Response of East African Highland bananas to plant density in Uganda

Plant density directly influences yield and growth parameters of bananas (Musa spp.). In this paper, we examine the agronomic performance of East African highland cooking banana (cv. Mpologoma, AAA-EA) under three plant densities (2x2m; 2.5x2.5m and 3x3m). The “Mpologoma” cultivar is one of the highest yielding and preferred banana cultivars in Uganda. An on station field experiment was laid out at Kawanda Agricultural research Institute, Uganda, to evaluate the crop yield and associated essential agronomic parameters like suckering rate, plant height, girth, flowering and maturity periods. The three spacings were set up in a completely randomized block design with three replicates. Data were collected on the yield and agronomic parameters from the first three ratoons. Plant spacing significantly (P< 0.05) influenced positively bunch weight, number of clusters, plant girth and suckering rate. Lowest bunch weights were recorded from bananas established at 2x2m, while highest were recorded from bananas established at 3x3m; the first ratoon crop registered higher bunch weight than the subsequent ratoons. However, total banana yield per acreage was higher for the bananas established at 2x2m, and lowest in bananas established at 3x3m. These findings suggest that for increased yield per acreage and suckering, the commercial farmer may opt for the higher plant density (i.e. the 2x2m spacing) for the Mpologoma cultivar.