Stronger Starts in Banana Nurseries: Evergreen + ZinX Trial Results
A nursery trial evaluated how Evergreen and ZinX affected root development, shoot biomass, leaf development and pseudostem growth in young banana plants.
Evergreen 2.5 cc/L + ZinX 2.5 cc/L compared with the Crop Giant treatment under the reported trial conditions. Values are treatment means as reported.
Strong planting material begins before the plants ever reach the field.
For banana producers, nursery development influences the quality and uniformity of the plants being prepared for transplanting. Foliar application during the nursery stage provides readily available nutrients that support early vegetative growth, seedling vigor, root and leaf development, and uniform establishment before field transplanting.
Four treatments, eight weeks of observation
Young banana plants received one of four foliar programs. The plants were photographed weekly from week 2 to week 8.
Crop Giant
Evergreen 2.5 cc/L
ZinX 2.5 cc/L
Evergreen 2.5 cc/L + ZinX 2.5 cc/L
Photographs from the trial report, weeks 2 to 8. The labeled grid combines the individual source photographs.
Eight indicators of nursery development
Evergreen + ZinX increased all eight measured characteristics versus Crop Giant
| Leaf development | Crop Giant | Evergreen | ZinX | Evergreen + ZinX | vs Crop Giant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaf length (cm) | 15.33 | 16.67 | 14.33 | 20.00 | +30.43% |
| Leaf width (cm) | 7.33 | 7.67 | 6.50 | 9.50 | +29.60% |
| Leaf area (cm²) | 90.14 | 102.93 | 74.80 | 152.70 | +69.40% |
| Chlorophyll content | 43.07 | 52.93 | 58.13 | 57.90 | +34.44% |
Treatment means as reported. Percentages compare Evergreen 2.5 cc/L + ZinX 2.5 cc/L with the Crop Giant treatment.
The difference wasn't only above ground.
The combination treatment recorded 10.00 g of root weight compared with 6.33 g in the Crop Giant treatment—a 57.89% increase under trial conditions.
Larger, longer leaves in the combination treatment
The Evergreen + ZinX combination recorded 152.70 cm² of leaf area compared with 90.14 cm² in the Crop Giant treatment.
Plant nutrition · Nursery programs
