Bananas are prone to splitting when the weather is dry and water is scarce; key management points for autumn and winter need to be mastered

    After spring-planted bananas enter autumn, because the weather is dry and water is scarce, the bananas expand slowly, and the peel splits easily; pathogens invade, and rot appears at the cracks. In the late stage of banana growth, the incidence rate is relatively high, affecting the appearance of the bunch and the fruit quality. Besides water and climate, factors causing banana fruit splitting can also be caused by calcium deficiency. Strengthening water and fertilizer management, avoiding soaking the banana field with large amounts of water, or applying excessive nitrogen fertilizer alone, can avoid fruit splitting and increase banana firmness.

Banana fertilization

     I. Rational fertilization

     After bananas emerge from the bud, apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, combined with farmyard manure, to make the soil loose, strengthen the tree vigor, and improve disease resistance.

     II. Drenching with water and fertilizer

     When the weather is relatively dry, drench the banana roots with a 500-fold dilution of Wujinlv every seven days to keep the soil warm and moist, which is beneficial to root growth.

     III. Spraying foliar fertilizer

    After the banana bunch is de-budded, control pests and diseases such as thrips and black spot disease to ensure the bananas look attractive, and mixed-apply imidacloprid or pyrethroids plus the fungicide difenoconazole. At the same time, use a 800-fold dilution of Jinfutawang and a 800-fold dilution of Aiwangshi fruit-swelling fertilizer, spray the banana fruit to promote banana expansion, and spray a 800-fold dilution of Aiwangshi calcium-magnesium fertilizer to supplement calcium to the banana fruit and prevent fruit splitting.

    IV. Fruit thinning and bagging

    If there are too many fruits in a hand, it is unfavorable for the fingers to lengthen and thicken, and it will also affect the uniformity of the bunch. Usually, spring-planted bananas keep 7-8 hands, 140-160 fruits. Fruit thinning and de-budding are carried out together; for the last hand at de-budding, it is best to leave 1 fruit to prevent the fruit stalk from rotting upward. To prevent the bunch from being exposed to the sun, newspapers or agricultural woven bags can be used to bag the bananas; the effect is also quite good and will not scorch the bananas.

    V. Timely harvesting

    When bananas mature, generally for long-distance sales, harvest when the bananas reach 70-80% maturity, to avoid fruit rust developing when the bananas are overripe, which affects the bananas' commercial quality.