Assessment of All-in-One Fertilizers and Foliar Spray for Nutrient Management of GCTCV-218 Cavendish Banana Seedlings

Abstract

With the proliferation of GCTCV-218 in the banana industry due to its promising performance against Fusarium wilt, there is a need to explore and establish an optimum and practical nutrient management, particularly in nursery management. As such, this study was conducted aiming to compare the growth performance of GCTCV-218 seedlings using conventional and all-in-one fertilization programs, evaluate the effect of a foliar spray in combination with fertilizer materials, and assess the profitability of using conventional and all-in-one fertilization programs. A 3 x 2 factorial experiment in completely randomized design (CRD) was used with four (4) replications with a total of 32 GCTCV-218 seedlings. Results show that GCTCV-218 seedlings had higher plant height grown under the combination of all-in-one fertilizer and foliar spray. Leaf surface area and root length were significantly high in the same treatment, implying a synergistic effect on the growth performance of GCTCV-218 seedlings. Cost analysis also revealed a positive return when using all-in-one and foliar spray since the desired height for planting is attained earlier (15-20 cm) than the recommended eight (8 weeks after planting (WAP). Savings of 31 cents per seedling or equivalent to PHP 580.23 on a hectare basis can be made if seedlings are released at 6 WAP using Haracoat all-in-one and foliar spray than at 8 WAP using the conventional and foliar spray. Therefore, optimal and economical nutrient management can be attained when Haracoat all-in-one fertilizer and foliar spray are applied in GCTCV-218 seedlings under nursery conditions.