NEW BANANA PLANTATION DISEASE SPOTTED IN BUSHENYI

By Felix Twinomugisha
www.mknewslink.com
In Bushenyi
Farmers in Bushenyi district are in panic after a strange banana disease has attacked their banana plantations.
Our reporters have visited several plantations in Central division and Kakanju Sub County and found the disease has started spreading in different villages.
The affected plantations are in Kabale parish, and Katunga all in Kakanju Sub County and others were in Ryamabengwa ward in Central division, Bushenyi Ishaka Municipality in Bushenyi district.
One of the farmers told our reporter that the strange disease which first looked like Banana Bacteria Wilt has threatened their plantations as it spreads at a high speed.
Amon Natwebembera, the Bushenyi district agriculture officer told our reporter on phone today morning that the same outbreak has been reported in Ishaka Division and Kyamuhunga Subcounty. He said they have already reported the issue to the ministry of Agriculture.
The disease had earlier this year been reported in Mbarara, Sheema, Rwampara, Isingiro Kazo,Rukungiri, Ntungamo, Mitooma, and Ibanda districts among others.
Some observable signs of the new strange banana disease;
•Pathogen infection occurs on the outermost skin or epicarp of the banana fruit.
•On severely infected banana bunches, the dense aggregation of spots completely covers all the bunch changing its color from green to dark brown/red and black
•The affected banana or fruit cracks or splits, creating wounds that attract other fungi and bacteria infections

Some preventive measures according to interviewed agricultural experts are;
•Apply proper sanitation techniques on infected plant residues and bunches.
•In an infected plantation, cut down all banana bunches, chop and bury them underground to reduce on spread.
•Avoid using the banana residues collected from the market and collection centers as manure or mulch to prevent the spread of disease.
•Apply fungicides starting just after flowering in an infected banana plantation.

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