Recycling of banana pseudostem waste for economical production of quality banana

Banana pseudostem biomass, traditionally incinerated and wasted, has been c onserved and recycled by solid state fermentation (SSF) into plant growth s timulating soil conditioner (SC). This SC alone or combined with biofertili zers showed reduced mortality (10 and 12%) of planted suckers, enhanced chl orophyll contents (593 and 661 mug g(-1)), gave biomass (35.0 and 36.6 kg) at par and improved yield (54.2 and 55.0 MT ha(-1)), with that of the contr ol (23%, 312 mug g(-1), 36.3 kg and 49.4 MT ha(-1), respectively). This has afforded (i) saving of chemical fertilizers by 50%, (ii) reduction in quan tum (40%) and frequency (15%) of irrigation and (iii) reduction in cost of electricity and labor without sacrificing quality and quantity of banana. T hus, a voluminous agro-waste is converted into an eco-friendly agro-input f or sustainable productivity. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese rved.