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122 Solutions found
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Value-added Processing of Bananas and Plantain
Plantains and banana offer multipurpose processing options and are a great source of starch and energy. A wide range of products can be made from the unripe and ripe fruits, particularly puree for beverages and syrups, flour for baking and fried and dried slices for chips. Both ripe and unripe bananas and plantains are typically peeled and sliced before processing. …
Induced Ripening of Banana for Increased Marketability and Storage
Banana ripening is a combination of physiological and biochemical processes resulting in changed color, sugar content, texture and aroma. Dessert bananas are most often harvested prematurely to reduce injury during transportation. Bananas may be artificially ripened using different chemical agents, most often ethylene gas. Commercial ripening chambers control temperature, humidity, and ethylene gas concentration. Catalytic generators are used to produce …
Peels as Feed and Organic Resource
Banana and plantain peels are the outer cover of the fruit that in itself has many uses. In bulk it is used as both an animal feed and an organic input to soil but there are concerns about its chemical composition and nutrient ratios. Techniques are available that allow for treatment such as silage and composting). Dried peels contain about …
Intercropping Strategies for Banana and Plantain
There are several advantages and disadvantages from intercropping bananas or plantains with other crops. Intercropping with annual field crops allows for early harvests months before banana yields, and in the process suppress weeds within the plantation. Intercrop canopies and roots protected against soil erosion. Legume intercrops provide nitrogen through biological fixation. Biomass from the intercrops may be applied as mulches …
Spacing and Stand Management in Banana and Plantain
Spacing of banana and plantain is based upon the stature of the variety and expectations of the farmer. Most varieties are spaced 3 m x 3 m apart, or 1,111 plants per ha. Dwarf varieties are planted at densities of 2 m x 2 m (2,500 plants per ha) or less. Very large varieties are planted at 4 m x …
Specialty Fertilizers and Local Blending for Banana and Plantain
The production of banana in Sub-Saharan Africa suffers widely from low nutrient availabilities in soils. To counter this limitation, fertilizers must be applied that provide a balanced supply of nutrients. Specially designed fertilizer blends can be used that contain nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and others in proportions that are aligned with soil fertility status and crop requirements. Readily …
In-Vitro Tissue Culture Propagation
Banana and plantain is propagated in the laboratory through tissue culture (TC). In vitro micro-propagation eliminates all pests and diseases except for viruses. TC consists of five important steps: initiation, multiplication, shooting and rooting, primary hardening in green houses and secondary hardening in shade houses. TC plants have the benefits of uniformity and fast propagation of large numbers of plantlets. …
Propagation of Disease-Cleaned Suckers
Farmers in Africa depend on natural vegetative regeneration mechanisms of banana and plantain for the supply of planting materials but these are often contaminated by pests and diseases than undermine productivity and lifespan. Suckers are traded on local markets which forms an important source of income for farmers. Sword suckers are lateral shoots with thin leaves and a pseudostem length …