Plantain
is a sought-after starchy food/fruit crop that has a wide adaptability to
variety of environments and ecosystems with a long history of cultivation. Many
production system and agronomic practice have successfully been used for plantain
production by farmers with good yield recorded. Plantain farming is a
profitable agribusiness that is able to yield 57% net profit margin annually with
Good Agricultural Practice (GAP). A plantain established on one (1) hectare
will give a population of 1666 using 3m x 2m spacing. Increasing value of
plantain for home and industrial uses has been causing a huge demand at local
and international markets. Plantain farming will no doubt be the next big thing
as few agropreneurs have started investing in plantain plantation. A plantain
farm may be regarded as a plantation when it is five (5) hectares and/or above. Plantain plantation annual Net Profit/Sales for five years are 28.51%,
50.83%, 52.88%, 57.30% & 59.71% respectively. It also include the sale of suckers. This shows that plantain farming is highly lucrative. Expanding export markets and industrial
usage of plantain for value added products (such as Plantain Flour, Plantain
Chips, etc.) are major drive for establishment of plantain plantation by
investors.
A
bunch of plantain costs about N500 – N600. Plantains can be sold per bunch, in dozens
or tonnes. Good quality plantains do command higher price in market and are adjudged
by the following criteria; Size and Weight (Bunches with well filled fingers
and sufficiently round fruits); Fresh fruits without cracks; Fruits without
mechanical damage; Colour of the pulp (well defined orange rose pulp) and Fruits
without pest or fungal attacks.
To
establish plantain farm/plantation that will give good yield the following
important factors are to be considered;
Soil:
Plantain requires a well drained fertile (loamy clay) soil that is not too sloppy and
the land should be easily accessible. For a large virgin land, selective
clearing should be done on the field with minimal mechanical operation to avoid
damage to the topsoil. Using Pay loader for land clearing does less of damage to
the top soil when compared to Bulldozer clearing.
Planting Materials:
The target market, purpose and environment should be considered in selecting
planting materials. The Giant cultivars
(French horn) takes up to 15 months to produce, they are tall, produce
bigger bunches and very sensitive to strong wind because of their size. These
giant cultivars require staking especially during fruiting. Medium cultivars
(False horn) starts producing from 10th – 12th months,
they are of medium size and height, produce big bunches and are less sensitive
to strong wind, they may require staking at times while Short cultivars (Dwarf Horn) may starts producing from 12th
month or more, they of short size and height and have little sensitivity to
strong wind and less tolerant to unfavourable conditions, bunches are smaller
and yield is very low. Short cultivars are not suitable for export market. There
are conventional, macro-propagated and tissue-cultured planting materials
whereby their viability, superiority and homogeneity increase respectively. When
selecting suckers for planting, propagation or multiplication, it is important
to select from mother plants that are healthy and that are at flowering or
fruiting stage or have fruited.
Water Availability:
Plantains require adequate water supply in form of rainfall (100mm - 166mm/month)
or irrigation (50L/days/adult plant) to produce good yield. A sprinkler and
drip irrigation has successfully been used for plantain cultivation in an area
with rainfall deficit. Drip irrigation saves water and enables Fertigation.
Spacing and Arrangement:
The spacing and arrangement used affect plant population density and yield of
plantain. The type of cultivars, target market and land area can determine the spacing
and arrangement. Example of spatial arrangement for plantains include, Square
shape; Rectangular shape, Triangular shape and Double-Furrow. Double furrow is ideal
and gives good yield. The recommended spacing for West Africa cultivation is 3m
x 2m which gives a plant population of about 1666 per hectare, however, in Asia,
Latin America and Caribbean a higher plantain density of about 2500 per hectare
has been used with the following considerations in place;
No deficit or excess
water supply; Staggering of planting every 1 or 2 months to ensure consistent production;
Use of uniform, good quality and healthy plantlets in bags coming from greenhouses
and/or vitroplants; No direct field plantings or re-plantings; Adoption of only
monoculture planting; Only one production cycle (no more than one harvest per planting);
No slope planting and Without suckers all the time
(de-suckering).
Fertilizer Application:
Plantains are heavy feeders. It is
essential to apply a combination of manure or compost and complete chemical
fertilizers (NPK + Urea) to plantain during planting thus giving a well
balanced and cost effective nutrient profile. Manure only can be applied at
planting and chemical fertilizers applied before flowering. Besides, foliar
fertilizer or humus solution application is important for nutrient supply and
Sigatoka management. The application of non-toxic liquid called Super gro onto
plantain leaves boosts harvest, controls diseases/insects, and promotes quick
and uniform growth.
Weeds, Diseases and
Pests Control: Weeds infestation in plantain field
reduces soil nutrients and yield and harbour pests and diseases. It is
essential to control weeds using Paraquat based herbicides, care must be taken
not to allow the herbicide to touch the plant during application. Mechanical
weeder can also be used. Major diseases and pests of plantain are Fungus (Black
Sigatoka), Nematode, Rhizome weevil and Stem borer. These diseases and pests
can be prevented by avoiding injury on the plant, spraying Copper Fungicide and
Insecticide, de-leafing, bagging and using healthy/disease resistant cultivars.
A nematode can be controlled using Nematicide. De-suckering especially before
fruiting and removing male bud after appearance of last finger is necessary to
conserve nutrients and to obtain good yield.
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