Research Data for: Studies on High Density Planting and Nutrient Requirement of Banana in Different States of India

Data related to the article on the high density planting (HDP) and nutrient requirement of banana, conducted under the ICAR-All India Coordinated Research Project on Fruits, is being shared. The experiment was carried out at six research centers across different regions of India, including Bhubaneswar, Gandevi, Jalgaon, Jorhat, Kannara, and Mohanpur. The study aimed to increase banana productivity and farmers' profit by exploring the intervention of plant density and nutrition levels while maintaining regional choices of variety and production systems. The experiment employed a randomized block design (RBD) with four planting densities (S1P2, S1P3, S2P2, and S2P3) and three nutrition levels (F1, F2, and F3) compared to region-specific conventional practices as the control. The results showed that high density planting (S1P3) with a density of 5,000 plants per hectare and three suckers per hill at a spacing of 2m x 3m significantly increased banana productivity at the Bhubaneswar, Gandevi, Jorhat, Kannara, and Mohanpur centers. The productivity increase ranged from 28.9% to 50.6% at Bhubaneswar, 15.2% to 21.9% at Gandevi, 4.0% to 7.4% at Jorhat, 33.5% to 43.5% at Kannara, and 46.5% to 79.0% at Mohanpur. The nutrient requirement varied across centers, with 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) at Kannara, 75% RDF at Bhubaneswar and Mohanpur, and 50% RDF at Gandevi and Jorhat. These findings suggest potential cost savings of 25% to 50% for fertilizer input. To ensure higher productivity and profitability for farmers, it is recommended to implement high density planting (5,000 plants/ha) with three suckers per hill at a spacing of 2m x 3m and specific nutrient levels in the respective agro-climatic regions. The shared data provides valuable insights into optimizing banana cultivation practices and supports evidence-based decision-making in horticultural sciences.