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Banana (Musa spp.) is a tropical plant that originated in South East Asia and has been cultivated for many centuries. The bunch develops on a pseudostem, a bundle of petioles grouped together into a stem-like organ. Each pseudostem produces one bunch and then decays. Most plants are sterile and are propagated from followers (suckers) or tissue cultures. The life span of a plantation varies from 2 to 15 years, depending on the environment, the plant health and the agricultural practices.
 Environment
Climate : Banana is a typical tropical crop which flourishes in warm, sunny places. Banana is common in very humid areas but will grow very well in dry, arid locations as well. The minimum temperature for growth is 16°C. Temperatures below +2°C will damage the fruit. Even light frost can have a devastating effect on the crop. Strong winds will bring down the stems and tear leaves.
Soil- Bananas prefer well-drained soils with slightly acidic pH.
Planting layout
The plant population varies with the constant development of followers. The initial plant population is 1500-2500 plants per Ha in layout of 2X2.5m or closer. Later, followers will dictate a different population, depending on the desired finger size and plant health.
Water demand
Bananas should never be under water stress. Extensive canopy and high water conductivity of the leaves increase water demand. At full canopy, achieved normally at first ratoons, the crop coefficient is higher than 1.1.
The shallow root system restricts the available water volume in the soil. The effective root depth of bananas is less than 70cm and most of the water consumed is from the upper soil layer, up to 40cm deep.
Irrigation
Banana plants have nomadic habits. Location of new followers is erratic and the irrigation concept should take this into account. In arid and semi-arid environment, drip irrigation is the most common system. It enables frequent, efficient watering to the confined roots. In the tropics, where it rains most of the year, the majority of irrigated plantations use under-canopy sprinklers. The irrigation system is operated either for fertigation (in the rainy season) or to maintain humidity balance in the soil (in the dry season).
Several thousands of hectares of drip irrigated bananas in the tropics show outstanding production results. High uniformity and frequent irrigation are among the reasons for these results, but fertigation is the most important. Drip irrigation is a powerful means for mineral nutrition management in tropical bananas.
Fertigation
Bananas are heavy nutrient consumers. The main consumption is of N-K, potassium and nitrogen. The plants accumulate nutrients until flower induction and then the nutrients are relocated from leaf tissue to fruit bunch. The nutrient metabolism of the banana plant is very fast, thus deficiency can develop rapidly.
Broadcasting fertilizers, manually or by machines, has limited efficiency. Heavy rains can easily leach the nitrogen from the shallow root zone. Extreme fluctuations in the available nutrient concentrations in the soil reduce productivity. Frequent fertigation all year round sustains the optimal level of nutrients near the roots.
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