Improved Varieties of Banana for the African Highlands

Cultivate superior banana varieties for abundant yields and enhanced food security.

These disease-resistant hybrid banana varieties are characterized by their robust and compact bunches, bearing larger and heavier fruits compared to conventional cultivars. Among these hybrids, TARIBAN2 stands out for its exceptional sturdiness, effectively reducing vulnerability to wind damage. Moreover, these cultivars produce distinct sword-like leaves and have fewer suckers, except TARIBAN3. This technology provides a reliable and resilient alternative to traditional varieties, ensuring higher yields and increased food security. Additionally, these varieties exhibit notable resilience to black leaf streak, nematodes, and bunchy top disease, further bolstering their capacity to deliver consistent and dependable yields.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•8

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 8/9

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive high

Under 18: Positive medium

Women: Positive high

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: Same amount of carbon released

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

Problem

Low Banana Yields: Traditional varieties yield only 5-30 tons per hectare, primarily due to susceptibility to pests and diseases.
Susceptibility to Pests and Diseases: Vulnerability to black leaf streak, nematodes, and bunchy top disease leads to lower yields in conventional varieties.
Declining Soil Fertility: Inadequate soil fertility hampers banana production, posing a challenge for traditional varieties.
Risk of Plant Die-Off in Plantations: Factors such as pests, diseases, and environmental stressors increase the likelihood of plant die-off, jeopardizing food security.

Solution

Enhanced Yield Potential: Disease-resistant hybrids can yield up to 70 tons per hectare, significantly increasing productivity compared to traditional varieties.
Heightened Disease Resistance: These varieties are specifically bred to resist black leaf streaks, nematodes, and bunchy top disease, ensuring a more robust and reliable yield.
Improved Soil Resilience: Disease-resistant hybrids exhibit greater resilience in nutrient-depleted soils, reducing the impact of declining soil fertility on banana production.
Strengthened Plant Health and Survival: By being resistant to pests and diseases, the disease-resistant hybrids significantly reduce the risk of plant die-off in banana plantations, thereby enhancing food security.

Key points to design your project

The adoption of NARITA banana technology presents numerous opportunities to impact banana cultivation practices, particularly in disease-infested areas.

NARITA enhances gender inclusivity by improving food security for farming households. Furthermore, its disease resistance and adaptability to diverse environmental conditions contribute to climate resilience, thereby helping mitigate the effects of climate change.

To effectively integrate NARITA banana technology into your project, consider the following activities and prerequisites:

1) Identifying appropriate cultivars for specific climatic conditions, stand management, production targets, and market demands,

2) Awareness raising with multipliers, farmers and food processors about the benefits of new disease resistant high-yielding varieties,

3) Establishing local hubs for training on macro-propagation of healthy plantlets and good agronomic practices,

4) Distributing clean material for multiplication.

You also need: collaboration with breeders and agricultural research institutions to develop NARITA banana varieties tailored to specific growing conditions in target areas.

Estimating the required quantity of NARITA banana planting materials for your project, considering a technology cost ranging from 290 to 1,000 USD per hectare and recommended inputs of animal manure and synthetic fertilizer for increasing yield and plant health cost 670 to 3,300 USD per hectare. Labour costs to plant, manage and harvest plantations amount between 700 and 1,300 USD per hectare. Additionally, factor in delivery costs to the project site and any relevant import clearance and duties.

Engaging a team of trainers to provide comprehensive training and support during project implementation, including costs for training sessions and post-training assistance. Develop communication materials such as pamphlets, videos, and radio broadcasts to raise awareness and support the adoption of NARITA banana technology.

To optimize the performance of NARITA banana varieties, associate it with In-Vitro Tissue Culture Propagation Propagation of Disease-Cleaned Suckers technologies.

Cost: $$$ 290—1000 USD

per hectare for planting material.

68—117 %

Yield increased

670—3300 USD

per hectare for inputs

700—1300 USD

per hectare for labor

IP

Open source / open access

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested

Countries where the technology has been tested and adopted
Country	Tested	Adopted
Burundi	–Not tested	Adopted
Cameroon	–Not tested	Adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo	–Not tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–Not tested	Adopted
Malawi	–Not tested	Adopted
Rwanda	–Not tested	Adopted
South Sudan	–Not tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–Not tested	Adopted
Uganda	–Not tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 3: good health and well-being

Goal 1: no poverty

Obtain Planting Material: Acquire disease-resistant hybrid banana planting material from designated private laboratories or research institutes.
Prepare Soil and Space Appropriately: Plant in well-prepared soil, ensuring optimal spacing and stand management.
Provide Nutrient Inputs: Provide balanced nutrient inputs, including animal manure and synthetic fertilizer.
Monitor and Address Plant Health: Monitor plant health and promptly address any signs of pests or diseases.