Introduction

Banana cultivation is a significant agricultural practice in many tropical and subtropical regions around the world. As a staple food and an important cash crop, ensuring the healthy growth and productivity of banana plants is crucial. However, banana plantations are often plagued by various pests that can severely impact yield and quality. Effective pest management is, therefore, essential for maintaining robust banana crops. This blog will explore the common pests that affect banana plants, the damage they cause, and the best practices for managing these pests to ensure a healthy and bountiful harvest. By implementing the right pest control strategies, farmers can protect their banana crops and secure their livelihoods.

Borers

Rhizome weevil - Cosmopolites sordidus

Symptoms of damage

Grubs bore into the rhizome and cause death of the plant

The presence of dark coloured tunnels in the rhizomes.

Death of unopened pipe, withering of outer leaves.

Identification of pest

Eggs - laid singly, white in colour present on the upper part of rhizome

Grub - Apodous, yellowish white with red head

Pupa - white in colour, occur in inside the corm and tunneling

Adult - Dark weevil, newly emerged weevil is red brown

Management

Select healthy sucker and plant

Do not take regular crop in the same field to avoid initial infestation

Ensure clean cultivation

Removal of pseudo stems below ground level

Trimming the rhizome

Avoid growing Robusta, Karpooruvally, Malbhog, Champa and Adukkar

Grow less susceptible varieties like Poovan, Kadali, Kunnan, Poomkalli

Use cosmolure trap at 5/ha

Banana corm split trap

Symptoms of damage

Trap adult weevils with pseudostem chopped into small pieces kept near infested clump at 65/ha.

Soil incorporation at the time of planting: carbofuran 3 G 10g, phorate 10 G 5 g/plant, lindane 1.3 D 20 g/plant.

Before planting, the suckers should be dipped in 0.1 per cent quinalphos emulsion.

Apply castor cake 250g or carbaryl 50g dust or phorate 10g per pit before planting also prevents infestation

Severe attack dimethoate, methyl demeton, or phosphamidon may be sprayed around the collar region.

Pseudostem borer - Odoiporus longicollis

Symptoms of damage

Grub bore into pseudostem making tunnels

Cutting holes on outer surface

Exudation of plant sap – initial symptom

Blackened mass comes out from the bore hole

Tunneled part decomposes and pseudostem becomes weak

Wilting of the plant.

Identification of pest

Eggs – are laid at random on cut ends of pseudostem, yellowish-white, cylindrical in shape

Grub - Apodous, creamy white with dark brown head.

Pupa – pale yellow colour, fibrous cocoon formed inside the tunneling on the periphery

Adult - Robust, reddish brown and black weevil.

Management

Remove dried leaves periodically and keep the field clean

Prune the side suckers every month

Use healthy and pest free suckers to check the pest incidence

Do not dump infested materials into manure pit

Uproot infested trees, chop into pieces and burn

Use longitudinally split pseudostem trap at 65/ha

Banana aphid- Pentalonia nigronervosa f. typica

Symptoms of damage

Leaves are bunched into a rosette appearance

Leaf margins are wavy and upward rolling

Stunted growth of the plant

Do not produce bunches

Vector of bunchy top disease.

Seen in colonies on leaf axils and pseudo stem

Identification of pests

Nymphs - are dark in color

Adult – Brownish and has black veined wings

Management

Ensure clean cultivation

Use healthy and pest free suckers to check the pest incidence

Destroy diseased plants with rhizome

Direct the spray towards the crown and pseudostem base upto ground level

Encourage activity of predators:

Scymnus, Chilomenes sexmaculatus, Chrysoperla carnea and other coccinellids.

Use entomopathogens, Beauveria bassiana

Pentalonia nigronervosa Pentalonia nigronervosa

Summary

Banana plants are susceptible to several pests, but luckily there are control methods to keep them at bay. For weevils like the rhizome weevil, planting healthy suckers and practicing crop rotation are crucial. Keeping fields clean and removing old banana stems after harvest disrupts their life cycle. In severe cases, traps and insecticides can be used. For the pseudostem borer, maintaining field hygiene and using healthy suckers are key. Splitting old banana stems into traps is another effective method. Finally, to manage banana aphids, starting with clean fields and healthy plants is essential. Encouraging natural predators like ladybugs is a great first step, with insecticides reserved as a last resort. By following these practices, banana growers can effectively protect their crops from these common pests.