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Abstract
The biggest abiotic threat to banana (Musa spp.) production is water deficit, but physiological indicators in plantations are lacking. Canopy Cover (CC) seems to be a relevant parameter, but so far not used in banana fields. Field experiments were conducted to determine the effect of optimal irrigation (FI) versus rainfed (RF) on CC and Leaf Area Indices (LAI) in two experiments with different cultivars (Mchare ‘Huti Green’ [HG, AA] and Cavendish ‘Grand Naine’[GN, AAA]) (n = 3 for HG, n = 4 for GN) until harvest of cycle 1 (C1), studying C1 and C2 plants. Soil moisture was followed using Time Domain reflectometry. CC and LAI were reduced 8–9 weeks after the start of soil moisture divergence between RF and FI treatments in both experiments (p < 0.05), leading to a reduction in CC growth rate (r) and maximum CC (CCmax) in RF plots (p < 0.05). On a daily timescale, CC varied diurnally (i.e. was reduced) under high evaporative demands, whereby soil moisture depletion increased the CC reduction. Cultivar specific CC-LAI curves were created following the Lambert-Beer equation, whereby HG had a lower extinction coefficient than GN (0.52 vs. 0.67). CC growth over time seems a promising indicator for water deficit in the field. Diurnally, CC is more affected by evaporative demand than soil moisture depletion, although soil moisture depletion increases CC diurnal drops under high ET0.
Highlights
By 2050, global population levels are expected to reach 9.7 billion (+ 32 % from 2015), with over two thirds of this expansion happening in developing countries, and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounting for half the total growth (United Nations., 2019)
In huti green (HG), soil moisture depletion in the RF plots first became significantly larger at 23 weeks after planting (WAP) until 45 WAP
Canopy Cover (CC) growth, and growth curves where significantly affected by moisture deficit, indicating CC growth over time can be used as an indicator of moisture deficit in plantations
Summary
By 2050, global population levels are expected to reach 9.7 billion (+ 32 % from 2015), with over two thirds of this expansion happening in developing countries, and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounting for half the total growth (United Nations., 2019). To feed this growing population, food production needs to increase by 25–70 % (Hunter et al, 2017; FAO., 2018). Global production of banana and plantains was 153 million Mg in 2017 covering 5.6 million ha in over 135 countries It is the 12th most important food crop in terms of production (fourth in Africa) and the world’s most important fruit (FAOSTAT, 2019). Water (both excess and deficit) is considered to be the largest limiting abiotic factor affecting
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