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dc.contributor.authorMcIntyre, B.D.
dc.contributor.authorGold, C.S.
dc.contributor.authorSsali, H.
dc.contributor.authorRiha, S.J.
dc.date.accessioned2019-12-04T11:27:23Z
dc.date.available2019-12-04T11:27:23Z
dc.date.issued2003
dc.identifier.citationMcIntyre, B.D., Gold, C.S., Ssali, H. & Riha, S.J. (2003). Effects of mulch location on banana weevil, soil and plant nutrients, soil water and biomass in banana fields. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 39(2), 74-79.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/4924
dc.description.abstractMajor constraints to banana (Musa spp., genome group AAA) production, a dietary staple for over 70 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, are pest infestations, poor nutrition and inadequate water. Although mulch can improve soil water and nutrient status, many farmers believe it also promotes the proliferation of banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus), one of the most serious banana pests. In this study, we evaluated the effects of mulch location (mulch to base of banana pseudostem; mulch recessed 1 m from the pseudostem) on banana weevil, soil and plant nutrient status, soil water, and banana growth and development. After 3 years, the fully mulched plots had significantly more soil Ca and Mg than plots that did not receive mulch. Banana foliar K concentration was significantly higher in both mulch treatments (full and recessed) than in the control (no mulch) plots. The mulched plots had greater recharge after rainfall events and higher soil water contents during dry periods due to increased infiltration in the mulched plots. However, the mulched plots also exhibited significantly higher banana weevil densities and greater plant damage than the control plots. There was no difference in weevil damage with mulch location, although weevil density was higher in the fully mulched plots throughout most of the trial. Despite greater weevil damage, the treatments that were mulched yielded significantly heavier bunches. Hence the effects of the mulch on soil water infiltration and banana foliar nutrient status outweighed the detrimental effects of banana weevil damage.
dc.description.sponsorshipRockefeller Foundation
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectMusa
dc.subjectWeevils
dc.subjectCosmopolites Sordidus
dc.subjectSoil Fertility
dc.titleEffects of mulch location on banana weevil, nutrients, soil water, and biomass in banana
dc.typeJournal Article
dc.description.versionPeer Review
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.affiliationKawanda Agricultural Research Institute
cg.contributor.affiliationCornell University
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionEast Africa
cg.coverage.countryUganda
cg.iitasubjectBanana
cg.iitasubjectPests Of Plants
cg.iitasubjectNutrition
cg.accessibilitystatusLimited Access
local.dspaceid101747
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-003-0681-7


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