IPM Strategies against Black Leaf Streak Disease

Black Sigatoka or black leaf streak (BLS) disease is a more challenging banana fungal disease than yellow Sigatoka disease. One of the key reasons is that the pathogen of BLS (M. fijiensis) produces more sexual spores (ascospores) than asexual spores (conidia), whereas the reverse is true for yellow Sigatoka disease (M. musicola). Recombination of genetic materials during the sexual reproduction allows for the possibility of selecting progeny that can overcome fungicide toxicity. Table 6-1 summarizes several facts about the biological differences between black and yellow Sigatoka diseases.