• Thematic area:
• Soil and water management
• Productive system:
• Banana
• Geographic coverage:

• Andean, Amazon, and Caribbean regions

Description

These recommendations relate to the fractionation technique in integrated plantain fertilization for plantain production based on soil analysis results, nutritional requirements, and crop phenology. These are the three parameters necessary to establish an efficient integrated fertilization plan.

The fractionation of chemical fertilization is carried out by applying at the time of planting 100 % of the Phosphorus (P) dose calculated in the fertilization plan designed for each property, 25 % of the dose of Nitrogen (N) and Potassium (K) calculated according to the fertilization plan two months after planting and 50 % of the dose of N and K six months after planting; further, 25 % of the remaining N and K dose at the time of raceme (bunch) formation (belloteo). Additionally, the recommendation is to apply 25 % of the total dose of nutrients (N, P, K) every four months as support and to contribute to enabled organic matter from the planting moment and every three months.

Implementing these recommendations allows increasing the weight of the raceme by 10 % and obtaining yields of up to 36.1 tons/hectare. Furthermore, it also reduces the percentage of discards and achieves higher quality of the final product by presenting a better physicochemical and nutritional composition of the fruits. Likewise, greater contributions of elements such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Boron are obtained in essential growth, development, and production processes.

The amount of inputs applied, fertilizer loss, and groundwater contamination due to leaching are reduced by 30 %. Nitrate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are also reduced.

Its use is recommended for the departments of Antioquia, Arauca, Caldas, Cundinamarca, Quindío, and Risaralda.

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Associated publications

• Booklet: Recomendaciones tecnológicas para el cultivo de plátano con destino a mercados especializados: densidades de siembra, fertilización y picudos.  
• Manual: Plátano (Musa AAB) Manual de recomendaciones técnicas para su cultivo en el departamento de Cundinamarca
• Manual: Manejo integrado del cultivo de plátano: manual técnico. 
• Article: Nutrient injection: an efficient technique to increase plantain (Musa AAB) crop yield 
• Article: Diagnóstico de la fertilidad de los suelos de cuatro municipios de Cundinamarca (Colombia) para la producción de plátano.
• Article: Respuesta de fitonematodos de plátano Musa AAB Simmonds a estrategias de manejo integrado del suelo y nutrición. 
• Article: Efecto de la micorrización sobre el crecimiento de plántulas de plátano en sustrato con y sin la presencia de nematodos fitoparásitos. 

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