Agroeconomic performance of banana tree under nutritional management with <i>Trichoderma asperellum</i>, in a family production system

Abstract

&lt;abstract&gt; &lt;p&gt;Banana tree cultivation requires high doses of fertilizers to reach the productive potential of improved cultivars. On the other hand, more than 70% of banana plantations are concentrated in family farming, which has low capital availability and technology. The present study aimed to evaluate the ability of &lt;italic&gt;Trichoderma asperellum&lt;/italic&gt; to improve the efficiency of nutrient use and economic viability of the banana tree cultivation under nutritional management with native &lt;italic&gt;T. asperellum&lt;/italic&gt;, in a family production system in the Amazon region. Three treatments were tested: 100% of fertilizers (control), 50% of fertilizers + &lt;italic&gt;T. asperellum&lt;/italic&gt; (TA) and 100% of fertilizers + TA. Fertilization consisted of inorganic fertilizers and poultry litter. The first banana cycle production and the economic viability of the practices were evaluated. The inoculation of TA + 100% of fertilizers increased productivity by 23%. The banana productivity was similar for control treatments (100%) and 50% for fertilizers + TA, however, using 50% of fertilizers reduced the production costs by 7.2% in the year of implantation and, in 17, 6% from the 2nd year of planting. In six years, the inoculation with &lt;italic&gt;T. asperellum&lt;/italic&gt; increased revenues by US$\$$ 8,944.40 with 100% of fertilizers, and by US$\$$ 1,936.35 with 50% of fertilizers. Our results show for the first time that using &lt;italic&gt;T. asperellum&lt;/italic&gt; in the nutritional management of bananas improves the agronomic performance of the crop, being economically viable in a family production system in the Amazon. The use of biostimulants is a promising practice to increase the earnings for farmers and make banana production more sustainable in the region.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/abstract&gt;