Spray of Chlorpyrifos 2ml and Carbendazim 2gm in 1 liter of water. after emergence of all hands takes care of the thrips. Thrips attack discolors the fruit skin and makes it unattractive.
Covering bunch using dried leaves of the plant is economical and prevents the bunch from direct exposure to sunlight. Bunch cover enhances quality of fruit. But in rainy season this practice should be avoided.
Sleeving of bunch is done to protect fruits against dust, spray residue, insect and birds. For this blue plastic sleeves are preferred. This also increases temperature around developing bunch and helps in early maturity.
In a bunch there are some incomplete hands which are not fit for quality produce. These hands should be removed soon after bloom. This helps in improving the weight of other hands. Sometimes the hand just above the false hand is also removed.
Due to heavy weight of bunch the plant goes out of balance and the bearing plant may lodge and production and quality are adversely affected. Therefore they should be propped with the help of two bamboos forming a triangle by placing them against the stems on the leaning side. This also helps in uniform development of bunch.
A large number of fungal, viral and bacterial diseases and insect pests and nematodes infest the banana crop and reduce production, productivity and quality. Summary details of major pest and diseases of banana along with control measures are given herewith:
| Sno. |
Name |
Symptoms |
Control measures |
| Pest |
| i) |
Rhizome weevil (Cosmopolites Sordidus) |
a) Large creates network of galleries in rhizome and weakens the plant. |
a) Use healthy planting material |
b) Sanitation in orchard |
c) Trapping of adult weevils using pseudostem or rhizome pieces and |
d) Soil application of carbafuran @.2gm/plant |
| ii) |
Pseudostem weevil (Odoiporus Longicollis) |
a) Small holes on pseudostem with exudation of transparent gummy substance |
a) Management approach is identical to rhizome weevil |
b) Existence tunneling in leaf sheath and inner core of the stem |
b) Secondly, injection of lime solution (Monocrotophos 150 ml in 350 ml water) using stem injector 4 ft. above the ground level at 30º angle is recommended. |
c) Abortion of bunches |
c) Use longitudinal split (30cm length) or disc on stump traps @ 100/ha. Keep the split portion of tray facing the ground. Collected weevils are then killed. |
| iii) |
Thrips (Chaetanaphotrips & signipennis & Heliaothrips kodaliphilus) |
a) They scrap from attacked plant organs and render them brown and discolored especially the fruits. |
a) Spray or inject Monocrotophos @ 0.05% on the inflorescence before the unfurling of top most bract. |
| iv) |
Fruit scarring battle (Besilepta subcostatum) |
a) Adults feed on tender unfolded leaves and fruits and cause scarring of skin |
a) Sanitation spray of 0.05% moncrotophos or 0.1% carbaryl on the heart of the plants immediately after the emergence of new foliage and during fruiting season is recommended. |
b) Plant losses its vigour and quality of bunch is poor) |
| v) |
Aphids (Pentalonia nigronervosa) |
a) They are vecturs of banana bunchy top visus (BBTV) and can be seen as congregation under the leaf base of pseudo stem |
a) Spray of 0.1% monocrotophos or 0.03% phosphonidon on the leaves is effective |
| vi) |
Nematodes |
a) Stunted growth |
a) Apply corbofuron @40 gm per plant at planting & 4 month after planting. |
b) Small leaves |
c) Cutted roots |
b) Use neem cake as organic manure. |
d) Purple black lesions on roots and their splitting. |
c) Use merigold as trap crop. |
| Fungal Diseases |
| vii) |
Panama wilt (Furarium oxysporium) |
a) Yellowing of old leaves progressing |
a) Cultivation of resistant cultivar towards younger leaves. (Covendish group) |
b) Affected leaves collapse near petiole and hang. |
b) Trim and treat the suckers in 0.1% Bavistine before plant. |
c) Pseudo stem splitting is common. |
c) Apply bioagents like trichoderma and Pseudomonas fluorescence with organic manure |
d) Reddish brown discoloration in cross-section of root & rhizome |
d) Keep good drainage and apply lot of organic manure in field. |
| viii |
Head rot (Erwinia carotovora) |
a) Rotting of collar region and epinasty of leaves) |
a) Use healthy planting material |
b) On pulling out of affected plant, the plant topples from the collar region leaving the corn with root in soil |
c) On opening up of collar region of affected plants, yellowish to reddish ooze can be seen. |
b) Drench plants with 0.1% Emison followed by another drenching after 3 months. |
d) In early stage of infection, dark brown or yellow, water soaked areas in critical region which may decay to form cavities surrounded by dark spongy tissues. |
c) Avoid planting in rocks and in poorly drained soils. |
| ix) |
Sigatoka leaf spot (Mycospharella spp) |
a) It is characterized by small lesions on the leaves, the lesion become pale yellow to greenish yellow streaks visible from both the surfaces of leaf |
a) Remove infected leaves and destroy |
b) Thereafter linear brownish to blackish streaks appear. |
c) The centre of the streak eventually dries up and give appearance of eye spot. |
b) Keep proper drainage and avoid water logging. |
d) Some times premature ripening is observed |
c) Spray dithane 2 gm/ litre of water + mineral oil 10 ml/ per litre |
| Viral Diseases |
| i) |
Banana Bunchy Top Virus(BBTV) |
a) Appearance of irregular, dark green 'Morse code' streaks along secondary veins on leaves on underside of the leaves. |
a) Use virus free planting material i.e. Tissue Culture. |
b) Survey and eradicate infected plants regularly. |
b) Leaf size is reduced and leaves remains abnormally erect, brittle and results. |
c) Control insect vectors especially aphids and mealy bugs. |
d) Indexing should be followed in the case of mass multiplication |
c) Leaves short, close to each other, and bunched at the top |
e) Prohibit movement of any plant part from diseased area to healthy area. |
d) The tips of the bracts in male buds have greenish. |
f) Use resistant cultivar. |
e) Virus is spread through aphids. |
g) Avoid growing of alternate lost as mixed crop or in near by areas. |
| ii) |
Banana Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) |
a) Chlorosis with mild chlorotic streaks along the veins they never turn necrotic as in BSV. |
a) Elimination of affected plants and maintenance of disease free plantation through the use of disease free planting material i.e. Tissue culture seeding. |
| iii) |
Banana Bract Mosaic Virus (BBMV) |
a) Presence of spindle shaped pinkish to reddish streaks on pseudo stem, mid ribs, petioles and lamina. |
a) Use of disease free planting material i.e. Tissue culture seeding. |
| iv) |
Banana Streak Virus (BSV) |
a) Presence of inconspicuous chlorotic flecking to small lethal systematic necrosis, and includes yellow, brown and black streaking, cigar leaf necrosis, based pseudo stem splitting internal internal pseudo stem necrosis and formation of small deformed bunches. |
a) Use of disease free planting material i.e. Tissue culture seedings. |
To control all the viruses use of virus inefesced tissue culture plants is important.
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