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Transactions on Science and Technology Vol. 9, No. 2, 43 - 52, 2022
Gobilik et al., 2021. Transactions on Science and Technology. 9(2), 43 - 52
TRANSACTIONS ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Growth, Yield and Economic Potential of
Cavendish Banana Planted in Oil Palm Gaps
Januarius Gobilik1,2#, Mattunjan Md. Epin1, Hamdy Roslie1,
David Benjamen Lintua3, Kenneth Rodrigues4,
Suzan Benedick1, Abdul Hamid Ahmad5
1 Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Locked Bag 3, 90509 Sandakan, Sabah, MALAYSIA.
2 Ecofarm Management Centre, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MALAYSIA.
3 KB Agro Tech Sdn. Bhd., Peti Surat 69, 89260 Tenghilan, Sabah, MALAYSIA.
4 Institute of Plant Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MALAYSIA.
5 Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MALAYSIA.
#Corresponding author. E-Mail: jgobilik@ums.edu.my; Tel: +60 89 634 000; Fax: +60 89 634 111.
ABSTRACT The mortality of a few trees leads to the emergence of palm gaps or unproductive areas in oil palm plantations.
These areas offer the potential for integrating a secondary crop, such as, the Cavendish banana (Musa acuminata Colla).
This banana is a well-established clonally propagated variety which is well known to local planters, but to date, little
information is reported about its agronomy, yield, management, and economic potential as an intercrop in oil palm
plantations. In the present study, Cavendish suckers were planted in palm gaps and the respective information was
assessed. The suckers were collected from the mother plants in Kota Belud, Sabah. The suckers were planted in polybags
for conditioning, and after a month, transplanted at 1.8 m 1.8 m distance in palm gaps of the oil palm area in UMS Campus,
Sandakan. The planting density was 10 saplings/(2.3 m x 6.0 m) gap. Weeds were machine-cut in the first 11 months, but
after that, only when necessary. The weeds were also controlled with application of Glyphosate once/year. Fertilizer was
applied once/year as 0.5 kg of NPK15:15:06, NPK15:15:15, and NPK12:12:17, respectively. Compost was added once/year
as 1.5 kg of chicken dung and goat manure, respectively. Trees yielded fruits within seven to eight months of transplantation.
The banana trees were 2.2±0.2 m tall at fruiting. The yield was 14.6±0.2 kg banana-hand/bunch. The banana hands were
2.0±0.1 kg/hand. There were seven banana hands per bunch, with a weight that ranged from 3.29±0.22 kg (top), 1.92±0.05
kg (middle) to 1.37±0.19 kg (bottom/last) per hand. The banana hands were sold at RM4.0/kg. The profit was RM56.0/bunch,
or RM4.06/m2/banana. The net profit was RM40.39/banana, or RM29.26/m2, not accounting fruit processing and marketing
costs, which was not so applicable in this study. In addition, the banana foliage shaded and thereby suppressed the growth
of weeds, reducing the manpower and associated cost of weeding in the oil palm area.
KEYWORDS: Cavendish; Musa acuminata; Banana growth and yield; Oil palm integrated banana; Oil palm management.
Received 2 May 2022 Revised 28 June 2022 Accepted 30 June 2022 In press 30 June 2022 Online 8 July 2022
© Transactions on Science and Technology
Original Article
INTRODUCTION
Oil palm is one of the important crops in Malaysia. In Sabah, 1.35 million ha of agricultural land
has been planted with this crop. It contributed 16.1% of the RM85.4 billion gross domestic product of
Sabah in 2021 (Fadzli, 2021). Oil palms, however, are prone to basal stem rot which has been attributed
to Ganoderma infection and subsequent mortality due to this disease. The infected young palms die
within one or two years, while the mature palms in around three or more years (Nur Akmal et al.,
2020; Corely & Tinker, 2003). So far, identification of an effective treatment for this disease is still
researched. Replanting in the affected areas is ineffective, as Ganoderma infection can still happen to
the replanted palms even several years after the dead palms have been removed. Ganoderma can
remain dormant in soils and lead to recurring infections even after many years (Nur Akmal et al.,
2020). The threat by Ganoderma infection to the wellbeing of the oil palm industry will be a cause for
concern over the next few years if not decades. That threat is there for a long period, but the future of
the cropless spaces is another concern. Once the palms die, the affected areas are likely left palm-free
for many years. These areas will still need to be cleaned from weeds and bushes to avoid the areas
from becoming the homes for rats and other pests of oil palms. In other words, the cropless areas are
not only unproductive but have financial implications for the plantation maintenance budget. To turn
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the cropless spaces to be monetarily productive, it is suggested that a secondary crop, such as, the
Cavendish banana be introduced. This banana is considered to be a good choice for smallholder oil
palm planters, especially for those who are facing a serious Ganoderma problem on their palms, to
plant in oil palm gaps as a secondary crop, as it has a better average price per weight (RM7.50/kg as
sold online). Cavendish banana is not new to this country. In 2000, there were already 31,000 ha of
banana plantations in Malaysia of which almost half of the areas were cultivated with Cavendish
banana and Pisang Berangan; the yield was 550,000 tonnes/year where 31,700 tonnes/year were
exported (Hassan, 2002). The outlook of the banana industry in Malaysia, however, is a cause for
concern. In 2017, the production was only 350,000 tonnes/year from 35,000 ha plantations, and the
banana import cost increased steadily from just over RM0.10 million/year in 2010 to RM37.8
million/year in 2017, which was only RM2.6 million lower than the export value leading to a markedly
small return in trade (KRI, 2019). It is possible that the expansion of Cavendish banana production by
intercropping with palm oil could also reduce the banana import cost of the country. To date,
however, little information is available about the growth performance, yield and economic potential
of Cavendish banana production in oil palm gaps or even on local farms in Sabah. The present paper
reports on data about that gap of knowledge based on the high-density planting of Cavendish banana.
METHODOLOGY
Experimental Plot Establishment and Management
The banana plots were established in February 2021 in palm gaps in 1.43 ha (3.53 acres) oil palm
area. The oil palms were planted in 2007 at 9.14 m (30 feet) planting distance. The palms were managed
over the last four years following the procedures approved by the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil
(MSPO) certification scheme. Within that oil palm area, the weeds were controlled by machine-
slashing where-and-when necessary and one-round/year application of Glyphosate (1.98L/round).
There were three major palm gaps (PG1–3) in the area. PG1 was vacant of three oil palm trees, PG2 of
three trees (Figure 1(A)), and PG3 of four trees. PG1 was located at the periphery of the plantation,
while PG2 and PG3 were within the oil palm area. PG1 and PG2 experienced short flood-periods and
water logging of around 20 cm water-depth and up to one-week long during rainy seasons, before the
drainage system was upgraded by end of 2021; the banana usually survived the flood. The banana
suckers were planted once the weeds in the gaps were completely died after the routine weedicide
program in the oil palms.
Cavendish Banana Planting and Maintenance
Ten Cavendish suckers were collected from the mother plants in Kota Belud, Sabah. The population
in Kota Belud was established from tissue culture; it was brought in from Kedah, but the type or
cultivar was unknown. The suckers were planted in polybags in the Faculty of Sustainable
Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sandakan and some were repropagated through bulb cutting
and slicing (Figure 1(B)). After showing a good recovery, the suckers were transplanted in PG1 at 1.8
m 1.8 m distance, similar to the distance used in Australia as reported by Schelfhout (2014); it was a
high-density planting with the target to reduce light penetration and plant photosynthetic activity
below the banana canopy so that the weeds are not growing well. Approximately, there were 10
bananas/(2.3 m x 6.0 m) gap, or 3086 bananas/ha, extrapolated from the 1.8 m 1.8 m planting distance.
Once the banana in PG1 produced new suckers, the suckers, except for the largest one, were collected
and planted in PG2 again at 1.8 m 1.8 m distance. The largest suckers were retained as replacement
trees. To expedite the plot establishment, a few suckers were purchased from a supplier in Lahad
Datu, Sabah and planted in PG2. Again, new suckers from PG1 and PG2 were transplanted in PG3.
Only a simple land preparation was carried out at every planting point: the soil particles were
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chopped and scraped with hoe to form about 20-cm high soil mound where in the middle was the
hole for planting. Once planted, the bananas were maintained as described in Table 1; many of the
tasks were carried out during leaf maintenance. Overall, 52 banana suckers were planted, of which 16
suckers were Cavendish where 14 suckers were in PG2. The rest were other cultivars: Pisang Raja (14),
Pisang Budak (4), and Pisang Berangan (18). The Cavendish banana hands produced in this study
were sold directly to customers at RM4.0/kg.
Table 1. Planting and maintenance of Cavendish banana planted in the oil palm gaps.
Activities
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Planting
Fertiliser (chemical)
NPKY
NPKG
NPKB
Fertiliser (organic)
Weeding (cut)
Weeding (weedicide)
Leaf pruning (frequency)
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Base soil-mounding
Pest/Disease
*NPKY (NPK yellow 15:15:06), NPKG (NPK green 15:15:15), and NPKB (NPK blue 12:12:17) each at 0.5 kg/banana. Organic
compost: 1 kg/banana of chicken dung and goat manure, respectively. These fertiliser applications follow the common
practice applied in the studied oil palm area. Weedicide: Glyphosate, 0.15L for both PG1 and PG2. Leaf pruning: only old
leaves were removed. Base soil-mounding: soil was mounded at the base of the banana clumps. Pest/Disease: 10 g/banana
of Carbofuran. The banana bells (male bud) were removed once the last fully formed hands were opened.
Data Collection and Analysis
Growth and yield traits of the Cavendish banana in PG1 and PG2 were measured during fruiting
and harvesting. Light intensity under the canopy was measured only during fruiting (340 days after
the plot establishment) from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM using a lux meter (HI-97500 Portable Lux Meter) at
two-hour intervals. Information was recorded on the number of staff and time taken to carry out the
project to estimate the labour load. Costs associated with the project were calculated. The bananas in
PG3 were still young and thus not assessed. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Growth and Replacement Trees
The bananas trees were well established and productive (refer Figure 1(C) and Table 2). Seven to
eight months after transplantation, the bananas flowered. At flowering, the banana trees were
2.19±0.23 m tall and had 3–5 suckers of different sizes. The second batch of bananas fruited 124 days
(4 months) after the first bunch was harvested. The duration from shoot induction to harvest was 85
days. The mother plant in Kota Belud, Sabah was 2.8 m tall and flowered at the age of 7–9 months
(Table 2). In West Malaysia, generally, Cavendish banana has been reported to be 1.8–2.0 m tall and
flowers when 7–9 months old (Hassan, 2002). Jamaluddin (1996) reported also in Malaysia that the
times to shoot (bloom) of Cavendish Goldfinger, Novaria (Grand Nain mutant), Williams, and Montel
(semi-dwarf Grand Nain) cultivars were 11.0, 7.1, 7.4, and 8.2 months, respectively. In Australia,
Cavendish ‘Williams’ was 3.4–3.5 m tall (2.5 m tall for first generation), flowered after 12 months old,
with the first harvest was in 18 months, and the suckers produced new bunches when 12–16 months
old (Newley et al., 2008). To date, little is reported about sucker production of various cultivars of
Cavendish banana. The cavendish banana in this study is slightly taller than that in West Malaysia.
Being planted in a high density, the banana in this study shaded one another. Plants in a crowded
stand tend to grow taller as a result of light competition (Nagashima & Hikosaka, 2011).
Gobilik et al., 2022. Transactions on Science and Technology. 9(2), 43 - 52 46
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(A) (B)
(C) (D) (E)
Figure 1. Cavendish banana production in oil palm gaps. A: Bulb cutting macro-propagation technique - the bulb was
collected, gouged out of central meristem, and cut lengthwise halfway through to six equal sections to encourage lateral bud growth; B: Oil
palm gap - it is usually densely covered by weeds; C: Cavendish banana planted in oil palm gap – the weeds on the ground failed to grow
well; D: Cavendish banana bunch harvesting - it was harvested at 75% ripe; and E: Ripened Cavendish banana hand (colour index 2 to 3) –
it was artificially ripened without an application of ethylene; it was wrapped in newspapers, packed in a plastic bag and left in non-air-
conditioned room (c. 28°C).
The banana fruited at the age similar to that in West Malaysia but faster than that in Australia. The
climate of Australia is not natural for banana; so, phenological adaptation, such as, change in maturity
time, is expected. In terms of replacement, the banana in this study produced new suckers well and
just at the right number, i.e., not too crowded. That means the clusters are less dense and do not
provide a good hiding place for oil palm pests, such as, rats, or in other words, the Cavendish banana
cultivar used in this study is a practical choice to be integrated with oil palms. Stem and corm borers
were not found during this study, but a few attacks were found in the adjacent plot of Pisang
Berangan.
The above agronomic evaluations need to be taken with caution, as the genetic antecedents of the
cultivar planted in this study are not known and may not be similar to those cultivated in Australia,
or in other parts of Sabah and Malaysia, and in addition, the climatic conditions in Australia are
markedly different. It is widely known that there are differences in genetic potential of different
cultivars and differences in growth as well as yield performance of the same cultivar at different
geographical locations or different management regimes. In Malaysia, other than the four cultivars
mentioned above, there are several other Cavendish cultivars, i.e., Cornel, Cabana/Sun King Banana,
Mr Banana, and Grand Nain. While in Australia, there are Hybrids, Williams, Mons or Dwarf
Cavendish, Ladyfinger, and Goldfinger (Newley et al., 2008). In Africa, there are, for example, Grand
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Nain (2.88 m tall), Zelig (2.67 m), and Williams (3.48 m) (Fonsah et al., 2007). It is not known which of
those cultivars is the one that was planted in the present study. Little information is published about
each of those cultivars to provide the clues. Jamaluddin (1996) reported that in Malaysia, Goldfinger,
Novaria, Williams and Montel heights were 211.0, 182.0, 184.0 and 182.6 cm tall, respectively. Fonsah
et al. (2007) reported that the shortest in their research was Zelig. Zelig is only 25 cm taller than the
2.42 m height in this study, while it is only 13 cm shorter than the mother plant in Kota Belud. The
mother plant has closely similar height to Grand Nain.
Yield
On average, the banana bunch was 15.6±0.2 kg/bunch, banana-hands per bunch was 14.6±0.2
kg/bunch, and banana hand was 2.0±0.1 kg/hand (Table 2). When extrapolated, the data indicate that
the yield can be 45.1 (i.e., 14.6 x 3086) tonnes/ha/session, assuming that all saplings are of the same age
during planting and fruit at the same time. There were seven banana hands per bunch, weighing from
3.29±0.22 kg (top), 1.92±0.05 kg (middle) to 1.37±0.19 kg (bottom/last) per hand (Table 2). The mother
plants of the banana in Kota Belud, however, have produced 34 kg/bunch and 12 banana-hands/bunch
(Table 2), indicating the genetic potential of the banana cultivar used in this study.
Table 2. Growth and yield traits of Cavendish banana planted in oil palm gaps (PG1 and PG2).
Banana traits
PG1
(Average ±SD)
PG2
(Average ±SD)
Overall in PG
(Average ±SD)
Mother plant
in Kota Belud*
Plant height (m)
2.0±0.1
2.3±0.1
2.2±0.2
2.8
Leaf length (cm)
–
180.0±14.1
180.0±14.1
–
Leaf width (cm)
–
87.0±14.1
87.0±14.1
–
Sucker count
2.5±0.7
4.0±1.0
3.3±1.1
–
Planting to shoot (days)
188.5±16.3
244.3±24.0
216.4±39.5
–
Shoot to harvest (days)
78.0±7.1
92.7.0±7.6
85.3±10.4
–
Banana bunch length (cm)
65.0±7.1
74.0±6.5
69.5±6.4
97
Banana bunch width (cm)
36.0±8.5
29.7±6.5
32.8±4.5
41
Banana bunch weight (kg)
15.5±3.8
15.7±2.3
15.6±0.2
34
Banana hand count
7.0±0.0
7.7±0.6
7.3±0.5
12
Banana finger count
15.1±0.8
14.9±1.5
15.0±0.2
25
Banana hand length (cm)
15.6±0.5
15.6±0.9
15.6±0.0
16
Banana hand width (cm)
27.0±0.0
25.3±3.2
26.1±1.2
32
Banana hand total weight (kg)
14.5±2.3
14.8±2.2
14.6±0.2
23
Banana (top) hand weight (kg)
3.45±0.49
3.13±0.23
3.29±0.22
3.5
Banana (middle) hand weight (kg)
1.95±0.21
1.88±0.16
1.92±0.05
1.9
Banana (bottom) hand weight (kg)
1.50±0.14
1.23±0.25
1.37±0.19
1.1
*For comparison: Record was limited for calculation of average ± SD. The banana hand size (length width)
and weight, or the banana bunch size and weight, can be used to calculate the volume and weight of packing-
box, or cargo, respectively.
In Malaysia, the yield was reported to be 20–30 kg/bunch (Hassan, 2002), but a few local farmers
reported it in social media to be 25–40 kg/bunch. Jamaluddin (1996) reported, also in Malaysia, that
weights/bunch of Goldfinger, Novaria, Williams and Montel cultivars were 26.2, 22.1, 20.9, and 22.9
kg, and yields/ha were 34.9, 29.5, 27.9, and 30.2 tonnes, respectively. In Australia, the average of
Cavendish ‘Williams’ yield was 40–43 tonnes/ha, depending on the sites, where in some areas it was
52–118 tonnes/ha with bunch weight of 25–56 kg/bunch (Schelfhout, 2014). The common yield in
Australia at 2500–3333 banana-trees/ha was 60.3–71.5 tonnes/ha (Schelfhout, 2014). In Africa, the yield
was 47.92–65.92 tonnes/ha, 30.51–32.55 kg/bunch, and 7.9–9.4 hands (Fonsah et al., 2007). The
yield/banana in the present study was found to be markedly lower as compared to the yields that have
been reported by other studies conducted in Malaysia and Australia. Even the yield of Cavendish
Gobilik et al., 2022. Transactions on Science and Technology. 9(2), 43 - 52 48
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‘Williams’ reported by Jamaluddin (1996) is still markedly lower than that in Australia. If the banana
in this study achieves the bunch weight and hand number of the mother plants, the expected
yield/area can be 104.9 tonnes/ha. It could also be possible that the weight/hand will be increased and
be almost the same for all hands when the hands are reduced to only five per bunch. The extrapolated
data in this study indicate the possibility that the yield/ha could match that in Australia, but this view
has to be taken with caution for the factors stated earlier on the differences in genetic potential and
climatic condition. The difference in the hand number could not be explained, but as will be
commented below, perhaps there is an issue in nutrient supply balance in this study to support a
production of large-size bunch of the banana. The contribution of the organic compost to the growth
and yield of the banana in this study is not yet clear, but it is well accepted that organic matter can
increase plant nutrient uptake, which eventually lead to a better growth and yield.
Economics and Return on Investment (RoI)
At RM4.0/kg, the average profit was RM58.40/bunch (1 bunch = 1 banana tree = 14.6 kg/banana-
hands), or about RM42.32/m2. It was RM62.40/bunch when the bunch stalk was not removed. At
RM7.50/kg, which is the average price of Cavendish banana advertised online, the income can be
RM109.50/banana or RM79.3/m2. The annual costs of labour and chemicals to maintain 52 bananas
were RM936.84, i.e., RM18.01/banana (refer Table 3 and Table 4), excluding the cost for fruit processing
and marketing, which was not calculated in this study. Thus, the net profit estimated for the
Cavendish banana was RM40.39/banana or RM29.26/m2.
Table 3. Expenditure for labour.
Activities
Number of
staff
Hour/
round
Round
/ year
Cost
(RM)/hr
Total cost
(RM)
Cost (RM)/
banana
Planting
2
8
1
6.75
108.00
2.08
Fertilizer Application
1
1
3
6.75
20.25
0.39
Leaf maintenance
1
1
24
6.75
162.00
3.12
Fruit maintenance
1
0.5
3
6.75
10.13
0.19
Weed control (manual)
2
1
11
6.75
148.50
2.86
Weed control (chemical)
1
1
1
6.75
6.75
0.13
Pest and disease control
1
1
1
6.75
6.75
0.13
Banana-base soil maintenance
2
8
3
6.75
324.00
6.23
Total (RM)
786.38
15.12
*The costs for fruit processing from picking to packing and for marketing were not included because this
study did not involve these tasks and there was no specific cost can be calculated.
Table 4. Expenditure for fertilizers, weedicides and energy.
Materials
Quantity
Number of
bananas
Round/
year
Cost (RM)/
item
Total cost
(RM)
Cost (RM)/
banana
Glyphosate (L/two plots)
0.15
–
1
11.50
1.73
0.03
NPK Yellow (kg/tree)
0.50
52
1
1.60
41.60
0.80
NPK Green (kg/tree)
0.50
52
1
1.60
41.60
0.80
NPK Blue (kg/tree)
0.50
52
1
1.60
41.60
0.80
Carbofuran (kg/tree)
0.005
52
1
40.00
10.4
0.20
Petrol (L/two plots)
0.60
–
11
2.05
13.53
0.26
Total (RM)
150.46
2.89
The profit is expected to be lower when the cost for fruit processing and marketing is included and
much lower when monoculture farming of Cavendish banana is considered, as land preparation
requires a significant amount of financial investment. In the present study, the advantage was that
land preparation cost was not applicable, as the work was carried out when the oil palm area was
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established in 2007. It has to be noted as well that the RM4.0/kg was an end user price. It will be
markedly lower when the bananas are sold to intermediaries. Other factors are supply and age of
saplings, which will affect the total fruiting banana stems/area and the profit/ha. The supply is limited
by the number of suckers produced by the mother plants (will not be a problem for saplings produced
using tissue culture technique) and the age is different between saplings. So, the banana trees at the
same area will not shoot (fruit) at the same time. Generally, the data indicated that integrating a
Cavendish banana production in oil palm plantation, namely, in oil palm gaps can be profitable,
depending on the strategies to address the aforementioned factors.
Nutrient Management and Weed Control
Fertilizer was applied as 0.5 kg NPK15:15:06, 0.5 kg NPK15:15:15, and 0.5 kg NPK12:12:17 per
banana once a year. Compost was added once a year as 1.0 kg chicken dung and 1.0 kg goat manure
per banana. In other words, each banana received 0.21 kg N/year, 0.091 kg P/year, and 0.16 kg K/year.
In Australia, for 50 tonnes/ha production of Cavendish ‘Williams’, the plants (2500–3333/ha) require
(per ha/year) 2000 kg Potassium sulphate (43% K), 1400 kg UAN (Flexi-N: 42.2% N) (or at least 260 kg
N/ha, which is equivalent to 56 kg Urea/ha/month), 160 kg Magnesium sulphate, 160 kg
Monoammonium phosphate (MAP: 27% P and 12% N), 48 kg Zinc sulphate, 40 kg Manganese
sulphate, 4 kg Iron sulphate, 4 kg Copper sulphate, and 530 kg Calcium nitrate (24% Ca, 17% N, and
59% O) (Schelfhout, 2014). For the farm in Australia, each banana received 0.21–0.28 kg N/year, 0.013–
0.017 kg P/year, and 0.26–0.34 kg K/year. It appears that the fertiliser application rate in this study, at
least for N, matches the rate used by commercial farms. However, the bananas have nutrient
imbalance issue, for instance, have received higher P but lower K supply compared to that on the
commercial farms. Fertiliser application in Table 1 has to be modified for example Monoammonium
phosphate and Potassium sulphate are used so that the supply of P and K can be balanced.
The weeds were machine-cut every month during the first 11 months, but after that, only when
necessary. Glyphosate was applied once/year to reduce further the growth of weeds in the plots. Over
time, the bananas grew bigger, shaded and suppressed the weeds on the ground from having an
effective photosynthetic activity to grow well (Figure 1(C)). The light intensity under the banana
canopy (Table 5) was lower than the ideal rate for effective photosynthesis. Plant photosynthetic
activity in open area peaks around 10:00 AM of which the ambient photosynthetic photon flux density
(PPFD) during that period is around 600–700 µmol/m2/s (Ibrahim & Jaafar, 2011). The peak is achieved
at 2:00 PM in glasshouse condition (Ibrahim & Jaafar) where they may be shading, but the PPFD values
(Table 5) are expected to have not supported the weeds to have an effective photosynthetic activity.
At the edge of the plots, PPFD was still high, such as, in location A (Table 5), but this involved only a
small part of the plots. With the reduction of effective photosynthetic activity, the weeds had less
energy to grow, and weedicide was not markedly required, which eventually reduced the cost of
weeding.
Table 5. Light intensity (µmol/m2/s) under the canopy of Cavendish banana planted in oil palm gap.
Time
Locations in Palm Gap 2 (PG2)
Average (±SD)
A
B
C
6:00 AM
1.11
0.92
1.11
1.05±0.11
8:00 AM
57.90
65.68
66.05
63.21±4.60
10:00 AM
462.50
196.10
94.72
252.11±189.96
12:00 PM
1929.55
197.77
200.73
776.01±998.99
2:00 PM
1594.70
175.01
162.25
643.98±823.37
4:00 PM
194.25
53.65
106.38
118.09±71.03
6:00 PM
7.22
3.70
4.07
4.99±1.93
Average (±SD)
606.75±810.79
98.97±88.34
90.76±74.86
265.49±295.56
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Fruit Management and Postharvest Considerations
Based on the experience in this study, regular customers were available and not an issue.
However, they commented about the long ripening-period after purchase. Cavendish banana was
suitable to be harvested between 12 and 15 weeks after blooming (Mustaffa et al., 1998). On average,
the banana in this study was harvested at 13 weeks after blooming (Figure 1(D)), which was well
within of that range, meaning the bunch was harvested at the appropriate maturity level. A test
indicated, however, that when ripened using the conventional method, the first banana hand, i.e., the
one that at the top of the banana bunch, ripened in five days and the last or bottom banana hand in 12
days. It is thus expected that customers who bought the bottom banana hand will complain about the
ripening period. Biologically, the age of the banana hands exhibits variation from the top to bottom of
the bunch. Observation in the field revealed that the interval between the opening of each hand was
two days. It means that if there are seven banana hands, the bottom hand is likely to be 14 days
younger than the top hand. Customers also commented about the texture of the banana skin, which
was rough with pale brown dots or blotches – not smooth and shiny as usual. This mark maybe due
to the situation that the bunch was exposed to rain and sunlight during the developmental period.
The banana bunches were not wrapped with plastic sheets as was usually practiced on many
commercial farms. Another comment was that the skin did not turn to bright yellowish colour (Figure
1(E)), dissimilar to that was usually seen for Cavendish banana. It is known that a good postharvest
facility, such as, the use of ethylene, is required to induce the Cavendish banana to ripe properly and
to attain a nice yellowish skin (DOA Sarawak, 2022). Cavendish banana skin turned yellowish when
ripened at 18°C but not at 27°C (Ding et al., 2005). Also, there was a comment that once ripened, the
banana tended to become overripe and half-spoiled in three days, which means naturally ripened
Cavendish is likely suitable only for local or the most within district markets as compared to those
ripened under controlled conditions of temperature and Ethylene. Overall, these comments indicate
that a guide on the proper fruit management in the field, including wrapping the bunch and reducing
the hands to only five or six per bunch, and a proper postharvest facility for the fruits are important
to support a good quality production of Cavendish banana. A company in Keningau has established
a Cavendish plantation that produces high-quality banana to set an example of monoculture
commercial farm in Sabah.
CONCLUSION
The present study indicated that intercropping Cavendish banana with palm oil production by
planting in oil palm gaps is potentially profitable. The expected net profit can be RM40.39/banana or
RM29.26/m2 at 1.8 m 1.8 m planting distance, depending on the land preparation cost, selling price,
marketing strategies, and approaches to address challenges, such as, lower fruiting banana stems/ha.
In addition to that benefit, the bananas will also shade and suppress the weeds on the ground from
growing well and reduce the cost of weeding. The findings will have a positive impact on the
management of oil palm plantation, because in any oil palm areas, death of a few trees can happen at
any time. The trees die because of disease or pest attack, or blown down by a strong wind. That creates
cropless gaps, which is unproductive and thus undesirable. Replanting the same crop in those gaps
can be impractical. The disease left in the soils by the dead plants, especially Ganoderma, will infest the
replanted plants. Also, the matured plants will shade the replanted one and suppress the latter from
growing well. As this study has shown, planting a secondary crop in the gaps, such as the Cavendish
banana, can turn the areas monetarily productive. This study is also hoped to give an idea for B40
families living adjacent to large oil palm plantation and the plantation owner to collaborate in order
to use oil palm gaps for Cavendish banana production. The families can be the contract farmers
especially when the plantation owner does not want to hire plantation workers for the banana
production. Future work is recommended to produce and publish an agronomy and postharvest
Gobilik et al., 2022. Transactions on Science and Technology. 9(2), 43 - 52 51
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TRANSACTIONS ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
manual suitable for the conditions in Sabah to guide and support many more local farmers to produce
Cavendish banana competitively for export purposes. The true identity of the locally planted
Cavendish is also important to be verified to ensure that the manual produced is specific to the genetic
potential of the respective cultivars.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank the Farm Crop Unit of the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture’s (FSA) Farm
Division for establishing and maintaining the experimental plots and for measuring the main data.
Thanks also to the FSA postgraduate students especially Ms. Rosie Laiza Henny for measuring the
additional data. This project was partially funded under the UMS internal grant (SDK0178-2020)
associated with improvement of crop production and student financial wellbeing during Covid-19
pandemic and beyond.
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