SIGATOKA IN MUSÁCEAS

In the Venezuelan agricultural crops, one of the most sown is the musaceas (bananas and bananas), considered of great importance by the commercial contribution, which it has, is also consumed in large quantity being located in the fourth food that major acquisition in the basic basket of the country. However, like other crops, plantains and bananas are exposed to environmental and phytosanitary situations that affect the plantations directly threatening the fruit, as in the case of Black Sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet).

It is a disease discovered in Venezuela approximately in the decade of the 90, in the south zone of the lake of Maracaibo; this disease directly affects the plant, attacking its leaves where necrotic spots with yellow halos and gray center are observed, damaging the leaf tissue; It affects young plants causing damage to photosynthetic tissues, because the damage or spot will continue to progress and evolve with the plant if it is not counterattack because it causes the death of the leaf and in a period of 3 or 4 weeks.

However, there are factors that directly influence the development of this disease one of them and the most important is temperature and humidity (basically the number of hours that the surface of the leaf remains dampened). However, the control that should be made to the plant with this disease is the application of fungicides that allow a chemical intervention these are divided into protectants (used in summer) and systemic (which control the sigatoka and used in winter or during periods of rain). Mancozeb can be used in the protective fungicides. Within the systemic fungicides we can use Benomil, Propiconazole, Tridemorf, etc.

Also, agriculture performs a radical control when the leaf of the plant is affected in its entirety (dies) making a direct cut of the plant, this is done by using an ax that is tied to a trunk or "stick" that allows the exact cut of it, without affecting the rest of the plant. It is necessary to highlight that the control of this disease will depend on not spreading to the rest of the plantation, that is why the care they have day by day with the crop.