This document provides an overview of banana production in Malaysia. It discusses the climate, soil, and variety requirements for growing bananas. The main varieties grown are Cavendish and Berangan. Production involves preparing the land, planting suckers or tissue cultured plantlets, fertilization, pruning, bunch management, and harvesting based on fruit color. Post-harvest operations include grading, packing, pre-cooling and storage to maximize shelf life. With proper care, average yields range from 13-36 metric tons per hectare depending on the variety and crop year.

1. Banana

2. Introduction
• Food security in the broad spectrum encompasses
issues of :
– Food availability
– Food accessibility
– Food affordability
– Food safety
• Known as AAA’S

3. Features
• Increase in food demand – increase
population.
• Competition for resource use - agricultural
vs. non-agricultural
• Occurrence of calamities – climate change
• Technology needs – productivity
enhancement
• Changing trends in food habit – Raw vs.
Processed.

4. Banana in Malaysia
• Most important fresh fruits
Durian > Pineapple > Banana
• Main producing areas
– Pahang: Raub & Lipis
– Perak: Parit, Kuala Kangsar & Larut Matang
– Johor: Kulang, Pontian & Batu Pahat
• Varieties planted more than 70 species.

5. Scientific Classification
• Family : Musaceae
• Genus : Musa
• Species : Musa acuminata
Desert banana ( A genome )
Musa balbisiana
Plantain / cooking banana ( B genome )

6. Climate
• Suitable to the tropical climate with small temperature
fluctuations from day to night and throughout the year.
• Temperature: determine the rate of banana growth &
developemnet.
– 21̊C – 32̊C
• Rainfall: crop has high water demand.
– Average requirement = 2000 mm – 2500 mm / year
– Evenly distributed throughout the year.
– 8 – 12 liter per day.

7. Soil
• Rich which means high fertility status & organic matter
content.
– 40 % clay, 75 % silt, 85 % loam.
• Suitable soil series:
– Tok Yong Series, Penambang Series, Kerayong Series,
Beserah Series, Kuantan Series, Gong Chenak Series.
• Optimum soil pH is 6.0 – 7.5.
• Low soil pH makes banana more susceptible to Panama
disease.

8. Desert – Pisang Berangan ( AA )
• Each bunch has 8 -12 hands and weighed 12 – 20 kg.
• Every hand has 12 -20 fingers.
• Medium to large size fingers ranges 12 – 18 cm in length
and 2.5 – 3.5 cm in thickness.
• Fruit skin is thick, smooth and yellow in colour when
ripen.
• It has yellowish orange, pleasant aroma and sweet flesh.

9. Desert – Cavendish ( AAA )
• The most popular cultivar grown is Montel, Comel, Cabana
and Sun King.
• Each bunch has 15 – 25 hands and weighed more than 20
kg.
• Large size fingers range 15 – 22 cm in length and 3.5 – 4.5
cm in thickness.
• Fruit skin is thick, smooth and yellow in colour when ripen.
• It has white, fine texture, pleasant aroma and sweet flesh.

10. Propagation
Method
Conventional In Vitro Planting
Tissue Culture
BIT
( Corm /
Rhizome)
Suckers
Sword
Suckers
Water
Suckers

11. Sword Sucker Water Sucker

12. Banana Corm

13. Planting Materials -
Conventional
• The bit ( corms / rhizome ) – flesh structure at
the base of the plant.
– Functioning as a food storage.
• Banana root systems arise from the corm.
• Suckers develop from the newer portion of the
corm.

14. • Suckers – vegetative shoots which develop
from the root stalk of corm.
• Young plants which grow at the base of the
parent plant.
• There are 3 types of suckers:
– Peepers
– Sword suckers
– Water suckers

15. • Sword suckers
– Robust conical in shape.
– Large suckers with narrow leaves & large rhizome.
– Best material planting material.
• Water suckers
– Poorly developed suckers.
– Broad leaves, weak & narrow pseudostem.
– Small corms.
– Lack of vigor and not recommended as planting material.

16. Peepers Plant Morphology

17. Planting Materials –
In - vitro
• In vitro techniques
– Process of tissue culture from parent plant to
produce young plantlets as planting materials.
• The processed to be done in a sterile condition.
• Mostly utilized by the big and established plantations
company.

18. Advantages of in - vitro
i. Large number of planting materials can be produced
within a short time.
ii. Ensures uniformity of size, shape and time of harvest.
iii. Healthy & vigorous growth.
iv. Shorter harvesting period.
v. Produce high yield potential.
vi. Pest and diseases tolerant if planted on clean uninfected
soil.

19. Disadvantages of in - vitro
i. High initial cost
ii. Intensive initial care
iii. Transmission of virus
iv. Physical instability in the field

20. Land Preparation
• Selected land must be cleared from any
vegetation, ploughed and harrowed.
• Followed by lining and holing according to
planting system and planting distance
selected.
• Square, rectangle / triangle planting systems
are recommended.

21. Planting System & Planting
Distance
• Inter cropping with permanent crops
– Recommended planting distance 3 m x 3 m
– 1 111 plants / ha
• Monoculture crop
– Recommended planting distance is 3.0 m x 1.5 m
– 2 222 plants / ha

22. Holling & Planting
• Size of planting holes is 45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm.
• Allow holes to weather for 2 – 4 weeks.
• About 100 g of Christmas Island Rock Phosphate (CIRP),
5 – 10 kg of organic fertilizer and 30 g of Furadan are
incorparated into each planting hole.
• Plant seedling with minimal disturbance to the roots.
• Soil around the plant should be tramped down firmly to
remove air pockets.

23. Pest &
Diseases
Pests
Corm Weevil /
Weevil Borer
Fruit
Fly
Stem Borer,
Weevil
Nematoda
Diseases
Sigatoka
Leaf Fusarium
Wilt
Mycosphaerella
musicola
Fusarium
oxysporium

24. Fertilizer Application Program
Time of Application Type of Fertilizer Rate (kg) /
Plant
At planting CIRP
Organic fertilizer
0.1
10
1 month after planting 15:15:15 or 14:14:14 0.3
3 months after planting 15:15:15 or 14:14:14 0.4
5 -6 months after
planting
12:12:17:2 or 12:16:22:3 0.5

25. Pruning
• Leaves of the banana plant need to be pruned regularly.
• Type of fronds / leaves to be pruned:
– Dead fronds
– Diseased fronds
– Too close to the fruit brunch
• To avoid fruit damage ( bruising).
• To enable free air circulation around the developing fruits.
• The pruned leaves are gathered in a selected site (in between
the planting rows)
– Provides natural mulch to the plants.

26. Desuckering or Thinning of the Suckers
• Process of removing unwanted suckers.
• Involve in the selection of the suckers to be removed
and that to be maintained as ratoon.
• Proper desuckering enable farmer to regulate cropping
whether to plant or program the harvesting seasons.
• Reduce unnecessary competition among suckers.
• Quality of bunches can also be improved.

27. Bunch Management – Bunch Propping
• Bunch propping is done to support banana
plants with bamboos or wooden poles.
• Therefore, 2 bamboos should be propped by
placing 1 against the top of the bunch and the
other one is against the stem on the leaning
side.

28. Bunch Management – Bunch Propping
Deflowering
• Removal the “Bell” – the purple male flower petals
at the end of the bunch.
– Also known as “banana blosson” / “banana heart”.
• It is cut off once the distance between the distal
hand and the top of the bell is at least 15 cm at 8 -
12 days after bunch emergence.

29. • Fruit bunches normally ready to be harvested
in 7 -9 weeks after bell formation.
• The time for harvesting depends on the
intended marketing strategy.
• Fruits for immediate marketing and foe local
consumption are harvested when they are
matured.

30. • For short distance transport, 90 % maturity
could be used.
• For long distance transport such as by ship,
75 % maturity is normally used.
• There are several criteria that can be used as
a guidance when harvesting the bananas
such as:

31. Maturation Periods
Variety Maturation Period
( Weeks After Shooting)
Cavendish (AAA) 20 – 23
Berangan (AA) 11 – 14
Nangka (AAB) 22
Awak (ABB) 8

32. Harvesting Indices
Ripeness
Index
Fruit Colour Characteristics
1 Dark green Fruits is unripe and not suitable yet to be harvested.
2 Green with a little bit yellow Fruit is almost matured, can be harvested for a long
transportation journey through ships.
3 More green than yellow Fruit is fully matured. Not suitable to be harvested for a long
transportation journey.
4 More yellow than green The fruit is almost ripe. Only suitable for the local market.
5 Yellow with a little bit at the
fruit tips
The fruit is ripe. Only suitable for the local market.
6 Yellow The fruit is ripe. Only suitable for the local market. The best
stage to be eaten freshly.
7 Yellow orangish The fruit is overripe. Only suitable for local market die to
short shelf life.

33. Harvesting Method
• Mechanical harvesting system use cable that
can run the banana from field to the processing
house.
• Advantages:
– Faster
– Easier
– Less damage to the harvested bunches

34. Average Production
Variety 1st Year
( mt / ha)
2nd Year
( mt / ha)
3rd Year
( mt / ha)
Berangan (AA) 13 26 24
Embun (AAA) 18 36 30
Mas (AA) 8 16 14

35. Post Harvest Operations
Removal of
pronounced
ridges
Dehanding
Washing,
delatexing &
fungicide
treatment
Drying
Packing Grading Pre -
cooling
Removal of
air &
ethylene
Storage Transportation
Banana
ripening
room

36. Banana Production -
Requirement
• Knowledge grower
• Systematic management