In the central topic, the physiological processes involved in damage caused by Pseudocercospora fijiensis in banana plants and other spoilages were addressed.
At the I Banana Congress of the Caribbean, scientific expert Mauricio Guzmán Quesada highlighted the problems caused to banana plants by Pseudocercospora fijiensis and Black Sigatoka, noting in the exhibition that this pathology is considered the most devastating foliar disease and more goes. economic value in plantain and banana crops and can cause yield losses of up to 50%.
It should be noted that, without control measures, black sigatoka can reduce the weight of the flakes by up to 50% and lead to a 100% loss of production due to a drop in quality.
It may interest you: Asabama to host the first Banana Congress of the Colombian Caribbean 2023
Similarly, Mauricio Guzmán managed to state in his speech that, “Sigatoka is the most important banana disease worldwide. It was first identified in 1912. Over the next 40 years the disease spread to all banana producing countries.” Went.
Black sigatoka appeared in Central America in 1934 and in two years destroyed more than 8,900 hectares of bananas in Honduras and Suriname. In 1936, fungicide spray programs were developed using Bordeaux mixture (copper and lime) to control the disease.
It might interest you: The Magdalena is ready for the first Banana Congress of the Colombian Caribbean
In view of this, he mentioned a plan to counteract these diseases affecting the banana association, which has caused millions in loss due to damage to the plant producing this fruit. For the specialist, planting at altitudes above 1,000 m above sea level, or in moderately shaded conditions and a combination of other plant species (mixed planting or mixed orchard) helps to reduce the severity of the disease attack.
What preventive measures can be taken to avoid this pest?
For the Costa Rican specialist, the high virulence of M. fijiensis calls attention to preventive measures for proper management of cultural operations in plantations and continuous monitoring of disease development, so notice plots are used to establish the best management strategy. Is. Within an annual program of applications. The goal is to keep disease levels at a level that does not affect productivity.
Among traditional banana maladies in Colombia, black sigatoca, the so-called moco, and a post-harvest disease called crown rot are noted.
