• Contact Us
    • Send Feedback
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    Whole Repository
    CollectionsIssue DateRegionCountryHubAffiliationAuthorsTitlesSubject
    This Sub-collection
    Issue DateRegionCountryHubAffiliationAuthorsTitlesSubject

    My Account

    Login

    Welcome to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Research Repository

    What would you like to view today?

    Effects of potassium deficiency, drought, and weevils on banana yield and economic performance in Mbarara, Uganda

    Thumbnail
    Date
    2004
    Author
    Okech, S.H.
    Van Asten, P.
    Gold, C.S.
    Ssali, H.
    Type
    Journal Article
    Review Status
    Peer Review
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract/Description
    This paper reports results from a 6-year long-term fertilizer X banana weevil trial for highland banana in Mbarara, Uganda. The objective of the study was to quantify the effect of mineral fertiliser (100 kg N, 50 kg P, and 100 kg K ha -1 yr-1) on crop and economic performance and weevil pest status. Soil and foliar analyses, and visual observations (i.e. yellowing of leaves) revealed that potassium deficiency was the major soil fertility constraint and a function of slope. Topsoil (0-15 cm) exchangeable K content was low down slope (<0.3 mmolc 100g-1 dm), but higher upslope (>0.6 mmolc 100g-1 dm). As a result, annual yields in the lower block (9 t ha-1) were much lower than in the upper block (17 t ha-1). Yield increase due to fertilizer application (4t ha-1 yr-1) was independent of initial soil fertility status. This observation was in line with foliar analysis, which revealed that K concentrations (2.0 %) were still at deficiency level in fertilized plots, suggesting that 100 kg K ha-1 yr-1 is too little to correct for the deficiency. K deficiency did not only reduce bunch weight, but also increased cycle length, resulting in a significant (r2= 0.57) correlation between these two crop parameters. Mean weevil pressure was too low (< 4%) to result in significant yield loss, but maximum bunch weight was less than 50% in plants with large corm damage (>8%). Overall, the applied fertilizer dose was not profitable; i.e. the mean benefit-cost ratio was 0.7. Probably, application of N and P fertilizer did not increase yields, but the mean benefit-cost ratio is still low (1.6) when N and P fertilizer costs are omitted, and drought-related risks are high. We recommend testing the use of mulch to decrease drought risk and enhance fertilizer use efficiency.
    Permanent link to this item
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/6300
    IITA Subjects
    Banana; Plantain; Soil Fertility; Plant Diseases; Plant Health; Disease Control
    Agrovoc Terms
    Cosmopolites Sordidus; Fertilizers; Musa
    Regions
    Africa; East Africa
    Countries
    Uganda
    Collections
    • Journal and Journal Articles4835
    copyright © 2019  IITASpace. All rights reserved.
    IITA | Open Access Repository