HOW TO CONTROL PESTS AND DISEASES OF BANANA OR BANANA CULTURE

Since the establishment of large plantations of banana and plantain in various parts of the world, it has been determined that diseases are the main factor limiting crops and that producing countries invest considerable sums of money in research studies. However, those that cause the greatest losses in the crop are economically controllable. According to the nature of the pathogenic organisms that produce them, mussel diseases are grouped in viral, bacterial, fungal, those produced by algae, and also include damage by nematodes and excess salts in the soil.

BANANA DISEASES:

SOURCE

MAL OF PANAMA:
It is a disease caused by a fungus known as Fusarium oxysporum cubense. It begins when the rootlets are infected by the fungus that then invades a main root and ascends to the pseudostem through the vascular system. Once established in the rhizome, the disease develops rapidly and spreads through the vascular bundles, dyeing them brown, dark red or purple. Immediately the symptoms appear on the leaves, which begin to wither from the base of the petioles and in the lower parts of the central veins, the leaf blades hang down taking a whitish color. Sometimes all the leaves, except the youngest ones, fall in this way and only the leaf of the heart or "flag" remains in a straight position. All the new leaves have a mottled yellowish color and present deformations and wrinkles in their sheets. Then the pseudostem begins to tear and the pods separate. When the disease is advanced, the vascular symptoms spread along the pseudostem and the tissues of the rhizome are invaded by secondary microorganisms. The time that elapses between the infection of the raicilla and the last phase is of more or less, two months. The spread of this disease occurs from one plant to another by means of the machinery and tools used and by the use of infected strains.

SOURCE

SIGATOKA:
It is a disease that is widespread in all the important regions of banana growing in the world. They are spots that appear on the upper or lower surface of the leaf, caused by Mycosphaerella fungi. If the spots appear initially on the upper side of the leaf (bundle), it is undoubtedly Mycosphaerella musícola.

SOURCE

SIGATOKA YELLOW:
(Mycosphaerella musícola Leach).
There is yellow and black, which is the most invasive. It attacks the leaves and reduces the photosynthesis capacity of the plant, which reduces production. This disease attacks the banana leaves. The spores of this fungus (ascospores and conidia) germinate in the surface of the limb and the mycelium penetrates through a stomatal opening. The first symptom appears on the limbus after about 20 days in the form of discolored spots, then transforms into thin, discolored strips, parallel to the secondary veins, visible first to transparency and then clearly; then take the oval shape, gray in the center and dark yellow outward.

Control:
It consists of interrupting the cycle described and reducing the production of the spores. Control
For control of the weevil, he recommends installing traps around the stems to attract insects. You must make constant control of the traps and kill the insects that fall there. If weevils exceed the threshold of five insects per trap, biological control should be carried out. Chemical control must be the last option
In Ecuador, for about 30 years, the control of yellow Sigatoka has been achieved and continues to be achieved with great efficiency and safety, by means of low volume atomizations with agricultural oil, using suitably equipped aircraft. The action of agricultural oil is much more effective in young spots in the process of evolution. According to this quality, the application cycles are programmed when there is presence of Yellow Sigatoka symptoms detected by constant inspections.

SOURCE

SIGATOKA NEGRA:
Caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis that affects all banana varieties. The disease has reddish brown spots of 0.25 mm. in diameter that appear on the underside of the sheet; subsequently, reddish brown striations of 20 mm are present. long by 2 mm. wide, parallel to the lateral venation of the leaf and still visible on the underside. Then they turn from dark brown to almost black, a little more elongated, already visible in the leaf. The spot continues advancing in its development and evolution and becomes larger and wider in an elliptical shape and is surrounded by a dark brown border visible when the leaf is wet; after this state the stain dries in the center, turns gray and becomes depressed, the lesion is surrounded by a well defined black narrow border, when all the lesions join the leaf turns black and dies in 3 or 4 weeks after show the first symptoms. The damages that they produce are: the leaf area is reduced in proportion to the severity of the attack; the "burning" affects the photosynthetic process; the normal ripening process of the fruit is altered, which becomes very premature and in the case of yellow ends before harvest; Plantations affected by Black Sigatoka produce small clusters, short and deformed fingers, cream pulp and slightly acid taste.

Control:
It is carried out with systemic and penetrating fungicides in the following doses:
Strobulurins
Triazoles 0.4 lts / ha. (systemic)
Morpholines 0.6 lts / ha (penetrating)
Benzinidazoles 0.25 to 0.28 kg / ha. (systemic)
Agricultural Oil 3.5 to 4 gal / ha.

SOURCE

BACTERIAL MOKO OR MARCHITEZ:
It is caused by the bacteria Seudomonas solanacearum. Once this bacterium penetrates the plant, through the roots, it develops rapidly and invades the full extent of the sap carrying vessels and producing characteristic toxins cause the symptoms of the disease. In an adult plant the central leaves take a greenish yellow color and the limb a dirty yellow color towards the petiole and the rib. Then the petioles break, followed by the desiccation and death of the central leaves.
In young plants the fall can be so fast that the leaves do not get yellow. The development of the bunch stops and some fruits blacken and crack. In some later attacks, pulp may occur in the pulp, although the bark only appears softer.
It spreads due to the use of the same tool for infected and healthy plants and the use of infected strains as planting material. A method of preventive control of this disease is not yet found. Contagion is avoided by eliminating diseased plants, disinfecting tools and using healthy strains.

SOURCE

PESTS OF THE BANANAS

SOURCE

BLACK PICUDO:
(Cosmopolites sordidus). The most dangerous is black. It is in insect whose larvae get into the stem and feed there, which prevents the plant properly absorb water and nutrients. Adult is a black weevil, about 13 mm and head with the prolongation of the characteristic face of the species. In this state it is not harmful. The female lays between 10 and 50 eggs isolated in holes, which dig into the adult rhizomes. The larva emerges, more or less, after eight days and devouring tissues, opens a gallery towards the interior of the bulb. Soon it reaches a length of 12 to 16 mm, yellowish white, with a brown head. It never goes outside. In this state lasts between two and six months, then becomes a nymph and after 5 or 7 days, as an adult. When there is a large quantity of larvae present, there is a general weakening of the plant and the production of small, poorly formed clusters and, even more, due to weakening of the structure of the bulb and of the pseudostem, the plant falls.

Control:
For control of the weevil, it is recommended to install traps around the stems to attract insects. You must make constant control of the traps and kill the insects that fall there. If weevils exceed the threshold of five insects per trap, biological control should be carried out. Chemical control must be the last option
In our country, its incidence has declined with the application of dual purpose products (nematicides - insecticides) such as Curater, Furandán, Temik, Mocap, in variable doses according to the percentage content of the active principle.

SOURCE

DEFULATING LARVAES:
The three most common species: Caterpillar or Seamstress (Ceramidia viridis), Monturita (Sibini apicalis) and Vaquita (Caligo teucer and Opsiphanes tamarindi), eat the leaves of the plants, which affects the development of the fruit and produce perforations parallel to the foliar veins, decreasing accordingly, the foliar surface. These larvae are very susceptible to biological control by some predators and parasites.

Control:
It must be discarded (remove the dry parts of the stem).
If necessary, it is controlled chemically by applying 0.42 kg / ha. of Danex 95% or Dipterex 95% for Caterpillar and 1.5 kg / ha. of Sevin 85% for the other larvae mentioned.

SOURCE

THRIPS OF THE RED SPOT:
(Palleucothrips musae). It is a small insect, the adult is about 1 mm long, creamy white and has feathery wings. It produces reddish spots on the fruit's crust, notably deteriorating its appearance. The female deposits its eggs in the cluster and after a few days the larvae or nymphs that have similar appearance to the adult, with the difference that those without wings, emerge. The larva feeds on the fruit producing incisions with its beak. Apparently the latex that is spilled by these injuries oxidizes and produces the stain.

THRIPS OF THE FLOWER:
(Frankliniella parvula) It produces less serious damage than the previous one. The results are small points in relief on the fruit's crust. The female deposits her eggs one by one in the shell of the newly discovered tender fruits, causing, in this way, the formation of small spots with relief or pustules.

SOURCE

GREEN BEETLE:
The Colaspis submetallica is a 7 mm long metallic green beetle that, when emerging from the ground, flies directly to the fruits or to the flag leaf. To feed, it nibbles the fruit, causing deep scars surrounded by watery halos that degrade its presentation or produce perforations in the leaves. The female deposits the eggs on the ground at a depth of less than one inch.

Control:
To avoid the damages of these insects, the best method is to pack them early with insecticide-impregnated covers.

SOURCE

NEMÁTODOS:
The parasitic nematodes of the banana plant are differentiated into three groups: endoparasites such as Radopbolus similis that cause deep lesions on the roots; facultative endoparasites such as Helicotylenchus multicintus that causes less deep lesions; and, gall nematodes represented by the Meloidogyne species.

Control:
The control of the nematodes in banana is done with specific chemical products that exist for the effect, the same ones that are applied to the soil in different doses and the best known are Carbofuran and Fenamiphos.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Before cultivating, check the area, soil history, height, topography and pest history of the area.
• Always get advice from an agronomist.
• Control the growth of weeds.
• Know the crop, in addition to its pests and diseases.
• Do not sow by sowing. Know what the production costs are and to whom your product will sell it.
• Sow resistant varieties.
• Disinfect the tools.
• Because the buyers pay attention to the quality of the product, it is recommended to be careful in the collection. That the fruits never touch the ground when collecting them.

SOURCE:
http://www.lapatria.com/tenga-en-cuenta/prevenga-plagas-y-enfermedades-en-los-cultivos-de-platano-y-banano-409888
http://www.simbioti-k.com/principales-plagas-y-enfermedades-del-banano-y-su-control/
http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do;jsessionid=D982EC212C9B2D70E007764676022911?request_locale=fr&recordID=VE2007400016&query=

Thank you for taking a few minutes to read my article.