Role and Deficiency symptoms of “Phosphorous” in Banana

        Role and Deficiency symptoms of                       “Phosphorous” in Banana
Role of Phosphorous:

Phosphorus (P) is essential for plant growth. It stimulates growth of young plants, giving them a good and vigorous start.

   Phosphorus management and nutrition has both economic and environmental implications.

   Phosphorus is an essential nutrient both as a part of several key plant structure Compounds and as a catalyst in the conversion of numerous key biochemical reactions in plants.

   Phosphorus is noted especially for its role in capturing and converting the solar energy into useful plant compounds.

   Phosphorus is a vital component of DNA, the genetic "memory unit" of all living things.

The structures of both DNA and RNA are linked together by phosphorus bonds.

 It is also a component of RNA, the compound that reads the DNA genetic code to build proteins and other compounds essential for plant structure, seed yield, and genetic transfer.

Thus phosphorus is essential for the general health and vigor of all plants.

Phosphorus is a vital component of ATP, the "energy unit" of plants

ATP forms during photosynthesis, has phosphorus in its structure, and processes from the beginning of seedling growth through to the formation of grain and maturity.

Role of Phosphorous in Banana :

Phosphorous fertilization did not influence the growth of banana because in areas having 0.1 to 0.2 ppm available P the growth of the plants were satisfactory.

Phosphorous application showed beneficial effect on fruit maturity.

Increasing level of phosphorous from 0 to 60 g per plant increased the pseudo stem height, hand number, bunch weight and fruit size as well as accelerated the flowering.

Growth Factors

vStimulated root development

vIncreased stalk and stem strength d production

vMore uniform and earlier crop maturity

vIncreased nitrogen N-fixing capacity of legumes.

vImprovements in crop quality

vIncreased resistance to plant diseases.

vPhosphorus deficiency is more difficult to diagnose than a deficiency of nitrogen or potassium.

vSome crops, such as maize, tend to show an abnormal discoloration when phosphorus is deficient.

vCrops usually display no obvious symptoms of phosphorus deficiency, other than a general stunting of the plant during early growth, and by the time a visual deficiency is recognized it may be too late to correct in annual crops.

vConsequently, early vegetative responses to phosphorus are often observed.

vThe degree of purple is influenced by the genetic makeup of the plant, some hybrids showing much greater discoloration than others.

vThe purplish color is due to accumulation of sugars which favors the synthesis of anthocyanin (a purplish colored pigment) that occurs in the leaves of the plant.

vPhosphorus deficiencies late in the growing season affect both seed development and normal crop maturity.

vThe percentage of the total amount of each nutrient taken up is higher for phosphorus late in the growing season than for either nitrogen or potassium.

vPhosphorus is highly mobile in plants and when deficient it may be translocated from old plant tissue to young actively growing areas.

vTranslocated into the fruiting areas of the plant where high energy requirement   are needed for the formation of seeds and fruit.The plants are usually dark bluish-green in color with leaves and stem becoming purplis