Hi-Cote Advance 13-4-25 CRF effect on Cavendish Banana growth and yield in the Philippines

Hi-Cote Advance 13-4-25 CRF effect on Cavendish Banana growth and yield in the Philippines
(Summary of field trials evaluating Hi-Cote CRF under high-rainfall and normal plantation conditions)

Hi-Cote Advance 13-4-25 is a Controlled Release NPK fertilizer (13% N, 4% P₂O₅, 25% K₂O) manufactured by Nousbo Co., Ltd. Each granule is coated with a uniform polymer layer that controls the rate and duration of nutrient release according to temperature and moisture. This helps reduce nitrogen losses by leaching and volatilization, lowers the number of fertilizer applications, and maintains a more stable nutrient supply to the crop. To evaluate the effectiveness of Hi-Cote 13-4-25 on the growth and yield of newly planted Cavendish banana, field trials were established in two contrasting environments in the Philippines:

ABC Cateel (Trial 1) : high rainfall area (219 inches/year), strong leaching and disease pressure;

TADECO Farm (Trial 2) : normal, relatively stable growing conditions.

▲ Trial field at TADECO Farm, the Philippines

Eight fertilizer programs combining plantation SOP and Hi-Cote 13-4-25 were compared using an Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 replications. Each treatment plot was 250 m² (0.025 ha), total trial area 0.6 ha per site. Growth parameters (months to shooting, plant height, sucker height, pseudostem diameter, functional leaves) and yield components (bunch weight, hand class, fruit calibration, finger length, total number of fingers) were recorded at harvest.

Table 1. Fertilizer treatments used in the Cavendish banana trials

In ABC Cateel, where high rainfall and Sigatoka pressure caused early harvest at 8–9 weeks, the Hi-Cote 13-4-25 Controlled Release Fertilizer showed clear advantages over the conventional SOP program. The earliest shooting was observed in the Hi-Cote alone treatment, which shot at 5.66 months compared with 6.22 months in the full SOP standard, while combinations such as half SOP + full Hi-Cote and full SOP + full Hi-Cote also produced earlier shooting. Plant vigor at shooting followed the same trend, with half SOP + full Hi-Cote showing the strongest pseudostem diameter (6.09 inches), slightly ahead of full SOP + half Hi-Cote, full SOP + full Hi-Cote, and Hi-Cote alone, all of which were thicker than SOP-based treatments. Bunch weight improved significantly when Hi-Cote was included: half SOP + full Hi-Cote and full SOP + half Hi-Cote produced the heaviest bunches (16.45 kg), while Hi-Cote alone (15.76 kg) and full SOP + full Hi-Cote (15.51 kg) also outperformed reduced-SOP treatments. Total finger count remained highest in the full SOP standard, but Hi-Cote combination treatments were close behind, whereas reduced SOP with reduced Hi-Cote resulted in the lowest counts. Overall, under severe rainfall stress, Hi-Cote CRF clearly improved crop earliness, stem vigor, and bunch development compared to conventional fertilization.

 

Left: T1 – Recommended rate of Plantation SOP	Right: T3 – Recommended rate of Hi-Cote 13-4-25

 

 

 

In TADECO, where growing conditions were stable and plants matured uniformly, all treatments reached harvest at 9-10 weeks after debelling with no significant differences in harvest age or bunch weight. Even so, the Hi-Cote 13-4-25 CRF program continued to show structural and yield advantages. The Hi-Cote alone treatment and the full SOP + full Hi-Cote treatment produced the tallest mother plants, while pseudostem diameter was strongest in full SOP + full Hi-Cote, closely followed by Hi-Cote alone, the SOP standard, and half SOP + half Hi-Cote. Fruit production also improved when Hi-Cote was included: the highest total finger counts were achieved with full SOP + full Hi-Cote and full SOP + half Hi-Cote, both significantly exceeding reduced SOP treatments. Hand class followed a similar pattern, with full SOP + half Hi-Cote and full SOP + full Hi-Cote ranking highest, and Hi-Cote programs consistently delivering good fruit size and calibration. Overall, even under ideal plantation conditions, Hi-Cote contributed to stronger plant vigor and improved fruit formation.

 

Left: T1 – Recommended rate of Plantation SOP	Right: T3 – Recommended rate of Hi-Cote 13-4-25

 

 

 

Table 2. Summary of major growth and yield parameters by treatment (two locations)

Treatment	Months to Shoot		Stem Diameter (inch)		Bunch Weight (kg)		Total Fingers
	(ABC)	(TADECO)	(ABC)	(TADECO)	(ABC, 9wks)	(TADECO, 10wks)	(ABC)	(TADECO)
T1 SOP 100%	6.22	5.61	5.82	6.66	14.49	18.25	110.03	115.16
T2 SOP 50%	6.40	5.48	5.96	6.34	14.03	17.70	103.65	108.81
T3 Hi-Cote 100% + SOP (except NPK)	5.66	5.60	6.02	6.69	15.76	17.87	104.50	112.97
T4 Hi-Cote 50% + SOP (except NPK)	6.02	5.70	5.71	6.51	14.11	18.00	100.63	110.15
T5 SOP 50% + Hi-Cote 50%	6.16	5.67	5.69	6.65	14.50	18.69	101.58	116.20
T6 SOP 50% + Hi-Cote 100%	5.85	5.62	6.09	6.56	16.45	17.87	106.78	113.21
T7 SOP 100% + Hi-Cote 50%	6.02	5.74	6.08	6.36	16.45	18.08	107.72	117.89
T8 SOP 100% + Hi-Cote 100%	5.80	5.70	6.03	6.71	15.51	17.55	106.56	119.05

 

 

Hi-Cote Advance 13-4-25 CRF showed clear agronomic benefits for newly planted Cavendish banana in the Philippines. Under high-rainfall, high-leaching conditions (ABC Cateel), Hi-Cote – especially in combination with plantation SOP (T6, T7) – promoted earlier shooting, stronger pseudostems, heavier bunches and high total finger numbers, outperforming SOP alone and reduced-rate SOP programs. In normal, stable plantation conditions (TADECO), Hi-Cote combinations (T7, T8) produced the highest total fingers and hand class and maintained strong plant growth, even when bunch weight differences were small.

 

Based on these results, Hi-Cote 13-4-25 CRF can be recommended as a key fertilizer for Cavendish banana in high-rainfall areas, used together with SOP to reduce nutrient losses and improve yield stability. In more favorable environments, Hi-Cote can be used to partially substitute conventional NPK while maintaining or improving fruit number and bunch quality, and simplifying fertilizer management through fewer applications.

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