Efectos de la aplicación de estimulantes radiculares en el cultivo de banano (musa x paradisiaca)

Abstract

Banana cultivation represents a fundamental axis for the economic activity of the country, generating more employment opportunities than any other non-oil productive sector, significantly influencing the reduction of poverty in rural areas mainly. Banana production in Ecuador is carried out to a greater extent by small and medium-sized companies, which together represent more than 95% of the producers. The continuous modernization of many of the plantations has allowed raising the quality of their fruit to international quality standards and earning certifications such as ISO, HACCP, Rainforest Alliance, GLOBALGAP, among others. Due to the economic relevance of the banana sector, any adverse variation of the factors that affect its development would have serious consequences for the family economy, especially those in rural areas. With the aim of contributing to the increase in the productivity of banana plantations, the present titling work focuses on one of the most important aspects of banana crop nutrition, root stimulation. Taking as a premise that the vigor of the root system will allow the plant to efficiently take advantage of the nutrients provided by the soil and through fertilization, as well as the correct anchoring function, 11 products on the market aimed at root stimulation were evaluated. These products were arranged in 12 combinations (treatments) recommended by the commercial houses that own them. The results of the 12 treatments were contrasted with a control treatment (T13) to assess whether its effect on production parameters and root health justify its cost. The present research work was carried out on a farm with already established Williams clone banana cultivation. The experimental design used was a randomized complete block design. The area of each block was 0.3 hectares and within them the experimental units were distributed in a zigzag, to whom the biometric and production variables were assessed. The variables evaluated were: Percentage of healthy roots (PRS), bunch weight (PRC), hand weight (Pman), rachis weight (Praq), number of hands (NM), sun hand degree (GmS) , number of fingers of the hand of the sun (NDMS), degree of the last hand (GUM), length of fingers of the last hand (LDUM), number of leaves at calving (NHP) and days at calving (DPR) . Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 21 software; An analysis of variance (ANOVA) of one factor was carried out, thus determining that there were no statistically significant differences in the effects that the treatments exerted on the variable Percentage of healthy roots, however, it should be noted that treatments 12, 3, 8, 10 and 2 increased their value compared to the first evaluation. At the end of the investigation, treatment 12 was the one that reported a higher percentage of healthy roots (78, 26%). In the same way, for the production variables, no statistically significant differences were observed between the effects of the treatments, except for the variables degree of the last hand and length of the finger of the last hand.