Diseases of fruit plantation medicinal and aromatic crops (2+1)

Cigar end rot of Banana

Cigar end rot banana

Causal organism: Verticillium theobromae (TURC) and Trachysphaera fructigena
In India it is reported from Andra Pradesh and Madya Pradesh. It is also common in countries like Egypt, and Australia. The disease incidence is correlated with occurrence of rain fall.
Symptoms

• It attacks even the immature fruits. In some bunches only some fruits are infected where as in others each and every finger shows the disease symptoms.
• The initial infection in the perianth slowly spreads along with the finger causing blackening of the skin, shrinkage and folding of tissues.
• The corrugated diseased portion becomes covered with powdery conidiophores and conidia of the fungus that resembles the ash on a cigar end and hence the name cigar end disease.

Etiology

• Conidiophores are usually solitary or in small groups. Conidia are hyaline, oblong to cylindrical.
• They are borne at the ends of tapering phialides, aggregated into round heads. Conidia are asexual spores.
• Primary source of inoculum: Dormant mycelia
• Secondary source of inoculum: soil and air borne conidia

Epidemiology

• High rainfall, high humidity (90-92%), low temp, (18-220c) and presence of susceptible host create conditions which favours the disease development.

Management

• The disease is carried by alternate hosts, so eradication of alternate hosts is important
• Removal of pistil and perianth by hand, immediately after the fruits are formed, is considered as an effective control method. The plantations should have enough aeration by discouraging overcrowding of plants
• Placing polythene sleeves over the stems before hands emerge
• The bunches should be sprayed with copper oxychloride @ 0.25% solution along with a wetting agent @ 0.5ml/ lt of spray fluid