Effect of drip irrigation system and fertigation on growth, yield and quality of banana cv. Grand Nain (Musa AAA).

Résumé Research Application Summary Effect of drip irrigation system and fertigation on growth, yield and quality of banana cv. Grand Nain (Musa AAA) Ahmed, B. A.1, Mohammed, A. A.1 & Ihsan, M.I.2 1Fruit Research Program, Horticultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Corporation, P.O. Box 126, Wad Medani, Sudan 2Land and Water Research Center, Agricultural Research Corporation, P.O.Box 126, Wad Medani, Sudan Corresponding author: ahmedbab7@yahoo.com Banana cv. Grand Nain is a newly released cultivar in Sudan with high yield potential and less sensitivity to cool temperature. There is a high demand for exporting this cultivar which will replace the widely grown banana cv. Dawarf Cavendish. Presently, Grand Nain is becoming a popular banana cultivar in Sudan, but the yields are low due to lack of proper water management and fertilization. Crop management (crop water use) and other factors are not well determined under Sudan conditions. This study was conducted to determine the effect of drip irrigation system and fertigation on growth, yield and quality of banana cv. Grand Nain. We studied water quantity and efficiency with fertigation in comparison to farmer practice. The preliminary results indicated that the amount of applied irrigation water with drip irrigation system was lower than that needed under surface irrigation. The banana under drip irrigation system performed better in plant growth and flowered earlier in comparison with surface irrigation.