As part of the Ministry of Agriculture’s MUSA Disease Management Unit, efforts to deal with a disease affecting banana and plantain farms at Zeelugt West and Tuschen Backdam intensified Friday with a spraying exercise.

Spraying ongoing at a Tuschen farm.

The exercise is a commitment fulfilled by Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud, during an outreach in Region Three last week to interact with farmers where concerns were raised about suspected Sigatoka Disease affecting their banana and plantain crop. It is also in keeping with the Ministry’s efforts to ensure healthy crop practices are maintained.

Minister Robert Persaud has since instructed a precautionary spraying programme be undertaken to protect banana and plantain farms from the disease; however, it is still not clear whether it is indeed the Sigatoka disease, and a sample was sent to the KABI Bio-science libratory in the United States for further analysis.

The MUSA Unit, which has been established within the Ministry’s research arm, the National Agricultural Research Institute, has also undertaken an aggressive sensitisation programme in banana and plantain growing regions, among other activities including:

* Disease Identification
* Disease Assessment within the country
* Disease Management Strategies
* Training of staff and farmers
* Public awareness and sensitisation
* Establishment of demonstration plots
* Spray Programme to support farmers
Head of the MUSA Disease Management Unit, Rajendra Persaud, who headed the field exercise, said that it was aimed at encouraging farmers to embark on the programme which will help reduce the spread of the disease.

He noted that before farmers benefit, a sanitation exercise is required which entails a comprehensive clearing and cleaning of farmland by cutting all affected leaves and disposing of them in a proper manner, since re-infection is likely.

The Wilson brothers and Region Three are the first to benefit from the exercise. So far, 7.5 acres of farmlands have already been completed, and according to Persaud, the remaining 7.5 acres should have been completed by Saturday.

Research conducted by officials of NARI’s disease control unit has shown that banana and plantain crops in Regions Four, Five, Six and Ten are not prone to the disease, while Regions Two and Three are more susceptible.

Persaud urged that farmers play their part in ensuring that their farms are protected from diseases by constantly cleaning and clearing them. There are currently two types of Sigatoka disease (yellow and black).

The Sigatoka is a leaf disease that is caused by a fungus (Mycosphaerella musicola, Leach).

The symptoms of the disease appear on the leaves and not on other parts of the plant. The disease is found in almost all banana growing countries in the Caribbean Region.

Some of the symptoms of the disease are:-
* Pale yellow specks on the upper leaf surface
* Spots appearing on the 4th and 5th leaf of untreated plants and
* Streaks appearing along the margins and apex of the leaf
These symptoms, if untreated, cause damage to leaves making them non-functional, leading to smaller and lighter fruits, and an increase in the level of rejected fruit and an eventual death of plants.
The disease is spread naturally by wind, water splash, insects, animals and human practices. (GINA)