Pests and Disease Management in Banana
Anthracnose Banana mosaic Banana weevil BBTV Black sigatoka Bunchy top cigar and rot CMV coconut scale cucumber mosaic virus panama disease yellow sigatoka
| Disease | Symptoms | Cause | Comments | Management |
| Rhizome rot (Erwinia Carotovora Erwinia Chrysanthem) | Rhizome will not germinate, Internal tissue brown/yellow and watery, Pseudo stem breaks from rhizome | Bacteria | Bacteria in soil enter through wounds, disease encouraged by wet and humid conditions | Select only high quality rhizome, disinfect all tools for propagation regularly, allow seed pieces to dry properly |
| Moko disease (Ralstonia Solanacearum) | Older leaves wilted and collapsing, Spreads to entire canopy, collapse of pseudo stem | Bacterium | Spread root to root by insects or human activities such as machete pruning | Regular monitoring is required, male buds should be removed, infected plants need to be destroyed |
| Black Sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis) | Red/brown flecks or spot on underside or topside of leaves, spots with dark or yellow border and grey centre, death of leaf surface, bunch not developing | Fungus | Increase spacing between plants to improve air circulation and reduce humidity and remove leaves with mature spots. Regular fungicide application is required. | |
| Anthracnose (Colletotrichum musae) | Brown spots on fruit peel, black lesions on green fruit | Fungus | Spread by rainfall through plant or banana bunch | Commercially produced Fruits should be washed and dipped in fungicide before shipping, protect fruit from injury, remove flower parts which can harbour fungus |
| Panama disease (Fusarium Oxysporum) | Yellowing of Older leaves, splitting of lead sheaths, leaves wilting and buckling death of entire canopy | Fungus | Lethal disease, spread in soil or running water | Use disease free seed pieces, currently no effective treatment once plants are infected |
| Yellow Sigatoka (Mycosphaerella musae) | Pale green flecks on leaves which enlarge to chlorotic streaks enlarge and turn brown with chlorotic halo, mature lesions are grey and dark brown border, lesions coalesce and kill large area of leaves | Fungus | Spores spread by rain, air and irrigation water | Fungicide application and improved spacing required for air circulation |
| Bunchy Top (Banana bunchy top virus – BBTV) | Dark Green Streaks in leaves, chlorotic and upturned leaf margins, leaves brittle and erect, plant has a bunchy top, no bunches produced | Virus | Aphid transmitted, when infected symptoms appear after two more leaves are produced | Plant less susceptible varieties, destroy infected plants to prevent spread of disease |
| Banana Mosaic cucumber mosaic virus ( CMV ) | Chlorotic mottling or stripes on foliage, distorted fruit which may have chlorotic streaks or mottling, distorted leaves, leaf necrosis | Virus | Transmitted by aphids, may be transmitted through infected seed | Remove susceptible host plants from around plantation, plant virus-free material |
| Banana aphid (Pentalonia nigronervosa) | Deformed plants with curled, shrivelled leaves, colonies of aphids usually present in crown of plant at base of pseudo stem or between the outer leaf sheaths, aphid is soft bodied and red-brown to almost black in color | Insect | Colonies are often tended by ants, populations can build up during warm conditions | Insecticidal soaps can prevent aphid populations, plants infected with bunchy top should be removed and destroyed to avoid spread |
| Coconut Scale (Aspidiotus destructor) | Small, Flat, Whitish scales, usually on undersides of leaves but may also attach to petioles, peduncles and fruit, plant tissue discoloured and yellowing | Insect | Coconut scale attacks a large number of hosts including coconut and other palm species, avocado, cassava, papaya, guava and sugar cane, most common in tropical regions | Biological Control is the best way to manage scale, with lady beetles providing the most effective protection |
| Banana Weevil (Cosmopolites Sordidus ) | Reduced plant growth and fruit production, plants wilting and toppling over, plant death | Insect | Insects are nocturnal, feeding and mating only at night | Plant only healthy plant material, do not plant if any tunnels are visible, hot water treatment of clean trimmed suckers can be used to kill off many eggs and grubs, applications of neem powder can reduce weevil numbers, appropriate insecticides applied at time of planting can help control weevil numbers |
| Cigar end rot (Verticillium fructigena, Trachysphaera theobromae) | Tips of fingers initially begin to darken and wrinkle, tips of fingers develop a dark rot, if verticillium fungi are present then the rot is typically dry and the tips become mummified, if Trachysphaera is present, the rotted are become covered with white spores which gives the fingers the ashen appearance characteristics of cigar end rot | Fungus | Disease is of economic importance in Central and West Africa, also occurs in India, West indies etc., | Flower should be removed, bunches should be covered with perforated polyethylene bags, chemical application may require in case of severity |
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