Bananas have a bright cropping future – a high diversity of cultivars in taste, aroma and texture, all with recognized health properties and cropping methods offering soil protection, minimal tillage and adaptation to a wide range of climates, even with climate change. However, growers face demands from consumers, markets and society on their production methods. After a short review of banana production system diversity and indicators of improvement of cropping system performance, this chapter focuses on immediately available options to growers to be more efficient, productive, and competitive, while maintaining and improving the environment. These include strategies for reducing bunch variability, timing production for periods of favorable prices, improving the efficiency of nutrient uptake and recycling, soil health and management for variable weather.
Price: £25.00
Publisher: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
Imprint: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
Series: Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science
Publication Date:
09 December 2019
ISBN: 9781786765383
Format: eBook
BISACs:
SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Horticulture, Commercial horticulture, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Agriculture / Tropical Agriculture, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Agriculture / Agronomy / Crop Science, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Agriculture / Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable agriculture, Agronomy and crop production, Tropical agriculture
1 Introduction 2 Types of banana production systems 3 Measuring the potential for improvement in banana production systems 4 Using yield gap analysis 5 Assessing gaps in resource efficiency 6 Assessing the ecological intensification gap 7 Using life cycle assessment (LCA) and other certification-based measurements to assess performance 8 Identifying priorities for improving banana production systems 9 Ecological intensification as a basis for improving banana production systems 10 Improvement options: planting material selection, planting date, replanting frequency and desuckering 11 Improvement options: mat density and associated crops 12 Improvement options: banana cropping systems with trees 13 Improvement options: nutrient cycling/balance and soil health 14 Improvement options: addressing climate and weather variability in banana production 15 Conclusion and future trends 16 Where to look for further information 17 References
