Assessing the Productivity and Economic Sustainability of Banana Cultivation under Diverse Colored Plastic Mulches in Western Maharashtra Region of India

Aims: Banana is a heavy feeder of the nutrients. It is therefore, essential to study the crop with respect to color plastic mulches and irrigation scheduling. In this study, the effect of various colored plastic mulches on the growth and quality parameters of banana crop along with its economic feasibility was assessed. Study Design: This experiment followed a Complete Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with nine treatments (T1 to T9), each with three replications. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out at Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra for the period of one year (crop cycle of banana). Methodology: Different color plastic mulches in combination with varying irrigation schedule were evaluated for growth and yield of banana crop. Various growth parameters of banana crop, yield, micrometeorological parameters, water use efficiency and cost economics of banana production were evaluated for the different treatments. Results: The highest banana yield recorded was 84.45 tons per hectare, and this was achieved using silver-black plastic mulch in conjunction with daily drip irrigation set at 48% of the Pan Evaporation (Ep) rate, referred to as treatment T3. Treatment T3 led to 37% increase in banana yield compared to surface irrigation with 1.00 Irrigation Water to Cumulative Pan Evaporation (IW/CPE) ratio (treatment T9). The seasonal water requirement for banana cultivation with treatment T3 amounted to 1015 mm, resulting in an impressive water use efficiency of 83.18 kg ha-1 mm-1. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values exhibited a range from 0.3895 during the initial growth stage of the banana to 0.8918 at the peak growth stage. Conclusion: From an economic perspective, the utilization of silver-black plastic mulch emerged as the best choice among all treatments, boasting the highest benefit to cost ratio of 2.34 and yielding the maximum net income of ₹ 3, 86,286 per hectare.