Altas densidades de plantación en banano: una opción para mejorar la productividad y comercialización.

The banana (Musa AAA Simmonds) is one of the most consumed fruits in the world, due to its contribution of potassium, vitamins and nutrients for human beings. The social contribution of this cultivation system in the producing areas of the world and Colombia is remarkable for the generation of jobs and economic income for the region. In Urabá Antioquia and the department of Magdalena, fruit shortages occur every year in the first semester and an oversupply in the second semester, motivated by low or high precipitation respectively, a situation that affects the value of production. On the other hand, the cultivation system in low densities (populations less than 2000 plants ha-1) its deterioration is evident as the vegetative cycles pass because of loss of anchoring of the plants due to their habit of natural growth, the emission of children to the surface of the soil that generate blurring of the corms or rhizome of the plants and the problems of pests, poor drainage among other factors that affect the roots and negatively influence the productivity and quality of fruit. Given this situation, it is necessary to develop agronomic management strategies that contribute to improve productivity and offer alternatives to reduce the impacts of seasonality of the climate on the production of this fruit in Colombia. In this sense, the establishment of banana crops under high density sowing (HDP) is a management practice that in addition to optimizing the use of natural resources, also allows to increase productivity without affecting the quality of the fruit. Currently, the research generated in order to characterize this practice of cultivation in HDP, has allowed to estimate the parameters of growth, development, Eco physiological, production and post-harvest as a suitable tool for the design of these crop systems in order to contribute positively to the increase in the production and quality of fruits. However, there is still a need to generate more awareness in both the professionals and producers involved in these cultivation systems in the proper implementation of these crop systems in HDP in order to make a rational use of natural resources, in addition to continuing with the relevant adjustments of this agronomic practice. Therefore, the purpose of the presentation is to analyze the parameters established in HDP as a strategy to optimize the cropping system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]