ABSTRACT
Total world production of banana is estimated at 41.4 billion kg, produced on about 4 million hectares (ha). In many tropical regions, banana is grown either in wet-and-dry climates characterized by erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged dry periods, or in fertile but semiarid lands under irrigation [2, 4, 5]. Depending on the prevailing climatic conditions and method of measurement, estimates of the annual evapotranspiration (ET) of banana range from 1200 to 2690 mm [8]. The high evaporative demand in semiarid environments, combined with the large transpiring surface area and shallow root system of banana, makes it susceptible to lodging and water deficits. Consequently, banana plants require irrigation during dry periods to prevent reductions in yield and fruit quality [7].
