80 



THE BANANA DISEASE AND ITS CONTROL 



The disease eausiiig sueh great losses in the manzano variety 

 of bananas in Western Cuba is called the Panama disease and 

 is the same as occurs in Porto 'Rico, Jamaica, Central America, 

 Trinidad and Surinam. 



In iCuba this disease attacks the manzano, the Johnson, or 

 Gros 'Michel and the Ingles, but so far as is known does not 

 attack the maeho, hembra, burro, enano, and none of the morado 

 type. . 



Portunaiely this disease has not yet reached the district of 

 Oriente where ar^ grown the Johnson bananas for export, but 

 as yet occurs only ia central and western Cuba. However the 

 large manzano plantations about Havana have suffered tremen- 

 dous loss. 



■This idisease is an' infectious one and is due to a fungous 

 growth in the soil passing into the roots and thence into' the 

 stalk. The fungus destroys the water-conducting vessels in the 

 .trunk and rootstalfe. and thus the plant suffers from a lack of 

 water. The action of the fun^gus is not great in the new green 

 stalks, ibut as soon as the stalk approaches maturity or sometimes 

 when half grown, symptoms of the disease may be seen, if the 

 jleaves turn yellow and fall away. 



'This fiingus that causes the trouble lives in the soil as well 

 jis in the plant and may be carried about in the soil on the shoes of 

 laborers, or on hoes, or cutlasses used in ciiopping down diseased 

 pla,nts may become infected and carry the infection to other 

 ■parts, and roOtstalks or suckers that are, transported for planting 

 in Other places might carry the disease with them. 



Based upon these facts, regulations for the treatment and 

 control of the disease have been promulgated in the decree 

 against the banana disease. The recomended methods of treat- 

 ment are those generally practiced in sanitation as follows : 



1. No diseased plants should be removed from one field to 



another ; neither robtstalks, nor suckers, nor leaves. 

 ,2. , No soil should be removed from an infected field. 



3. All diseased plants should be cut down. The rootstalks 

 and roots remaiaing in the ground should be covered 

 with quicklime. 



The trunk and leaves should be out into pieces and made 

 into a pile and burned. 



4. All implements used in a diseased field, sueh as plows, 

 hoes and cutlasses should be disinfected before using in 

 a clean field. 



