The Bananas of Upland East Africa

The Bananas of Upland East Africa -Factorial trial at Nyakato, Bukoba District

Factorial trial at Nyakato, Bukoba District

The site was on the ridge top, to the north of Bukoba (Tanzania Grid Reference UP673595) and at approximately 1295 m (4250 feet) asl. The shamba owner was Mr Protase Bwemelo, although the farm husbandry was excellently managed by Mrs Bwemelo, whose whole-hearted cooperation was much appreciated.

The shamba was in a generally good state with manured soil, this excellent farmer had cattle kept in the newly-promoted "zero grazing"

An amusing result of the zero grazing was the massive size of bananas growing around the outflow of manure from the cattle pen.

The site layout was a 10X10 stool completely randomized square layout.

COLUMN

ROW

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1

10

3

8

2

10

9

9

6

2

1

2

6

8

10

4

4

6

8

8

7

7

3

9

1

4

1

6

1

5

6

4

7

4

6

4

6

3

2

2

9

5

3

2

5

3

3

10

6

3

2

6

1

10

5

6

4

6

9

10

4

7

9

7

2

1

7

4

10

1

1

5

5

8

7

5

10

8

4

10

7

8

3

7

9

8

1

8

9

5

3

7

8

3

9

3

10

2

2

10

9

8

5

5

5

7

4

2

1

9

Planting work was on 17.6.89
The general state of the shamba can be seen in the background.
Note the pared corms and the traditional sword sucker.

The treatments were:

1 = sword sucker plus 5 debes cow manure with carbofuran pesticide 3 g a.i.;
2 = one debe of cow manure, no pesticide;
3 = 5 debes cow manure, no pesticide;
4 = NPK mixture, no pesticide;
5 = no manure, with carbofuran pesticide 3 g a.i.;
6 = no manure, isazaphos pesticide 3 g a.i.;
7 = 5 debes cow manure, with carbofuran pesticide 3 g a.i.;
8 = 5 debes cow manure, with isazophos pesticide 3 g a.i.;
9 = NPK mixture, with carbofuran pesticide 3 g a.i.;
10 = NPK mixture, with isazophos pesticide 3 g a.i.

Variations in growth photographed on 16.12.89 - treatments shown in bright green.

Pruning underway on 16.1.90.

Cleaned up stool after "pruning", 16.1.90

Variations in growth photographed in April 1990 - treatments shown in bright green.

Data on the germination and early leaf production are given in TABLE 6, calculations of factorial interactions are in TABLE 7 and a graph of the relation between height and girth (combined from the two factorial trials) is in FIGURE 4.

This shamba also had a Project demonstration site, at which many of the photographs of varieties were taken (see the section on Varieties).

©2000 - Brian Taylor CBiol FIBiol FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.
Visiting Academic in the Department of Life Science, University of Nottingham

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