Staver, C., Bustamante, O., Siles, P., Bioversity, France Deras, M., Matute, O., IHCAFE, Honduras

Castellon, J., Somarriba, F., UNAN Leon, Nicaragua Aguilar, C., INIA, Peru

Rivas, J., Cooperative SLShu, San Luis de Shuaro, Peru Quinde, K., CEPICAFE, Piura, Peru

Tapia, A., Brenes, S., UCR, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Growing Gros Michel bananas with coffee/trees: Addressing threats and opportunities

through farmer participatory research

ProMusa – Octobre 2011

Why study bananas with trees

- Banana ancestors found in disturbed vegetation (trees and shrubs)

- Fotos of unique banana germplasm often have trees in background

- Small holders grow banana in mixed gardens with trees - Asian home gardens - Forest zone plantains in SS Africa - Amazonian bananas transition to forest fallow

banana in coffee fields

(has)

Mexico 75000

Guatemala 43000

El Salvador 30000

Honduras 84000

Nicaragua 35000

Costa Rica 7000

TOTAL 255,000

Bananas in shaded coffee: Mesoamerica

banana in coffee fields (has)

Mexico 75000

Guatemala 43000

El Salvador 30000

Honduras 84000

Nicaragua 35000

Costa Rica 7000

TOTAL 255,000

Bananas in shaded coffee: Mesoamerica

Other countries LAC: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Haiti

Other countries Africa: Cameroon, Tanzania, Guinea Conakry, Ghana, Uganda

develop innovative knowledge and tools to improve grower management of bananas grown in shaded coffee based on strengthened grower observation and decision making (targeted to expanding high value and specialty markets)

Research objective:

(www.agroforestbanana.simasni.org)

Pilot zone Altitude (masl)

Total annual rainfall (mm)

Length of dry season (months)

Turrialba, CR 700-1200 2700 2

Monterrey, NIC 1000-1300 1500-2000 3

Yasica, NIC 1000-1300 1500-2000 2

Laureles, HON 1100-1200 3000 2

Tutule, HON 1000-1500 1300-1500 3

Central Selva, PERU

1000-1300 2000 4

Alto Piura, PERU 1000-1400 1100 7

7 pilot sites in 4 countries

Pilot sites:

Land use of interest

Rural households

Their organizations

Field organizations

Scientists:

National

Bioversity

ARIs

Inventory:

methods

technologies

Starting point

Starting point

Pilot sites:

Land use of interest

Rural households

Their organizations

Field organizations

Scientists:

National

Bioversity

ARIs

Inventory:

methods

technologies

Formal survey

Interviews

Field data

Preliminary

model

Formation

farmer

experimentation

group

Diagnostic:

Farms,

fields,

costs,

markets

Priorities

Experiments

Prototypes

Learning efforts

Field

studies

Field

studies

Models:

Component

integrated

Models:

Component

integrated

Lines of action/interaction

Starting point

Pilot sites:

Land use of interest

Rural households

Their organizations

Field organizations

Scientists:

National

Bioversity

ARIs

Inventory:

methods

technologies

Formal survey

Interviews

Field data

Preliminary

model

Formation

farmer

experimentation

group

Diagnostic:

Farms,

fields,

costs,

markets

Priorities

Experiments

Prototypes

Learning efforts

Field

studies

Field

studies

Models:

Component

integrated

Models:

Component

integrated

Lines of action/interaction

formal baseline study: - coffee, trees and bananas, - light partitioning, - banana cultivars

Preliminary results

farmer field observations and experimentation: - banana and tree management, - nutrient budgets, - status of Foc

action research hypotheses for farmers/scientists: - Foc containment, - agroecological intensification of bananas in shaded coffee

Costa

Rica Honduras Nicaragua Perú

Turrialba Laureles Tutule Yasica Monterrey

Selva

Central

Productive coffee (%)

31

(4) 57±8 21±3 55±8 46±6

52

±5

Coffee Density

(plants ha-1) 4244 ±242

5165± 233

3555± 266

4562± 245

5127± 248

5098 ±256

Banana Density

(plants ha-1)

553

±55 288 ±28

338 ±55

307 ±28

401 ±31

386

±32

Tree Density

(Number ha-1)

553

±57 161±

14 169±

27 189±

21 180±

27

197

±15

Basal area trees (m2 ha-1)

16.4

±1.9 11.7 ±1.2

6.9 ±1.5

7.7 ±0.8

8.6 ±1

9.1

±0.8

Tree species richness 4.4 6.6 6.8 7.1 6.5 3.8

Results: diagnostic shaded coffee with bananas

Costa Rica Honduras Nicaragua Perú

Turrialba Laureles Tutule Yasica Monterrey Alto Piura

Selva Central

Percent Light to coffee (%)

46 (3)

36 (4)

34 (3)

49 (6)

41 (5)

27 (3)

39 (2)

Percent Light to Banana (%)

68 (2)

68 (3)

84 (2)

79 (4)

52 (7)

47% (11)

50 (2)

Banana present above coffee (%)

61 (5)

47 (5)

64 (8)

61 (6)

60 (3)

46 (25)

56 (4)

Tree present above banana (%)

38 (5)

66 (4)

54 (8)

38 (6)

55 (4)

100 73 (7)

Light in different strata – shaded coffee with banana

Cultivar Costa Rica Honduras Nicaragua Perú

Turrialba Laureles Tutule Yasica Monterrey Alto Piura Selva Central

Gros Michel 651 557 307 494 709 234 1098

Congo 969 Ilholena (Isla,Habanero) 21 280

Coco 270 1 2

Plantain AAB 76 117 1 3 30

Sucrier Baby 44 102 2 6 16

Red Morado 9 3 94 23 5 16

Red Green 4 47 2 3 5

FHIA-25 36 1

Bluggoe 13 6 9 8 6

Gran Enano 4 1 2 2

Valery 2 5 98

FHIA-23 1 5

Silk 2 1

Guineo Negro 2

Pelipita 1

Dwarf Cavendish 138

Cultivars banana

Zone # mats/ha

Age of banana # tall stems/mat

# intermediate stems/mat 1-2 3-5 >5

Turrialba, CR 553 210 176 165 1.15 1.1

Laureles, HON 288 43 159 101 2.9 1.1

Tutule, HON 338 68 169 100 2.3 2

Yasica, NIC 307 107 92 98 2 1

Monterrey, NIC 401 80 140 180 1.7 1.2

Selva Central, PERU 386 77 135 174 1.9 1

How banana mats are managed

Priorities – Farmer proposed after 3 meetings on the state of coffee, trees, bananas,

costs - coffee pruning

- banana/coffee nutrition and fertilization

- banana/tree spacing and mgmt

- Panama disease

- more value for bananas

Test activities to redesign banana – tree layout in 25x25m plot

Pilot zone Thinning banana mats

Replanting banana

Pruning shade trees

Planting leguminous

shrubs Laureles 8 5 4 4

Tutule 4 3 2 3

Monterrey 4 6 10 3

Yasica 3 6 5 6

Alto Piura 4 5 7 3

Central Selva

5 7 11 8

Nutrient balance: Status of growers from different zones

grower qq coffee

Bunches banana

firewood Fertilizer applied Nutrient balance

N K N K

R. Tinoco 30 160 0 264 66 141 105

J. Sabillon

12 0 500 kg 70 20 11 31

W. Torrez

6 200 500 kg 115 0 55 68

M. Arauz 26 90 800 kg 225 40 90 90

I. Rochez

23 120 350 170 50 80 60

How long does the organism causing

this disease survive

in the soil?

What causes this type

of stem fall?

What is the cause of this damage

in bananas?

Pilot zone

Number of

farmers

% farmers answering question correctly

1 2 3

Yasica Sur, NIC 12 88 66 0

Tutule, HON 13 70 33 0

Laureles, HON 12 50 8 0

Turrialba, CR 13 16 62 8

Monterrey, NI 13 33 67 50

Alto Piura, PER 22 100 45 13

Total 85 61 (52/8

5)

44 (38/85)

11 (10/85)

1

2

1

3

Farmer knowledge of banana Foc

Zone More than 5% infestation Foc

Less than 5% infestation Foc

No Foc

Laureles 2 5 4

Tutule 3 1 4

Monterrey 3 8 4

Yasica 0 0 7

Grower by Grower status of Fusarium wilt and proposed strategies

Zone More than 5% infestation Foc

Less than 5% infestation Foc

No Foc

ACTION RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS: Managing Fusarium wilt under different scenarios

Replant with suckers from own farm / establish sucker nursery with vitroplants

No plants (coffee, fruit, shade, timber) from off-farm nurseries

Water for spraying from non-Foc sources

Avoid run-off and soil transport from off-farm

During coffee harvest, limit same day movement from Foc to non-Foc areas

Uproot Foc infected plants, pile in situ and promote decomposition

Plant Foc resistant cultivars

Limit use of soil for commercial nurseries

Zone More than 5% infestation Foc

Less than 5% infestation Foc

No Foc

ACTION RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS: Managing Fusarium wilt under different scenarios

Replant with suckers from own farm / establish sucker nursery with vitroplants

No plants (coffee, fruit, shade, timber) from off-farm nurseries

Water for spraying from non-Foc sources

Avoid run-off and soil transport from off-farm

During coffee harvest, limit same day movement from Foc to non-Foc areas

Uproot Foc infected plants, pile in situ and promote decomposition

Plant Foc resistant cultivars

Limit use of soil for commercial nurseries

Map and monitor over 2-3 year period

ACTION RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS: Agroecological intensification of banana by stages

Minimal improved Intermediate improved Advanced improved

More frequent deleafing Dehanding Increase KCl applications by 2-3 sacks/year

Desuckering to harvest max 2 bunches/mat/ year

Substitute a sack of KCl for a sack of urea

Debudding and marking plants with above average bunches / other characteristics

Prune leguminous shade trees for shade between 15-40%

Plant leguminous shrubs to be pruned for additional biomass

Elimination of poorly performing mats

Replant leguminous shade trees to ensure vigorous response to pruning

Monitor status of other nutrients

Replanting with suckers from above average plants to density 5x5m

Place banana residues for nutrient uptake by following sucker

Current situation

Minimal improved

Intermediate improved

Advanced improved

Mats/ha 300 400 400 400

Bunches/ha 300 (??) 325 (??) 350 (??) 375 (??)

Bunch weight kg

18 (??) 20 (??) 22 (??) 25 (??)

Variability from field to field complicates characterizing current situation

and makes difficult estimating improved production.

Longer term plots implementing this approach are needed

Gracias