Variation in plant traits and nutrient uptake among banana varieties in shaded agroecology under areca nut canopy

Banana is an excellent companion crop cultivated with coconut, areca nut, coffee, or cacao. The yield performance of bananas however differs due to cultivar response to light, water, and nutrient availability in the intercropping system. The current study aims to understand the performance of different banana varieties under the areca nut shaded system by trait variation in growth, phenology, fresh bunch mass (yield), and soil nutrient balance patterns. Five banana varieties were screened in a field experiment in a high-density areca garden for vegetative traits, phenology, yield components, and nutrient budgets. Variety Amti recorded wider leaves and greater leaf area and also recorded higher bunch yield in plant and first ratoon crop than other varieties. The Velchi variety recorded the highest leaf emergence rate during winter and recorded the highest percentage of plants with a bunch in both the plant and first ratoon crops. The study revealed nutrient mining of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in the areca–banana system. The effective balance of the available soil phosphorus was found to be highly negative for Grand Nain (−50.3 kg·ha−1·year−1) and negative (−23.6 kg·ha−1·year−1) for Amti. The results reveal the role of choice variety, indicator traits, and nutrient management strategies in enhancing banana productivity in agroforestry systems.