Château-Musa - Bioversity International

Table 3. Results of the chemical analysis of the experimental soil before the study and after
the mother plant crop.
Treatment pH MO K Ca Mg P S B Fe Mn Zn Cu
(%) (meq/100 g de sol) (ppm)
T1 5.4 3.7 0.54 64 1.7 21 20 0.75 140 39.9 5 2
T4 6.2 4.0 0.66 7.7 1.6 120 150 0.75 91 16.4 9 2
T5 6.4 4.1 0.46 8.8 1.8 140 40 1.0 84 11.8 11 2
T8 6.0 3.8 0.34 7.7 1.7 21 20 0.75 132 30.2 8 2
T10 6.2 4.0 0.39 8.8 1.7 13 100 0.75 92 29.3 6 1
Prior to study 6.2 2.2 0.19 6.3 1.3 33 0.29 261 5.7 3.7 2
quickly were those that received treatment T4.
Plants slowest to flower were from T5 (control);
however, treatment differences were not
statistically significant.
Combined applications of organic material
and mineral fertilizers had a positive effect
on the soil, contributing to the growth and
formation of secondary and tertiary roots. This
in turn improved the absorptive capacity of the
plants.
With the variable of production (bunch
weight) T8, T5 and T9 had the higher mean
values (Table 2). The mean values recorded for
bunch weight were within the range typical for
the zone (11.4 kg/bunch) (Grisales and Lescot
1999). Yields could be increased if other
factors, such as the bioorganic components of
soil, that impede productivity are considered;
in particular, high levels of pathogens, like
nematodes of the genera Radopholus and
Meloidogyne, and weevils (Cosmopolites
sordidus), and the absence of biological
control (arbuscular mycorrhizae, Beauveria
bassiana etc.).
In the ratoon crop, plants that produced
the heavier bunchs were those that received
treatment T4 (Table 2), followed by plants
fertilized with 50% inorganic fertilizers and
3.6 kg of chicken manure. The addition of
organic matter improved the physico-chemical
properties and the biological components of
Table 4. Yield and value of production at the end of the mother plant crop.
Treatment Production Value in Value in
(kg/ha) Colombian pesos $US*
T1 15 745 4 723 776 1417
T2 14 160 4 248 000 1274
T3 14 627 4 388 184 1316
T4 16 779 5 033 880 1510
T5 17 303 5 191 056 1557
T6 15 377 4 613 328 1384
T7 15 887 4 776 256 1433
T8 17 671 5 301 504 1590
T9 18 662 5 598 864 1680
T10 16 468 4 940 424 1482
* 1 $US = 2950 Colombian pesos (Editor’s note).
40
the soil, but this study shows that the effect
of organic fertilizers became more marked
after a certain amount of time which, in this
investigation, was at the end of the ratoon crop.
As shown in Table 2, plants of all treatments,
including the control which received only
organic material at planting, had increased
bunch weights in the ratoon crop.
Table 3 describes the data on the chemical
analysis of the experimental soil after the
mother plant crop.
The addition of organic fertilizers such as
chicken manure had a beneficial effect on
the chemical properties and organic matter
content of the soil, which increased from 2.2
to 4.1%. Similarly, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn and B
content increased after the mother plant crop.
The effects on the level of P were not clear.
The level of Cu changed only in the control
treatment.
Table 4 shows the economic analysis for
the ratoon crop. Treatments with increased
production were T5, T8 and T9, whereas
treatments with lower production were T2 and
T3. However, it should be emphasized that the
yield in this experiment was between 14.2 and
18.6 tonnes/ha which, in general terms, can be
considered satisfactory.
With respect to the profitability of plantain
cultivation, according to the type and rate
of fertilizer application, Table 5 presents the
costs of each treatment and their respective
net profit. In strictly economic terms, T10
(control) was the most profitable, as needing
least financial investment. T9 was second in
profitability because the source of organic
material costs nothing apart from transport.
The most profitable treatments also included
T8 and T5. In the zone where the experiment
was carried out, chicken manure is very
expensive and hence increases production
costs. The least profitable treatments were T2,
T3, T6, T1 and T7. The first group of treatments
combined organic and inorganic fertilizers
(except T4), whereas the remaining treatments
InfoMusa - Vol 12 - No.1