This paper deals with the iron status of different species of banana
leaves ; the effect of application of sulphur in sail on iron mobilization
and the effect of injection of iron salt solution on iron absorption by
banana leaves.
IRON STATUS OF BANANA LEAVES AND
RESPONSE OF SULPHUR APPLICATION
ON IRON UPTAKE1

Soil and leaf samples were collected from the groves of five edible
banana species grown in a green house, SoiI around the selected
banana plants was treated with sulphur both in the plots and in pots
aop’ying 100, 200 and 300 kg of sulphur per hectare. Two ml of
FeSO4 solution (5000 ppm) was injected on tha pseudosten at tha
base of tha third ycungest leaf. After four weeks, scil and leaf
samples were collected for analysis. Sunflower seedlings grown under
similar sulphur treated conditions were collected efter 20 days.
It was revealed from the results of the analytical data that iron
content in banana leaves vary from one species to the other. But
most of the species selected for this work contained higher amount
of iron in leaves compared to the iron content of sunflower seedlings.
The injection of FeSO4 solution in the pseudostems of iron deficient
banana plants gave expedited response in iron absorption by leaves
compared to the application of sulphur in soil which was done for
increasing the mobilization of iron.