Plantation Crops - Horticulture: Plants for People and Places - page 273

Fig. 8.11 Banana tissue
culture nurseries supply
tens of millions of pest and
disease-free plants worldwide
for new plantings so reduc-
ing pest problems and the
need for some pesticides.
(©Daniells)
Fig. 8.12 Aerial application
of fungicides for leaf disease
control. Monocultures of the
susceptible Cavendish-type
bananas destined for export
are usually grown in wet
tropical environments and are
highly dependent on pesticide
inputs for high yields of the
required fruit. (©Daniells)
Serious diseases threaten the future of the banana plantations world wide. These
diseases include, in particular, Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4), black Sigatoka
leaf disease and bacterial wilts. All the plantations are monoculture cropped with
Cavendish cultivars which are genetically very similar. Thus, they are very vul-
nerable to disease outbreaks. This was highlighted by the January 18th 2003 New
Scientist cover story 'Going Bananas' (Pearce 2003 ). There is still no satisfactory
control measure for TR4. The disease, until recently confined to Asia is causing
serious losses to plantations in China and the Philippines, has now spread to Africa.
In recent years, black Sigatoka has become more difficult to control in many planta-
tions, necessitating weekly fungicide applications which is clearly not sustainable.
Major changes in banana culture are needed to face these challenges.
Banana plantations supply most of the western world with its most popular fruit
the year round. In just a little over a hundred years bananas have come to be re-
lied upon by the masses as an inexpensive, nutritious fruit. This has largely been