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Yellow Sigatoka

Mycosphaerella musicola or Pseudocercospora musicola
Yellow Sigatoka (YS) is a common fungal disease affecting bananas across banana growing regions of Australia. Also known as leaf spot and Sigatoka leaf spot, YS reduces the plants photosynthetic potential and subsequent bunch size. It can also shorten the green life of fruit, being the time between harvest and ripening, which reduces fruit quality. YS tends to be more prevalent at the end of the wet season, particularly in plantations that have not been sprayed with fungicides. More importantly, control of YS is essential as it can potentially mask an outbreak of the similar, but more destructive, exotic disease black Sigatoka, caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis.
 
Yellow Sigatoka in bananas

Description

During summer and early autumn Yellow Sigatoka affects newly emerged leaves. Symptoms appear as pale, yellow streaks (1 - 2 mm) which over time merge to form dark, rusty brown to black spots surrounded by a yellow halo. Severe infections can result in defoliation, reduced bunch size and uneven ripening of fruit. 

YS requires living plant material to survive where infected leaves release spores to infect other leaves and plants. Infection and rapid spread of YS is favoured by moist and warm conditions, particularly during summer.

Control

Control of Yellow Sigatoka can be achieved through cultural and chemical practices. To reduce inoculum levels, it is vital to remove diseased leaves, often referred to as ‘de-leafing’. Generally, leaves with more than 5 per cent of the surface affected by Yellow Sigatoka should be removed, ideally during spring. De-leafing is also important to reduce the onset of resistance. 

Where de-leafing alone does not provide adequate control, fungicides will need to be applied. Resistance to some fungicides is known to occur in most banana growing regions, therefore preserving those that are still effective is essential. Removal of diseased leaves prior to a fungicide application is an important resistance management strategy. Both protectant and systemic fungicides are used in a program approach to control YS in bananas. Luna® Experience, Serenade® Prime, Routine® & Scala® are fungicides registered for the control of YS in bananas. Luna Experience is a co-formulation of fluopyram and tebuconazole providing excellent YS control and protection. Scala has systemic properties to control YS and Serenade Prime is a biofungicide which uses chemicals produced by bacteria and induction of systemically acquired resistance to protect against YS. It is important to follow all labelled and CropLife recommendations when selecting fungicides to apply in bananas.

Related Products

Routine brand tag
Luna Experience brand tag
Scala
Serenade Prime


References

Australian Banana Growers Council (ABGC) (Viewed Nov 2019), ‘Top ways to manage banana fungicide resistance’, Fact sheet – Australia Banana Best Practice, National Banana Development and Extension Program, https://abgc.org.au/wp-content/themes/abgc/assets/lib/magazine/magazine.html?file=https://abgc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FACTSHEET_Fungicide-resistance-strategies-.pdf#magazineMode=true

Campbell, B (2008), ‘Banana Growing Guide’, NSW Department for Primary Industries, Pg 9, https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/251898/Banana-growing-guide-cavendish-bananas-Complete.pdf

Pekin, J (2007), ‘Integrated management of Yellow Sigatoka and other banana diseases in Far North Qld’, Horticulture Innovation Australia, Final Report, Australian Banana Growers Council Inc,  https://www.horticulture.com.au/globalassets/laserfiche/assets/project-reports/ba12007/ba12007-final-report-373.pdf

Queensland Government (1998), ‘Tropical banana information kit’, Agrilink, pg 4, http://era.daf.qld.gov.au/id/eprint/1656/6/5protrbn_part1.pdf

Slaven, T (2018), ‘Diseases of bananas in the Ord River Irrigation Area’, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/bananas/diseases-bananas-ord-river-irrigation-area

Vezina, A (2019), ‘Sigatoka leaf spot’, Promusa, http://www.promusa.org/Sigatoka+leaf+spot