Effect of Novel Organic Liquid Fertilizer and Micronutrients on Banana

Banana is one of the ancient fruits of the world and known as ¿Apple of Paradise¿. India is one of the horticultural rich countries of the world, producing large number of varieties of fruits and banana is one of them. Since last 50 years, considerable research work has been done in the country on various aspects such as varieties, irrigation, weed management, spacing, post-harvest technology etc. for increasing yield and quality of banana fruits. While separating fibres from the banana pseudostem, the liquid available is known as banana pseudostem sap which contains sufficient amount of essential macro and micro plant nutrients. Hence, there is vast scope to utilize banana pseudostem sap as liquid fertilizer. Apart from direct use of sap as liquid fertilizer, an enrichment process was developed (patented) for preparing Novel Organic Liquid Fertilizer (NOLF) suitable for foliar and soil application by Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari. It was tested in mango, banana, wheat and paddy crops. The NOLF has been prepared using only organic inputs, and hence suitable for use in organic farming system as liquid formulation.