BANANA

Name of the diesease	Symptoms	Control Measures
PANAMA WILT	Infected plant shows a characteristic yellowing of leaves. The yellowing develops as a band along the margin and spreads towards the midrib. The diseased plants have characteristic sickly appearance with the leaves in acropetal succession collapsing at the base of petioles. Infected plants are stunted. Transverse section of rhizome show yellow to brown discolouration in vascular bundles. Infected pseudostems and rhizomes emit and characterstic odour.	1. Eradication, application of lime to infested pits after chopping of the plant parts, flooding the soil for 6 months and application of fungicides may kill the fungus. 2. Field fallowing and long rotation are also effective. 3. Vapam 850g in 100 litre of water is used as a soil drench. 4. Preplanting treatment of suckers & drenching of soil with Bavistin (0.1%) at bimonthly intervals is also helpful in checking the disease
LEAF SPOT OR SIGATOKA	Early symptoms are small, yellow linear marking on the leaves which are parallel to the veins. These spots enlarge and become brown in colour. Affected leaves turn yellow and die. These disease is serious during rainy season in coastal regions.	Bavistin (0.1%) or Topcin-M (0.1%) or Daconil (0.2%) give good control. Antracol (0.2%) is also effective.
PSEUDOSTEM ROT OR HEART ROT	Inner stem rots and dies and thus interfere with the emergence of new leaves. The rot gradually travels down and prevents emergence of the inflorescence.	Sanitation, good drainage and adequate spacing reduce its incidence. Timely spray of Bordeaux mixture is also effective.
ANTHRACNOSE	The disease attacks all the aerial parts of the plant. The different types of symptoms produced are black spot, black and crown rot. The anthracnose first appears on the body of the ripening fruit as an almost circular, dark-brown area with diffused edges. In moist whether the sunken region is covered with a mass of spores which gives it a pink to rusty red colour. In the green fruit, these infections progress some way into the stems or crown tissues, preceeded by dark water-soaked bank. As the fruit ripens, the rot advances very rapidly down the stalks and into the pulp. The bunches and individual fingers at this stage fall away from the decaying crown. The disease results in premature ripening and shrivelling of the fruits which are covered with pink spore masses.	Two varieties namely Kothia and Muthia have been reported to be resistant. . Spraying of bunches/plants with Bavistin or JK Stein or Topsin-M (0.1%) or Prochloraz (0.15%) at 20 days intervals in quite effective. The last spray should be given 15-20 days before harvesting.
BANANA BUNCHY TOP Click on Image for larger photo.	The first symptom is the appearance of irregular, dark green streaks about 0.75mm wide along the secondary veins on the underside of the leaf. In badly attacked plants, leaves are small, erect and bunched together at the apex. The petiole, mid rib and lamina become more brittle and can easily be snapped when bent or crushed.	1) Planting virus-free suckers ensure the best control of the disease. 2) For controlling the insect vector, application of systemic granular insecticides like thiodemeton, dimethoate and phorate at 25 g and 12.5 g at plant base and leaf axil application has been found very effective.