STM Article Repository

A field experiment was conducted for 10 months in banana (Musa spp. variety Nendran) in
Randomized Block Design with eight treatments in three replications at the College of Agriculture,
Trivandrum, Kerala, India to assess the feasibility of applying a rapid organic fertilizer and the
response of banana crop with regard to the soil properties, nutrient mineralization, crop biometric
characters and bunch yield. The rapid organic fertilizer produced by thermochemical processing of
degradable solid waste was compared with farmyard manure based and soil test based fertilizer
recommendations. Treatments to study the combined effect were also included. Fertilizers were
applied basally and in six split doses as stipulated in the recommended package of practices. The
rapid organic fertilizer imparted a better buffering action to soil and without significant changes in
electrical conductivity, ensuring a continuous steady supply of major nutrients synchronous with the
active growth stages of the crop. Biometric characters like number of leaves and pseudostem girth,
bunch weight, productivity and total dry matter production also differed significantly. Correlation
studies revealed strong positive correlation of number of leaves and pseudostem girth with bunch
yield. It can be inferred that the organic fertilizer produced by rapid thermochemical decomposition of
solid wastes is a viable, effective replacement to farmyard manure for banana cultivation.