Banana Diseases

Erwinia rot: Erwinia carotovora sub sp. carovora

• Symptom:
• This disease is more pronounced on young suckers leading to rotting and emitting of foul odour
• Roting of crown region is a characteristic symptom followed by epinasty of leaves, which dry out suddenly
• If affected plants are pulled out it comes out from the crown region leaving the corm with their roots in the soil
• Splitting of pseudostem is common in late stage of infection in cultivars Robusta, Grand Naine and Thella Chakkerakeli
• When affected plants are cut open at collar region yellowish to reddish ooze is seen
• In early stage of infection dark brown or yellow water soaked areas are more in the cortex area
• In advance stage the interiror lesions may decay to such extent that cavities surrounded by dark spongy tissues are formed
• This soft rotting may spread radially towards growing point through the cortical tissues. The rotten corm emits foul smell

Panama Wilt:Fusarium oxysporum f.sp cubense

• Symptom:
• Externally, the first obvious signs of disease in most varieties are wilting and a light yellow colouring of the lower leaves, most prominent around the margins. They eventually turn a bright yellow colour with dead leaf  margins.
• Splitting of pseudostem base is a characteristic symptom.
• Internally, symptoms first become obvious in the xylem (water conducting) vessels of the roots and the rhizome. These turn a reddish-brown to maroon colour as the fungus grows through the tissues.
• When a cross-section is cut, the discolouration appears in a circular pattern around the centre of the rhizome where the infection concentrates due to the arrangement of the vessels. As symptoms progress into the pseudo-stem, continuous lines of discolouration are evident when the plant is cut longitudinally

Panama Wilt:Fusarium oxysporum f.sp cubense

• Application Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 2.5kg/ha bactericide can also be applied along with farmyard manure and neem cake.
• About 60 mg of Pseudomonas fluorescens (in a capsule) can be applied in a 10 cm deep hole made in the corm.
• Application of bio control agents like Trichoderma viride @ 25 g for 4 times once at the time of planting in the planting pit and remaining doses at third, fifth and seventh month after planting
• Application of T.harzianum Th-10, as dried banana leaf formulation @ 10g/platn in basal + top dressing on 2,4,and 6 months after planting