Corms•

Plant paired hot-water-treated corms.• Use the top 30 cm of soil to plant. Mix 40 kg

of well-decomposed manure with top soiland return the mixture into the trench at theplanting point.

• Place the pared treated corm upright in thetrench at a 20 cm depth and leave 2 mbetween plants.

• Cover the corm completely with top soil andpress gently.

• Plant during the rain for a robust start or irrigateimmediately after planting with 20 l ofwater and thereafter twice weekly for goodresults. Do not use salty or soapy water.

Management of the bananas • At any one time allow a maximum of five

suckers per stool (at different stages) for a bigbunch.

• Add 40 kg of well-decomposedmanure or tithonia every 6 months (2 x a year).

• Plant a tithonia boundary around your farm fora sustainable supply of this plant, which willprovide a continuous nitrogen supplythroughout the life of bananas.

• Keep the banana mats weed free. Uproot allgrasses growing around the roots, especiallycouch grass.

How to manage pests and diseases• When manure and water are adequate, banana

growth can only be limited by pests anddiseases in most cases.

•

Control weevils effectively by cultural methods.• After every harvest, cut the pseudo-stem at

ground level and cover the stump with soil.• Cut pseudo-stem into pieces, spread to dry, to

deny weevils breeding grounds.

• Trap any weevils using split pieces of cutbanana pseudo-stem.

• Remove all leaves affected with sigatoka diseaseand burn them.

• Uproot panama-diseased mats and replace themwith those of a resistant variety

Grow bananas for improved livelihoods and Environmental

conservation

Compiled by:M.A. Onyango, T.K. Mwangi, A.R. Ondicho, M.O.Ojowi, N.L. Kidula, O.E.V. Magenya, M.C. Shiluli,

D.K. Andima and F. Makini

KALRO-Kisii P.O. Box 523-40200-Kisii

Email: kalro.kisii@kalro.orghttp://www.kalro.org

Editorial and Publication Coordinated by: Knowledge, Information and Outreach Unit

KALRO Information brochure series 2017/024

Ksh. 30

For Further Information Contact: The Centre Director

Advantages of using bananas for soil conservation?

• Banana is a source of food, livelihoods, andemployment for many rural and peri-urbanhouseholds.

• Banana may be used as food and fodder as wellas for handicraft.

• The large leaves of banana form a canopy thatprotects the soil against erosion.

• Bananas can be inter cropped with a variety ofcrops without suppressing yields.

• Banana plants may be used to control runoffwhen grown along contours of sloping land.

• Bananas may be used as ornamental plants.

Choice of banana varieties to plant • Any banana variety may be used in soil

conservation.• Choose superior varieties of the type of banana

you desire to grow.• The following dessert banana varieties are

recommended: Paz, Giant Cavendish, Valery,Lacatan, short Gros Michel, FHIA 17, andKALRO Kisii apple.

• The following cooking banana varieties aresuperior: Ngombe, NusuNgombe , Sialamule ,Ishighame , and Uganda green – Ekeganda.

Preparing to plant bananas in cut off drains (CODs) and fanya juu ditches

How to prepare for planting bananas in cut off drains (CODs) and fanya juuditchesAt least 2 weeks before planting, dig a 1 x 1 x 1m cut off drain channel, also known as fanyachini (soil is heaped on the lower side of the farm) at the highest point of the farm.

Dig trenches, also known as fanya juu (soil is heaped on the higher side of the farm) inside the farm along the contours. The trenches should measure 60 x 60 x 60 cm and be 24 metres apart.

Plant bananas inside the COD and the fanya juu channels following the steps described below:

Selection of planting material• Always use pest- and disease-free banana planting

material. Main sources of such material are tissueculture plantlets or healthy corms from a clean, disease-free orchard of the desired variety.

• To avoid planting material with nematodes, remove the roots of the healthy corm and some skin (paring)

• Sterilize the pairing knife by fire as shown in picture• Kill any remaining nematodes or weevil eggs on the

corm by the hot water method, i.e., by heating waterto boiling then dipping the lower end of the corm inthe hot water for 30 seconds.

• The corm is now clean and ready to plant.• Plant the treated corms the same day.

Tissue culture material

• Use the top 30 cm of soil to plant. Mix 40 kgof well-rotten manure with top soil and returnthe mixture into the trench at the planting point.

•

•

Remove the wrapping polythene bag and place the tissueculture with the ball of soil in the channel. The distancebetween plantlets should be 2m.Put back some of the soil at the planting point and placethe Tissue Culture plantlet at a depth of 30 cm. Use thesub-soil to fill up the sides so that they are level with the top of the pot soil around the plantlet.

• Plant during the rain for a robust start or irrigateimmediately after planting with 20 litres of water and thereafter twice weekly for good results.

Tissue culture plantlet corm

Planting

Paring suckers Hot water Treatment

Sterilizing knives by fire