Banana Bunchy Top:Banana bunchy top virus
Symptom:
- Initially, dark green streaks appear in the veins of lower portion of the leaf midrib and the leaf stem
- Dark green, hook-like extensions of the leaf lamina veins can be seen in the narrow, light-green zone between the midrib and the lamina.
- On mature plants infected with BBTV, new leaves emerge with difficulty, are narrower than normal, are wavy rather than flat, and have yellow (chlorotic) leaf margins.
- They appear to be “bunched” at the top of the plant, the symptom for which this disease is named.
- Severely infected banana plants usually will not fruit, but if the fruit is produced, the banana hands and fingers are likely to be distorted and twisted.
Identification of pathogen:
- The virus is an isometric particle measure 20nm in diameter.
- It is ssDNA virus belonging to Nanoviridae family and babu virus genus.
- The virus has multi component genome
- There are six circular single stranded genomes known to be established
- The virus concentration is more present in phloem
- It is transmitted by infected suckers and banana aphid.
Management:
Cultural method
- Use virus free planting materials
- Remove and rouging of infected banana plants
- Chop, dry and bury the infected plants
- Maintain clean, weed free field for early detection of infested suckers
- Avoid banana cultivation in sugar cane and cucurbitaceous areas as sugarcane mosaic virus or cucurbit mosaic virus can easily spread to banana
Chemical method
- The plants should be injected with 4 ml of Fernoxone solution(50g in 400 ml of water)
- Insertion of Fernoxone capsules (containing 200 to 400 mg of chemical per capsule) into the pseudostem by using the banana injector or capsule applicator
- For vector controls Injection of plants with monocrotophos 4 ml (1:4) at 45 days interval from 3rd month till flowering
- Spraying plants with phosphomidon 1ml /l or Methyldemeton 2ml/ l or monocrotophos 1ml /l.
Source-
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TamilNadu Agritech Portal
