Banana Sigatoka Disease

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What is Banana Sigatoka disease?

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A plant disease affecting bananas.

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What are the symptoms of Banana Sigatoka disease?

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Symptoms include yellowing of leaves, leaf spots, and premature leaf death.

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What is the distribution of Banana Sigatoka disease?

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It is found in tropical and subtropical regions where bananas are grown.

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What is the pathogen responsible for Banana Sigatoka disease?

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Mycosphaerella/Pseudocercospora complex. Specifically, Black Sigatoka is caused by Pseudocercospora fijiensis (formerly Mycosphaerella fijiensis), and Yellow Sigatoka is caused by Pseudocercospora musae (formerly Mycosphaerella musicola). A third species, Pseudocercospora eumusae (formerly Mycosphaerella eumusae), is also known to cause leaf spot disease in bananas and has been reported in Sri Lanka

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What are the control measures for Banana Sigatoka disease?

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Use field tolerant cultivars (e.g. Seeni)

Use proper spacing in order to avoid mutual shading and the contact of leaves (8 to 12 ft)

Keep an appropriate distance (100 – 500ft) between new plantations and disease-affected existing plantations

Establish live wind barriers around the field (eg. Gliricidia)

Avoid surface irrigation / sprinkler irrigation to minimize the relative humidity of micro environment. Drip irrigation is preferred

Balanced fertilization (follow DOA recommendations and avoid excessive N fertilizer)

Avoid high density planting methods for highly susceptible cultivars (e.g. Cavendish) and high risk areas (e.g. some down south areas)

Allow fields to dry as soon as possible just after rain by improving drainage / runoff

Keep minimum or no weed cover

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Black sigatoka

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Black sigatoka vs yellow sigatoka

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