Nematicide treatment of banana planting material

Abstract

Numbers of burrowing nematodes (Radopholus similis) in banana planting material were reduced by paring the infested tissue from the planting bit, or by dipping the bits in water at 53-55°C for 20 minutes or in nematicides at ambient temperatures (ethoprophos 600 ppm for 20 minutes; fenamiphos 250 ppm for 10 minutes; oxamyl 1000 ppm for 20 minutes; dibromochloropropane 5000 ppm for 1 minute). Heavy paring was necessary before hot water treatment for good nematode control, but with dips of ethoprophos, fenamiphos and DBCP, good control was achieved with light paring. In a field trial, germination, early growth and bunch weights of plants from bits dipped for 20 minutes in 1000 ppm of oxamyl, benomyl or thiabendazole at ambient temperatures (23 to 25°C) or at 53 to 55°C were not increased when compared with the standard hot-water treatment.