Yelakki Tissue Culture Banana Plant

Yelakki Banana Plant

Yelakki Banana is one of the most commonly cultivated commercial bananas especially in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It is the slender, medium tall plant bearing dark green fruits that turn golden yellow with highly fragrant, tasty, powdery and firm fruits. The plants bearing the fruits are smaller with prominent beak packed closely round the axis having a windblown appearance. Unripe fruits turn bright yellow upon ripening. The pulp of the fruit is ivory white in color. It is special for long transportation. The skin is usually thin but the flesh is sweet. It is capable of producing 10-14 hands and 12-15 fingers consisting of 100-150 fruits per plant. Matured height of the Yelakki Banana is 12 - 14 feet. The length of the fruit is 4-5’’.

Origin

India

Soil Type and Preparation

Land with good drainage facility can be chosen for the cultivation of banana saplings. Red soil and other moderate soil with less amount of sand proportion will be suitable soil for banana plants. The pH of the soil should be neutral or between 5.5 -7.5. Thus, the soil should be subjected to the soil test in a suitable laboratory or government based horticulture labs to confirm the pH of soil. If the soil is more acidic, it is to be neutralized using the gypsum and if the soil is more basic, neutralize it with Dolomite. This neutralization is very important to make the soil suitable for the cultivation.

Planting Season

Tissue cultured plants are not season dependent. They can be planted to the soil throughout the year. The Major difference between the normal and the tissue cultured plants is that Tissue cultured plants will have twice the number of roots that are present in the normal plants. This unique property gives the plant the strength and good nutrient absorbing capacity thus gives good yield to an average of 15 – 21 kg/ bunch.

Planting Distance

7 feet x 7 feet

Plants Per Acre

900 Plants

Approx. Harvest Time

10 - 12 months

Advantages of Tissue Culture Plants

• True to the type
• Synchronous flowering
• High market value
• High yield and quality
• Early Maturity
• Free from all diseases at the time of supply
• Throughout the year plantation possible
• Uniform growth of fruits