island cassie

This has only been happening to my dwarf cavendish which are interspersed with other varieties. The plant fruits with a moderate sized bunch and 2-3 months pass. Then as the fruit starts to plump out, the leaves start to die until they are all brown, then the stem turns to bad smelling mush and topples over. This has happened 3 times now but only to the dc, and 3 different mats. The weather has been hot, dry and humid and all the mats of all the varieties have been watered and fertilized the same. I suspect it is cultural but what? more fertilizer? and why aren't the others affected?

Nicolas Naranja

What you are describing sounds an awful lot like Panama Disease, which I know is not supposed to happen to Cavendish plants, but that smell is supposed to be a sign of Panama Disease. Does it kind of smell fishy???

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

island cassie

Hmmm! does look like a possibility doesn't it! Perhaps the type 4 only affects dc's - or are the rest biding their time. Worryingly I have composted the old leaves etc. Well - time will tell. Didn't smell fishy really - just sweet.

sunfish

This is from pitangadiego Encanto Farms .
The banana plant only flowers once and then it dies. I leave the old plant as long is it has green leaves, on the theory that it is still contributing energy to the mat (group). When the leaves have faded, and the trunk begins to desiccate, I remove it in stages, till only the old corm remains. Some varieties, e.g. Belle, may have green leaves for close to a year. With others the trunk and leaves will barely last long enough to mature the fruit.

I wonder if the D.cavendish is in the last group Jon mentions

Nicolas Naranja

The other possibility I can think of is Moko disease.

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

island cassie

With any luck it is not moko as there is no bacterial ooze and the fruits and stem are unmarked.

Sunfish - let's hope it is Jon's scenario, but it is a new development and I'll have to go round the other varieties with new eyes.

When I go around cutting down old leaves etc, I use the same tool without sterilizing in between, so I'm sure I must have spread anything bad amongst them all. Does anyone sterilize from plant to plant?

Nicolas Naranja

I don't from plant to plant, but I try really hard not to bring disease from field to field. Different machete, different loppers, different shovel.

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

island cassie

Laid low by bronchitis atm so further inspection will have to wait until I feel better.

banfan

I have heard that the protocol used on large plantations involves using a container of colored, diluted chlorine into which the cutting blade is plunged after each cut is made, in order to reduce the spread of disease. It is colored so that all cuts leave a mark to insure the protocol is being followed....a cut without color is grounds for termination of the guilty banana worker's employment.

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Sigi