Nature of damage:
- The disease is characterized by the presence of typical mosaic-like or discontinuous linear streaking in bands extending from margin to midrib.
- Rolling of leaf margins, twisting and bunching of leaves at the crown and a rigid erectness in newly emerged leaves
- The presence of dead or drying suckers is noticed in advanced cases referred as heart rot resulting from rotting of heart leaf and central portion of pseudostem.
- Primarily infected banana plants develop severe mosaic symptoms in young growth showing broadly streaked chlorotic or yellowish green bands and patches or chlorotic mottling distributed in patches over the leaf lamina.
- The leaves are narrower and smaller than normal and the infected plants are dwarf and lag behind in growth. Such plants do not produce bunches but as a virus reservoir.
Cultural Control:
- The banana gardens should be kept free from weeds.
- Weeds in the nearby areas should be removed as the virus survives in them in off-season
- Growing pumpkin, cucumber and other cucurbits between the rows of banana crop should be avoided.
- Use virus free Tissue culture Planting Material
- Early detection by regular inspection of planting and eradication of diseased plants from the field as soon as they are noticed.
- Use of high input crop management of system comprising of 10 kg farm yard manure at the time of planting and subsequently at an interval of 3 months. 1 kg neem cake, 4 weeding at 2 months interval up to 8 months stage.
Chemical Control:
- Spraying Methyl Demeton 0.03 per cent (0.3 ml/lit of water) at 3 to 4 weeks interval controls the vector and reduces the spread of the disease
- Foliar spray of micronutrient (0.2% CuSo4(2ml/lit), 0.2% FeSo4(2ml/lit), 0.5% ZnSo4(5 ml/lit) and th 0.1% H3BO (1 ml/lit of water) at 3,5 and 7 month after planting and spraying Glyphosate 2Kg per 3 hectare to control weeds
- Control of insect vector by spraying Phosphomidon at 1 ml per litre or Methyl Demeton at 2 ml per litre or Monocrtophos at 1ml per litre.
