Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

468 Les productions bananières / Bananas and food security – Session 2
3 - Fluvents 10 - Ustolls 15 - Aquructs
7 - Aquepets 12 - Aqualfs 16 - Ustults
8 - Tropets 13 -Ustualfs SC - Forest and Reserve Land
Figure 3. Soil map of the lower northern region of Thailand (DOLD 1992).
Fruiting season: July-September due to high demand from the domestic market
during the Buddhist Lent Festival.
Planting method: Kluai Khai is planted in holes (50 x 50 x 50 cm.) after land
preparation. This may be done by man or machine.
Planting material: Sword leaf sucker. Unfortunately, banana tissue culture plantlets
are rejected by farmers due to their price and management requirements.
Fertilization: Formula 15 – 15 – 15 about 100 – 160 kg/Rai for young banana plants.
Formula 13 – 13 – 21 about 80 – 100 kg/Rai for flowering banana plants.
Irrigation: Most farms depend on rainfall. Furrow irrigation is practised during long
dry periods.
Sucker pruning: To keep only 2 – 3 suckers/mother plant.