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New Disease Poses Threat To East Caribbean Agricultural Industry

A deadly leaf fungus could endanger the health of the agricultural industry for some Caribbean nations, according to an official from Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Agriculture Economist George Alcee said the black sigatoka, which has been spotted in at least three unnamed Eastern Caribbean countries, could cause up to 50 per cent yield reductions of the banana crop. He has called for stringent management and control practices to be put in place to reduce the threat of the black sigatoka entering a country.

“[Black sigatoka] causes premature ripening which is a serious defect in exported fruit,” said Alcee. “That concomitant reduction in yield translates to a reduction in export and export earnings, hence, a decrease in revenue and by extension a likely downturn in the economies of member states dependent on bananas.” He also added that the deadly plant fungus also affects other species such as plantains.

According to Alcee, the disease is spread by wind, water, insects mites, birds and other vectors and humans who could disseminate spores over short and long distances in a number of ways. Those include “field visits and successive handling of diseased and healthy plants or importation of plant material [that] may be an alternative host to the black sigatoka such as anthuriums and philodendrons.”

As for what can be done to fight this, Alcee advised: “One of the ways of helping to curb the disease is for the quarantine experts to be more vigilant in preventing plant material of the aforementioned species from entering our ports.”

Farmers and the agriculture industry may face a financial burden in combating this new threat to their livelihood, according to the official. “You would need to use a lot more fungicides at increased ratios and frequencies,” Alcee said. “This is costly. You also need to intensify your management practices including your cultural practices such as de-trashing to prevent spores from germinating in the field, improve drainage and general management.”

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