Banana Twenty-fourth week practices

Apply 30g Trichoderma viride or Pseudomonas flourescense in the soil around the plant as a prophylactic measure to control the wilt disease.

Spray of Arka banana specially recommended by IIHR (Indian Institute of Horticultural Research) micronutrient formulation on canopy.

Rhizome weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus 

    Grub bore hole         corm damage               stem damage

Symptoms of damage

• Grubs bore into the rhizome and cause death of the plant
• Presence of dark coloured tunnels in the rhizomes.
• Death of unopened pipe, withering of outer leaves.

Identification of pest

         Pupa           adult

• 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