• Agribusiness & Markets
  • Agribusiness
  • Agricultural Economics
• Animal Health
  • Chemicals
  • Diseases
  • Parasites
• Animal Welfare
  • Department's role in Animal Welfare
  • Reporting Animal Cruelty
  • Useful Links
  • Your Responsibilities
• Crops
  • Barley production in Western Australia
  • Bridging the Yield Gap in higher rainfall environments
  • Canola and Oilseeds
  • Engineering
  • GM Crops
  • Lupins and Pulses
  • Nutrition
  • Oats
  • Speciality Crops
  • Storage
  • Wheat
• Environment & Climate
  • Climate Change
  • Climate weather and crops
  • Land Use Sustainability
  • Rangeland Management
  • Regional Resources and Support
  • Resource Planning and Management
  • Salinity
  • Salinity Case studies
  • Soil Land & Water Regulations
  • Soil and Landscapes
  • Sustainability
  • Vegetation
  • Water
• Farm Systems
  • Drought Reform Pilot 2011-12
  • Organic Farming
  • Seasonal Update
  • Sensitive Sites
  • Small Landholder Information Service (SLIS)
• Food
• Gardens & Households
• Horticulture
  • Engineering
  • Floriculture + Nursery
  • Fruit and Nuts
  • Vegetables
  • Viticulture
• Invasive Species
  • Invertebrate Pests
  • Vertebrate Animal Pests
• Livestock
  • Agribusiness Livestock and Sheep Updates
  • Beef Cattle
  • Dairy Cattle
  • Engineering
  • Fertiliser Action Plan
  • Goats
  • Honey Bees
  • Livestock identification and brands
  • Other Livestock
  • Pork Group
  • Poultry
  • Sheep and Lambs
• Pastures
  • Annual pastures management
  • Annual pastures species
  • Australian Trifolium Genetic Resource Centre
  • Forage crops / Fodder conservation
  • Perennial pastures
  • Saltland pastures
• Plant Health
  • Chemicals
  • Parasites and Nematodes
  • Post-border biosecurity
• Quarantine WA
  • Export requirements
  • Freight and cargo
  • Import requirements
  • Intrastate requirements
• Weeds
  • Declared plants in Western Australia
  • Herbicides
  • Integrated Weed Management
  • Major Weeds
  • Research Projects
  • Weed Publications and Links
  • Weed Watcher

Protective nets leading to better bananas

16 October 2009

A Department of Agriculture and Food trial at Carnarvon is indicating that growing bananas under protective netting could provide big gains for growers and help develop horticulture in the local region.

Project manager Chris Schelfhout said that young banana plants growing under netting at Gascoyne Research Station were over a metre taller than those outside.

The trial’s progress will be on show at a field walk at the Gascoyne Research Station on Tuesday 27 October from 3.30 pm.

“When the plants yield their first crop next year we expect to see less surface marking and higher quality fruit, bringing better prices to growers and enabling them to increase production and market penetration,” Dr Schelfhout said.

At present Carnarvon provides less than 20 per cent of the bananas consumed in Western Australia, but the trial offers the potential for growers to increase their share of the market.

“This trial was prompted by the Sweeter Banana Cooperative who saw successful cultivation in Israel under protective nets,” Dr Schelfhout said.

“The department was already assessing the performance of other crops under netting at Carnarvon so the opportunity existed to see how well bananas would also respond.

“The netting enables faster growth with less leaf shearing caused by the strong winds, less marking and greater production of higher quality fruit. But the big question is cost.”

Dr Schelfhout said one hectare of protective netting was erected by the department in 2006 costing about $100,000. The six-metre high structure is fully enclosed with 75 per cent windbreak netting on the south and west walls, 50 per cent windbreak on the north and east, and15 per cent light interception on the roof.

The young bananas were transplanted in February, and after eight months those inside the net are significantly larger compared with those outside. It is expected the plants will bear their first crops about September next year.

“We know that $100,000 per hectare is a huge extra investment, but it could be worthwhile if returns are increased substantially through faster growth, more productive plants and higher quality fruit,” Dr Schelfhout said.

“Some Israeli producers claim their investment in protective netting has been returned in three years, so a follow up cost-benefit analysis will be conducted once sufficient results are available to assess the economics and future prospects here.”

Funding for the research over five years was obtained from Horticulture Australia Limited with support from the Sweeter Banana Cooperative.

Pic caption: Dr Chris Schelfhout

Media contact
Dr Chris Schelfhout, project manager on 9956 3336

Lisa Bertram/Jodie Thomson, media liaison 9368 3325