Organic solution developed to control crown rot in banana

The Philippine Center for Post-harvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) has started talks with a number of companies for the commercial use of an organic solution to control crown rot disease in bananas and possibly in other crops like pineapple and papaya.

PhilMech, an agency attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA), is set to start laboratory testing of its organic solution with Dole Asia, while talks with Chemrez involve the development of a “carrier” for the organic solution that would be tailored to individual users.

PhilMech scientist Dr. Dionisio Alvindia has discovered a specific fungus and bacterium to prevent the dreaded banana crown rot.

At present, banana farmers and wholesalers dip bananas in a fungicide solution to control the banana crown rot.

Philmech executive director Ricardo Cachuela said “Dr. Alvindia’s breakthrough discovery will greatly benefit the local banana industry, especially the exporters, because that will make their bananas better in quality because no fungicide would be used to control the banana crown rot, and the banana crown rot would be thing of the past.”

Philmech has applied for a patent for the organic solution to the banana crown rot.

Aside from Dole Asia and Chemrez, Cachuela said a number of cooperatives and agribusiness companies involved in large scale banana planting have approached PhilMech so they can start applying the organic solution in their operations.

"Companies and cooperatives involved in organic and non-organic banana planting on a large scale want the organic solution to contain the banana crown rot. Exporters would surely benefit from the application of the organic solution to their products because the countries buying bananas from the Philippines, like Japan, have very strict standards when it comes to chemical residue,” Cachuela said.

There are more than 100,000 hectares of land planted to banana in the country.

Crown rot is the most severe post-harvest disease affecting the local banana industry.

Scientists identified the disease as a syndrome caused by several fungi like Lasiodplodia theobromae, Colletotichum musae, Thielavopsis paradoxa and other Fusarium species.

Without chemical treatment, bananas shipped from the country show signs of the banana crown rot within 21 days in transit, making them less saleable to consumers.

"Because of the long interval of 19 to 21 days from harvest to market and due to non-treatment of pesticides, export quality bananas deteriorate due to crown rot,” Dr. Alvindia said.