Field experiment was conducted to test the response of organic and inorganic nutrition on growth, yield and quality of banana cv. nendran. The treatments used were absolute control, package of practices (300:115:450g N:P2O5:K2O/plant + Farm Yard Manure @ 20 kg/plant), ex-situ vermicompost in silpaulin vermibeds with Perionyx excavatus (20 kg/plant), ex-situ vermicompost in silpaulin vermibeds with Eisenia foetida (20 kg/plant), in-situ vermicompost in crop pits with Perionyx excavatus (20

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... nt), in-situ vermicompost in crop pits with Eisenia foetida (20 kg/plant) and in -situ compost (20 kg/plant). The package of practises and recommendations (POP) involving combined application of mineral fertilizers and farm yard manure (FYM) recorded the highest bunch yield (10.81kg/plant), while all the organic treatments produced lower but comparable yields. However, higher contents of total sugars (22.42%), reducing sugars (3.71%), non-reducing sugars (18.80%), lower titratable acidity (0.29%) and reduced num ber of days to bunching (206 days) and harvest (297 days) were observed for banana grown under the in-situ mode of organic nutrition. Banana plants treated with compost were found to produce significantly higher and comparable values for quality parameter s like vitamin C and shelf life than that of mineral fertilizer + FYM. Cost: benefit ratio was also higher for the organic treatments than inorganic nutrient management. Increased absorption and translocation of nutrients (N, P, K and Mg) in fruits were observed in banana plants treated with vermicomposts prepared using native worms, P. excavatus. In-situ mode of organic nutrition was found to remarkably improve chemical and biochemical properties (pH, organic carbon, N, Mg, urease and dehydrogenase activity) of the rhizosphere soils.