Banana in Malaysia

Banana in Malaysia
In Malaysia, bananas are being commercialized for export. Cavendish is being planted on a few sites, in dense stands allowing pathogens and pests present in this region of coevolution to reveal their epidemic for the fist time. These are as a rotation crop after old palm oil. The plantations are severely affected by Fusarium wilt. The plantations were established with no concern for this disease.

In Malaysia, banana is the second most widely cultivated fruit, covering about 26,000 ha with a total production of 530,000 metric tones. About 50% of the banana growing land is cultivated with Pisang Berangan and the Cavendish type.

However, banana production in Malaysia has decreased because of an increasing threat of diseases (particularly Fusarium wilt), high labor costs and marketing issues. However, it is still popular grown and contributes about 16% of the total fruit production areas.

Banana cultivation is largely a smallholder enterprise where farms are small, unorganized and farmers often adopt inferior technology. Apparently, this production practice often results in low yield and inferior quality.

Poor quality has been a major constraint to export of fresh fruits, including banana. It is therefore necessary to adopt good production practices and inefficient postharvest handling to ensure consistent supply of high quality banana for export.

There is also little research on banana. Local agriculture at the village level provided all the fruit needed for local markets, and the village production was left to its own devices, with research going to rubber, oil palm and later to rice. Although some academic research on bananas exists at universities and at the Malaysia Research and Development Authority (MARDI), there is little connection with commercial development.
Banana in Malaysia

Banana and Black Sigatoka

Banana and Black Sigatoka
Bananas rank fourth worldwide as the most valuable food crop, after rice, wheat and potatoes. Almost 80 million metric tons are harvested annually around the world, with 72 million tons harvested from the tropical countries. Bananas are considered a staple food in Latin America and Africa. In Uganda alone per capita banana consumption is 1.3 pounds per day. Bananas are easily digested and high in vitamin A and C and in potassium.

However, the scientists said that there banana fruit could be extinct within 10 years since it unable to fight off a plague of pests and disease. It is because Black Sigatoka, a fungal disease that cuts yields by up to three quarters and reduces the productive lives of banana plants from 30 to only two or three years, has become a global epidemic.

Black Sigatoka is one of the most devastating leaf-destroying diseases. This disease also sometimes known as black leaf streak, causes significant reduction in leaf area, yield losses of 50% or more, and premature ripening.

Black Sigatoka was first recognized in Fiji in 1963, before widespread to Southeast Asia and South Pacific. It appeared in 1972 in Honduras.

In commercial export plantations, Black Sigatoka is controlled by frequent applications of fungicides. Removal of affected leaves, good drainage, and sufficient spacing also help to fight the disease. Research on genetically modified banana also is going on in order to help prevent this devastating disease.
Banana and Black Sigatoka