A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of
Masters in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and
Technology
Mchare banana (Musa spp. AA genome) is a primary household’s source of diet and incomegenerating
crop
in the Northern part of Tanzania. Despite its importance and popularity, the
yield records of Mchare - Huti Green (HG) cultivated under drip irrigation remain unavailable
in the area. The overall objective was to quantify yield benefit of Mchare - Huti Green banana
plant grown under full drip irrigation (FD) compared with rainfed - based (RF) in Meru District,
Arusha Region. The performance of HG under FD and rainfed condition (RF) was quantified
by recording the vegetative parameters and yield and yield components at harvest. The results
for mean bunch weight in FD was 28.3 ± 1.75 kg plant
-1
and that of RF 19.6 ± 0.97 kg plant
-1
and fresh aboveground biomass (AGB) in FD was 78.81 ± 2.61kg plant
-1
compared with RF
59.23 ± 1.06 kg plant
-1
. The correlation coefficient for banana growth parameters and bunch
weight indicated significant exemplified by pseudostem girth base (r = 0.48, < 0.001),1 m
height (r = 0.38, < = 0.05) and mid-height (r = 0.51, <0.01), pseudostem volume (r = 0.38, <
0.01), height (r = 0.47 < 0.01), LA (r = 0.32 < 0.05) and LAI (r = 0.29 < 0.05) with correlation
range 0.44 to 0.73 respectively. Conversely, for banana bunch weight and its components,
correlation ranged from 0.30 to 0.50. Based on the current findings, banana plants under the
FD outperformed those under the RF in terms of growth and yield. Therefore, the FD is hereby
highly recommended for application in a banana for improved yield of banana in the study
area.