Banana bunchy top virus: Symptom and control Measure

In this article we will discuss about (1) Symptom of Banana bunchy top virus (2) Control Measure Banana bunchy top virus

Host : Banana

Causal Organism : Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV)

(1) Symptom of Banana bunchy top virus 

• Initially, dark green streaks appears 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 fruit is produced, the banana hands and fingers are likely to be distorted and twisted. 

(2) Control Measure Banana bunchy top virus

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 sugarcane 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