grow panama disease resistant apple banana -...
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Grow panama disease resistant apple banana
Kenya Agricultural Research InstituteP.O. Box 57811-00200, NAIROBI.
Tel: 254-20-4183301-20, Fax: 254-20-4183344Email: [email protected]
Website: www. kari.org
Compiled by: Onyango, M
For more information contact:
Centre Director, KARI- Kisii, Box 523, KISII, 40200
Tel: (058) 31800/1/2/3 Direct line: (058) 31800Email: [email protected]
KARI information brochure series / 67 /2008 Ksh. 20
• Crop hygiene- any farm implement used
for pruning should be disinfected between
banana stools.
• Plant resistance - Use resistant banana
varieties in areas with panama disease.
Resistant “Apple” banana varieties
The following are resistant “Apple” banana
varieties:
• GT
• Prata – Manyatta, Soth, Exera and Kifutu
Mysore.
Uproot all panama disease affected “Sukari Ndizi”
stools and replace with any of the resistant
varieties named above. There is no difference
in taste between GT “Apple” and the preferred
Sukari Ndizi” “Apple” banana.
The affected plant will not develop suffi ciently
for a mature bunch to be produced and the
disease can cause total crop loss as shown.
Control methods
The main control methods for panama disease
include:
• Plant quarantine– ensure that no movement
of planting material from affected regions to
other areas occurs.
• Cultural control- burn or bury all diseased
crop residue practise crop rotation so that
the fungus can die.
The disease may spread quickly throughout the
entire banana stool and although the suckers may
look healthy they could be infected.
Signs of the disease
Panama disease affected plants show yellowing
of leaves starting with the oldest leaves. Some of
the leaves will droop and become brown and dry.
Other leaves may remain erect but soon turn
yellow then brown and dry.
In some cases the outer leaf sheaths of the
pseudostem may split longitudinally near the soil
level.
Introduction
Fusarium wilt or panama disease is a serious
problem of banana production in Nyanza,
Western, Central, Eastern and Coast Provinces of
Kenya.
The disease particularly affects “Apple” bananas
or “Sukari Ndizi” but other bananas such as
Gros Michel or Bogoya, Bokoko and Silk are also
affected to a lesser extent.
The disease can wipe out the entire banana crop
of susceptible variety.
Disease causing organism and spread
The disease is caused by Fusarium fungus which
is known to survive in the soil and on plant
waste.
It enters the plant roots through bruises
and then spreads to the whole plant via the
pseudostem.
Small mature bunch of affected plant
Split banana pseudo stem