Black Sigatoka Disease Of Banana And Plantain

The present proceedings offers an overview of the current situation regarding Mycosphaerella leaf spot diseases at the global level.

In a field of mature bananas, plants can be seen at all stages of vegetative growth and fruit maturity, providing a fascination for anyone who has an interest in growing crops. Banana farmers in the tropics can harvest fruit every day of the year. The absence of seasonality in production is an advantage, in that it provides a continuity of carbohydrate to meet dietary needs as well as a regular source of income, a feature that perhaps has been under-estimated by rural planners and agricultural strategists. The burgeoning interest in bananas in the last 20 years results from the belated realization that Musa is an under-exploited genus, notwithstanding the fact that one genetically narrow group, the Cavendish cultivars, supply a major export commodity second only to citrus in terms of the world fruit trade. International research interest in the diversity of fruit types has been slow to develop, presumably because bananas and plantains have hitherto been regarded as a reliable backyard source of dessert fruit or starch supplying the needs of the household, and in this situation relatively untroubled by pests, diseases or agronomic problems.

Annotation. Comprehensive information on diseases of the most important tropical fruit cropsChapters are devoted to a single or, in some cases, a related group of host plantsThe history, distribution, importance, symptoms, aetiology, epidemiology and management of diseases of each crop are described in detailThis book offers a comprehensive review of diseases of important tropical and some subtropical fruit crops. The history, distribution, importance, etiology, epidemiology and control of diseases of each host crop are covered, along with brief summaries on the taxonomy, origins and characteristics of each host. Additional information is given on the biology and pathology of the causal agents and on new advances that change or otherwise enhance our understanding of the nature and cause of these diseases. Plant pathologists, plantation and nursery managers, lecturers and those who are involved in tropical agriculture and horticulture will find this an essential reference.