Studies on the diseases affecting banana cultivars in ... · Blood disease affects both desert and...
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Banana is one of the most important tropical crops
cultivated all over the world. It is included in the genus
Musa of the family Musaceae.
Banana plants are the world’s biggest herbs, growing
abundantly in many developing countries. They are
considered to be one of the most important source of energy
in the diet of people living in tropical humid regions. Banana
is a stenothermic plant, cultivated in hot and wet regions, and
it bears fruit all year round. Banana is not only the world’s
most popular fruit; it has carved an indelible niche for itself in
popular culture. Banana is considered as the fourth most
important food in the world after rice, wheat and maize.
The total banana production in the world is estimated to
be 28 million ton. Of these, 65 per cent of the banana is
produced by Latin America, 27 per cent in Southeast Asia and
7 per cent in Africa. Brazil is the leading banana grower in
South America, while Columbia and Ecuador are the leading
exporters (Thippesha et al., 2006).
India is the leading banana producer in Asia. India stands
in the second place behind China. Banana is cultivated
extensively in South India. It is one of the most important
commercial crops in South India. The common South Indian
banana varieties are Poovan, Chenkadali, Nendren, Robusta,
Moris, etc. Kanyakumari district ranks first in Tamilnadu. In
Kanyakumari district 30 per cent of the total cultivated area is
occupied by banana cultivars. Farmers cultivate banana plants
in three important methods, namely mono-cropping,
Author for Correspondence
J. LOHI DAS
Department of Botany, Scott
Christian College (Autonomous)
Nagercoil, KANYAKUMARI
(T.N.) INDIA
Email : [email protected]
HIND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING INSTITUTE
intercropping and mixed cropping, according to the cultivars
(Raj, 1998).
Banana grows very well under humid, tropical condition
but can be cultivated even under humid or semi-arid sub-
tropical condition. It can be cultivated at the temperature range
between 10 - 40°C. Banana comes up well at altitude ranging
from sea level to 1000 m above sea level (Dodds, 1943).
Bananas are grown in variety of soils such as light sandy
soil, loamy alluvial soil and clayey brown cotton soil. The
ideal pH is about 6.5 – 7.5. It needs well drained soil. Banana
plant is a herb and propagated mainly by suckers. Tissue
culture plantlets are also used for cultivation (Morton, 1987).
Systematic position:
According to Engler and Prantl the family Musaceae is
included in the order Scitamineae of monocots. Rendle has
also included the family in the same order. Bentham and Hooker
anyhow placed this family in the order Epigynae. Hutchinson
put this family in his own way in the order Zingiberales.
RESEARCH METHODS
Kanyakumari district part of the western ghats is the
richest biogeographic province of India. It lies in the
Agasthiamalai region and very much potential for the
cultivation of banana. The tropical climate and rainfall influence
the rich diversity of the plants in this district. This study
highlights the different disease affecting the banana plants.
Studies on the diseases affecting banana cultivars in
Kanyakumari district
J. LOHI DAS
THE ASIAN JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE
Article history :
Received : 19.01.2012
Revised : 23.04.2012
Accepted : 20.05.2012
A Case Study
Volume 7 | Issue 1 | June, 2012 | 229-232
Abstract : Kanyakumari district is the southern most tip of India lies in the Western Ghats. The present
paper describes the diseases affecting banana varieties cultivated in Kanyakumari district. Fungal, bacterial,
viral diseases were identified and their symptoms, causing agent and control measures were studied. For
the identification of diseases, the traditional banana cultivators and horticultural officers were interviewed.
Key words : Banana, Psuedostem, Fusarium, Peduncle
How to cite this article : Das, J. Lohi (2012). Studies on the diseases affecting banana cultivars in
Kanyakumari district, Asian J. Hort., 7(1) : 229-232.
Hind Agricultural Research and Training InstituteAsian J. Hort., 7(1) June, 2012 : 230
The study sites were constructed each with 1000sq/mts length
and width. Study sites were visited on every fort night.
Data collection method:
Information’ about the diseases affecting the banana
plants were collected from sources like newspapers, journals,
test books and internet source was also used. Questionnaires
were prepared with questions regarding the characters and
diseases of banana were supplied to the traditional banana
cultivators in the selected study sites. Filled questionnaire
were collected after ten days.
Observation and identification:
Banana fields in the selected study sites were visited
one by one and found out the diseased plant and marked
them. Necessary photographs were taken from the field. The
different disease were identified by the information already
gathered from the newspaper, text books and Internet. The
disease were conformed by the help of the traditional farmers
and the horticulture officers.
RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
The word banana is the general term embracing a number
of species of hybrids in the genus Musa of the Musaceae. It
is cultivated extensively in Kanyakumari district. Farmers used
to cultivate banana plant in three important methods namely
mono-cropping, intercropping and mixed cropping. There are
36 varieties of banana cultivated in different parts of
Kanyakumari district. All the farmers of this district have the
knowledge of cultivating banana. Cultivation of banana is
not much easy; farmers facing many problems for the
successful cultivation. One of the major problem is disease.
Banana plants are affected by many viral, bacterial and fungal
diseases.
This study identified fourteen diseases which were
affecting the different varieties of banana cultivated in
Kanyakumari district. Among the fourteen, six were caused
by different species of fungus, five were caused by bacteria
and three were caused by virus. This study obsorbed that
viral diseases were more harmful.
Causing organisms:
The fungal diseases identified were black root rot caused
by Rosellinia bunodes, pseudo stem heart rot caused by
Fasaricm monilitorme, Panama wilt caused by Fusarium
orysporiem, black leaf streak caused by Fusarium monliforme,
leaf speckle caused by Acrodondium simplex and sooty mold
caused by Limacinula tenuis. The bacterial diseases identified
in this study were blood disease, moko disease and bugtok
caused by Ralstonia solancerum. Bacterial wilt was caused
by Pseudomonas solanacearum. The viral diseases identified
were banana bract mosaic caused by bract mosaic virus,
bunchy top of banana caused by Pentaloia migronervsa,
Cucumber mosaic disease caused by cumcumber mosaic virus.
Effect of fungi:
Among the six fungal diseases studied, the black root
rot (Fig. 9) and psuedostem heart rot (Fig. 12) completely
destroy the plant, whereas panama wilt (Fig. 10) and leaf streak
(Fig. 11) affect the fruit development and reduce the bunch
weight. Leaf speckle disease (Fig. 13) and shooty mold (Fig.
14) affects the leaf lamina and cause less damage to the plant.
Banana cultivars grown as intercrops are mostly affected
by the fungal diseases. Fusarium groups produce a rot in the
corm and that extended through the inflorescence axis which
may affect the bunch (Rangaswami and Rangarajan, 1993).
Effect of bacteria:
Among the five bacterial diseases studied, blood disease
causes yellowing of leaves and arrest the emergences of new
leaf (Fig. 1). Moko disease affects the fruit development and
premature ripening of fingers (Fig. 2). Bugtok causes peduncle
dry and fruit turns yellow in early stage (Fig. 3). Bacterial wilt
cause wiltering of younger leaf and finger tip rot causes the
blackening of tip of the fruits before maturity (Fig. 4).
Moko is a bacterial disease of banana caused by
Ralstomia solanacerum. Moko occurs on cultivars in the
Cavendish sub group (AAA). It has been reported from India
(Buddenhagen, 1961).
Ralstonia solanacearum discoloures the vascular
system of banana and blocks it, so it may arrest the fruit
development (Gnanamanikam et al., 1994).
Blood disease affects both desert and cooking banana
cultivars. It is a bacterial disease which causes necrosis and
arrests the emergence of new leaf. (Eden and Sastratmadja
1993).
Effect of virus:
This study inferred that viral diseases were more harmful
than the bacterial and fungal diseases. Among the three viral
diseases studied banana bract mosaic disease causes severe
damage to the bract that affect the fruit set (Fig. 6). Bunchy
top of banana leads stunded growth of leaves and plant cannot
grow further. The farmers remove the plant when they
confirmed the disease. Mosaic disease leads to the formation
of disserted leaves and this arrests the emergence of
inflorescence.
Mosaic infections leads chlorosis which has been known
for a long time to be caused by cumcumber mosaic virus.
Mosaic symptoms are most pronounced during cool weather
and this strain causes chlorosis, cigar leaf necrosis, internal
pseudostem necrosis and plant death (Fig. 8) (Thomas and
Iskra-carauna, 2000).
Bunchy top of banana is a common disease which affects
all groups of banana. It is a very serious disease of banana, it
collapses the vascular system and stunded growth of plant
J. LOHI DAS
229-232
Hind Agricultural Research and Training InstituteAsian J. Hort., 7(1) June, 2012 : 231
Plate 1 : Symptoms of different banana diseases
Blood disease (Bacterial disease) Moke disease (Bacterial disease)
Bugtok (Bacterial disease) Bacterial wilt (Bacterial disease)
Finger tip top (Bacterial disease) Bract mosaic disease (Bacterial
disease)
Bunchy top of banana (Viral
Disease)
Mosaic virus disease (Viral
disease)
STUDIES ON THE DISEASES AFFECTING BANANA CULTIVARS IN KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT
Fig. 1 Fig. 2
Fig. 3 Fig. 4
Fig. 5 Fig. 6
Fig. 7 Fig. 8
Blood disease (Bacterial disease) Panama wilt (Fungal disease)
Black leaf streak (Fungal
disease)
Pseudostem heart rot (Fungal
disease)
Leaf speakle (Fungal disease) Sooty mold (Fungal disease)
Fig. 9 Fig. 10
Fig. 11 Fig. 12
Fig. 13 Fig. 14
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Hind Agricultural Research and Training InstituteAsian J. Hort., 7(1) June, 2012 : 232
J. LOHI DAS
(Fig. 7) (Darnell Smith and Tyron, 1923).
Conclusion:
This investigation finds that the farmers have poor
knowledge about the diseases affecting banana. They don’t
know about the causing organism and proper controlling
measures. So it is essential to create awareness about the
measures to control the diseases and try to introduce tissue
culture plantlets, so as to check the diseases for a certain
extend.
REFERENCES
Buddenhagen, I.W. (1961) Bacteria with bananas; history and known
distribution. Trop. Agric. (Trinidad), 38 : 107-121.
Darnell, Smith, G.P. and Tyron, H. (1923). Banana bunchy top
disease. Queensland Agric. J., 19 : 32-33.
Dodds, K.S. (1943). Banana varieties in relation to banana breeding.
Empire J. Exp. Agric., 11 : 89-91.
Eden, S.J. and Sastratmadja, H. (1993). Blood disease of banana
present in Java. FAO Plant Protection Bull., 38 : 49-50.
Gnanamanickam, S.S., Lokeswari, T.S. and Nandini, K.R. (1994)
Bacterial wilt of banana in southern India. Plant Disease Rep., 63 :
525-528.
Morton, J. (1987). Fruits of warm climates,
Raj, A.D.S. (1998). Agasthiorarmaaiyism a that choolalum
aadithavarathottamiyama? (In Tamil) In : Treasure of ideas (A
collection of articles presented in the Mano Research Forum). K.P.
Aravanan and M.P. Gurusamay ed: 243-256.M.S. University,
Tirunelveli.
Rangaswami, G. and Rangarajan, M. (1993). Fungal disease in banana.
Phytopathol., 55 : 1035-1036.
Thippesha, D., Raju, B., Mahantheh, B., Jemila Naik, O. and Srinivas,
V. (2006). Studies on bunch yield characters of banana cv. ROBUSTA
with different planting systems. J. Asian Hort., 2(2):86-90.
Thomas, J.E. and Iskra – Caruana, M.L. (2000). Bunchy top. In :
D.R. Jones, ed. Diseases of banana, Abaca and Enset, CAB
International, Walling ford, UK pp. 241-253.
WEBLIOGRAPHY
Http: www. Hort.prudue/ morton/ banana, html. pp. 29-43.
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