Agronomic performance of ‘BRS Princesa’ banana under fertigation and mulching

Abstract

Banana is one of the most produced fruit crops in Brazil and has great economic, social and nutritional importance. Factors such as water availability and well-managed fertilization are fundamental to achieving profitable yields. The aim of this study was to examine the agronomic performance and water use efficiency of ‘BRS Princesa’ banana under combinations of irrigation systems, fertilization methods and mulching, during three production cycles. The experiment was laid out in a randomized-block design with four replicates. Treatments consisted of a combination of the localized irrigation system, fertilization strategy and mulching, as follows: Drip irrigation with manual fertilization; Micro-sprinkler irrigation with manual fertilization; Drip fertigation with mulch; Drip fertigation without mulch; Micro-sprinkler fertigation with mulch; and Micro-sprinkler fertigation without mulch. The plants were irrigated every three days, using three 4-L h-1 drippers per plant or a 64-L h-1 micro-sprinkler for every four plants. The following variables were analyzed: number of leaves, plant height, pseudostem circumference, number of hands, hand yield, water and nutrient (nitrogen and potassium) use efficiency and earliness. The micro-sprinkler system provided a greater pseudostem circumference without the presence of mulch. Plants under micro-sprinkler fertigation with mulching grew taller. The banana yield was higher when fertigation was used than with manual fertilization, regardless of the irrigation system. Plants grown in mulched soil were more productive than those grown in bare soil. The use of mulch increased water, nitrogen and potassium use efficiency when compared with cultivation in bare soil. Drip-irrigated plants showed earlier production than those irrigated with micro-sprinklers.