Fiber yield and quality of abaca (Musa textilis var. Laylay) grown under different shade conditions, water and nutrient management

Abstract The knowledge gap on the optimum light, nutrient and water requirements of abaca to attain optimum yield and limited information on how these parameters affect fiber recovery and fiber quality under field conditions are very important for abaca production and management. Light infiltration was reduced by 30%, 40%, and 50% of full sunlight using polypropylene shade nets. Irrigation was applied at a rate of 5 l plant −1  application −1  day −1 . Placement application of N, P 2 O 5 , K 2 O using complete fertilizer was done at 14 g plant −1  quarter −1 for the first six months and was increased to 40 g plant −1  quarter −1 for the next six months after planting. Results showed that abaca planted under different light regimes showed that 50% shade had significantly ( p p Laylay ) to achieve an optimum machine stripped fiber yield of 135.04 ± 4.31 g plant −1 without affecting fiber quality for industrial purposes.