FOLIAR SPRAYING OF MICONUTRIENTS IN BANANA

Dr.S.Haripriya

Assistant Professor (Horticulture), ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Vriddhachalam

Banana (Musa spp.) is one of the earliest crops cultivat­ed by man which still remains to be one of the world's most important fruit crop. At present, it is grown in more than 120 countries throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world and staple food for more than 400 million people.

Table 1. Standard micronutrients recommendations for foliar spraying in Banana

Recommendation	Dose	Foliar Spraying	Months after planting					Attention
			3	4	5	6	7
TNAU Zinc Sulphate Ferrous Sulphate Copper Sulphate Borax	(0.5%) (0.2 %) (0.2 %) ( 0.1%)	5 mg/ l of water 2 mg/l of water 2 mg/l of water 1 mg/l of water	3	-	5	-	7	Care should be taken, while using copper sulphate and mix the mineral salts separately using wooden planks.
NRCB Banana Sakthi Contains  4.8% iron, 5.3% zinc, 2.8% boron, 2.4% copper and 4.6% manganese	2 %	20 mg/l of water	-	4	5	6	-	Soak the mixture over night and use the supernatant for spraying, discarding the sediments.
IIHR /Arka Banana Special micronutrients such as zinc, iron, boron, copper, manganese, molybdenum and secondary nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and sulphur	0.5 %	75 g/15l of water	-	-	5	6	7	Add juice of 2 lemon fruits+ 2 ml soap /shampoo packet and mix the contents and spray

The prefix "micro" is well-understood from its use in terms such as "microscope". The micronutrients are boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. These plant elements are need for plants in very small amounts, as they are important for plant development. They act as activators of many plant functions and major functions of micronutrients used in banana are listed here,

Micronutrient	Role of the micronutrient in Banana
Boron (B)	Necessary for sugar translocation and promotes fruit maturity
Copper (Cu)	Catalyzes several plant processes like photosynthesis, development of reproductive stage, indirect role in chlorophyll production , increases sugar content , intensifies colour  and improves flavour of the fruits on ripening
Iron (Fe)	Promotes formation of chlorophyll pigments, acts as an oxygen carrier and  reactions involving cell division and growth
Zinc (Zn)	Aids in regulating plant growth hormones and enzyme system, necessary for chlorophyll production, carbohydrate and starch formation.
Manganese (Mn)	Functions as a part of certain enzyme systems and aids in chlorophyll synthesis.
Molybdenum (Mo)	Required to form the enzyme "nitrate reductase" which reduces nitrates to ammonium and needed for converting inorganic phosphates to organic forms in plants.

The sulphate (salt) form of micronutrients such as Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn represents a water-soluble form that is available to plants. As micronutrients such as Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn are held within ring-type compounds, chelated micronutrients of Zn and Fe can also be used for foliar spraying in Banana, as they remain in plant-available form for longer period.

Micronutrient mixtures should be sprayed early in the morning or late evening for better results. It's advisable to use wetting agents or surfactant or Khadi soap solution at the rate of 1-2 ml/l of the solution along with the micronutrients for effective spraying. Make sure that the spray solution should cover the whole plant including leaves and pseudo stem as specified during its growth and development stage in Banana.