Pests and diseases of bananas and plantains in the western and central Africa : Impact and integrated control strategies

Cultivation of banana and plantain is subjetc to many pest and disease constraints in Cameroon. Among these are the Black Leaf Streak Disease (BLSD) (Mycosphaerella fijiensis), nematodes (Radolphus similis, Pratylenchus goodeyi) and banana borer weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus). They are present in all banana and plantain producing areas in the Western and Central Africa and yield losses occuring on susceptible varieties are very important in the absence of control measures. BLSD is the most devastating foliar disease, while nematodes and the banana borer weevil are the major soil pests of bananas and planatins; in the Western and Central Africa. An integrated control system has been developed at CARBAP for each of these constraints. Resistant type hybrids or tolerant accessions of plantains crop, good agronomic practices, planting date and leaf pruning and chemicals are combined as control strategies against BLSD. Control strategies against nematodes and the banana borer weevil include crop hygiene, propping and guying, use of clean and disinfected suckers or tissue cultured plantlets, chemical treatments and cultural methods. Non chemical control methods are especially useful to small-scale farmers for whom the use of chemicals are not socio-economically viable. To increase production in the future, semiintensive or intensive production systems with an integrated crop management strategy will need to be adopted. Such a strategy, successfully used in some large-scale dessert banana plantations will necessarily include the last IPM results obtained at CARBAP to control these diseases and pests. (Texte intégral