (2020). Macro-propagation of Dessert Bananas (Dankodu and Tsikodu) and Plantain (Savé) (Musa Spp.) by PIF Technique in Togo, West Africa. Agricultural and Biological Sciences Journal Vol. 6, No. 4, 2020, pp. 195-201. 4. J.C.A.O. Olounlade, I. Balogoun, A. Adandonon and M. Zandjanakou-Tachin (2023). Growth response of plants derived from pathogen-free banana fragments to different substrates. African Crop Science Journal, Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 151 – 163. 5. IITA Training manual: Macro-propagation of Banana and Plantain. 6. Lionelle Ngo-Samnick, E. (2011). Improved Plantain Production. The Pro-Agro Collection.