Growth and Fruit Yield Response of Banana (Mussa acuminate) to Sucker Management

Banana plants begin to produce suckers few months after planting, and these suckers compete with the main plant for water and nutrients and reduce productivity. Field experiment was conducted during 2004-2008 cropping seasons on clay loam textured soil of Chano-mille to determine the optimum sucker for banana yield. Treatments were six sucker managements (mother plant + one sucker, mother plant +two suckers, mother plant +three suckers, mother plant +four suckers, mother plant +five suckers and suckers left un-removed) to maintain the required suckers. Removal of suckers was done when the suckers reach 30 cm height and in month interval from its emergence using machete. There was a highly significant (P<0.01) growth and bunch weight difference observed due to sucker management. Mother +one sucker per hill yielded highest (42.7 t ha-1) but not significantly highest than the mother +two suckers per hill management (35.4 t ha-1). The sucker un-managed plant yielded the least (26.3 t ha-1). The marginal rate of return revealed the same trend. The overall result showed that farmers growing banana can use one, two and three suckers to get highest yield and significantly highest net benefit. Keywords: Bunch weight, fingers, hands, sucker, managemen