Overview of Nutrient and Disease Management in Banana

Bananas are one of the most important crops for consumption as dessert and a staple food. In world trade for export, it ranks fourth among all agricultural commodities. The intensive cultivation of this crop warrants high yield and quality but requires extensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that not only pollutes the environment by residue accumulation but is also against the interests of sustainable agricultural practices. Integrated nutrient management is an economically sound preventive management option which could restore soil fertility and the productivity of banana. Other feasible management strategies include the use of resistant cultivars and the introduction of microorganisms or their mixtures in the rhizosphere to protect them against diseases, thereby leading to improved establishment as well as overall performance. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the strategies for the management practices to control the soil-borne pathogens in banana besides maintaining soil fertility.