Banana (Musa spp.) is the largest fruit crop in Israel based on production, with 180,000 tons grown on a cultivation area of 3100 ha in 2019. Local selections of cv. ‘Grand Naine’ (AAA genome) are responsible for 95% of banana production in Israel, due to their relatively short growing cycle, high fruit quality and high yields under limiting subtropical environmental conditions.
Large, thin banana leaves are prone to wind shredding, which reduces the efficiency of photosynthesis and, as a consequence, productivity.
To reduce wind damage, the Israeli banana industry switched from open field cultivation to net-covered greenhouses, or net houses, early in the century.
The advantages that were observed in banana trees grown under these structures were:
- Plants became healthier and more robust.
- Productivity improved by 30% due to higher bunch weights and a decrease in bunch loss.
- Water savings of 25% due to the shading net, which significantly reduced evapotranspiration.
- Incorporation into production of land exposed to strong winds, the cultivation of which would be unfeasible without protective structures.
- Increased fruit quality.
- The harvest period was extended.
The most widely used netting in Israel for banana cultivation is cristal anti hail net with a shading percentage of 10%. For information about our recommended product for this type of crop, please visit the following link See 13 Mesh Netting.
Source: Less Is More? Field Evaluation of Short-Stature Banana Cultivars in a Mediterranean Environment
Horticulturae 2022, 8, 619. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8070619