Bananas!

The National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) at Podhavur village near Tiruchi, a unit of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, has released a special micronutrient, ‘banana sakthi,' for enhancing crop productivity.
 
This is one of the major outcomes of research undertaken at the NRCB this year, said M. M. Mustaffa, director. He was speaking at the inaugural of an exhibition-cum-seminar on banana conducted as part of the foundation day celebrations of the NRCB recently. Mr. Mustaffa said that the nutrient was a solution comprising a mixture of zinc, iron, copper and boron and should be sprayed on leaves during the fourth and fifth months of the season.

Giving away the ‘banana sakthi' to farmers present on the occasion, he said that there was a strong need for supplying micronutrients to the crop. Continued application of chemical fertilizers coupled with lack of awareness of its importance had resulted in serious shortfall of micronutrients, he said.