Supplementary irrigation in banana trees Prata common in the western brazilian Amazon

Abstract

In the state of Acre, banana cultivation is an agricultural and commercial highlight. This success is due to several factors such as suitability to soil and climate conditions, possibility of production throughout the year, high demand from retail and wholesale consumers. However, limited water availability during agricultural operations is a reality for many producers. In baniculture, studies on irrigation management enable producers to choose the management appropriate to their reality and thus guarantee the expected productivity. Therefore, the objective of the work was to evaluate the effects of different irrigation depths on the growth and productivity of the common Prata banana irrigated by microsprinkler in environmental conditions in the western Brazilian Amazon. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of the Federal University of Acre, Rio Branco, Acre. The experimental design adopted was randomized blocks, with four blocks, six plants per block. The statistical arrangement used was plots subdivided into two levels, with five irrigation depths (0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 L plant^-1 day^-1) in the plots and two production cycles in the subplots totaling ten treatments and one hundred and twenty plants. The evaluation of vegetative and productive characteristics of common Prata banana was carried out at flowering and harvest. At flowering, the number of days between planting and flowering was determined; at harvest, plant height (m) was measured with a height ruler, pseudostem circumference (cm) with a graduated tape, leaf number and number of days between planting and harvest and days between flowering and harvest determined by counting. After this step, the mass of the bunch (kg), the bunch (kg) and the rachis (kg) was measured using an electronic hand scale, the productivity (kg ha^-1) obtained by the product of the bunch mass by the number of plants per hectare and number of bunches and fruits per count. In the evaluation, the factor related to irrigation had an effect on the variables number of days between planting and harvesting, regarding the production cycle, all variables were significant. In the interaction of factors, only the number of bunches per fruit and per bunch was significant. Water supplementation makes little contribution to the general characteristics of the common Prata banana tree in Rio Branco, Acre. The succession of crops in common Prata banana is mainly responsible for the increase in plant performance.