NEMATODE CONTROL ON PLANTAIN SUCKERS (MUSA SPP. AAB GENOME) THROUGH SUBMERGENCE IN BOILING WATER: EMERGENCE RATES, EARLY GROWTH, BUNCH YIELD AND ROOT HEALTH

Plantain (Musa spp. AAB genome) is an important staple of the humid zone of West and Central Africa. Root nematodes, specifically Radopholus similis, along with other pests and diseases are a major cause of yield loss. Farmers are unaware of the presence, symptoms and effects of nematodes. No commonly used method to clean infested plantain suckers exists. This paper presents a simple, inexpensive and highly mobile method to treat plantain suckers against pests and diseases attached to the suckers. The purpose of the paper is primarily to show that submerging plantain suckers in boiling water for a limited time (<60 s) does not compromise emergence and crop establishment and has the potential to significantly increase plantain yields. Submerging suckers with a corm circumference of at least 20 cm in boiling water for 0 to 60 s had no significant effect on the rate of emergence and crop establishment. Exposure times between 20 and 40 s appear to be most suitable to attain high crop establishment rates. After sucker submergence in boiling water for 30 s, no living nematodes were found in corm surface tissue. Yield response to boiling water treatment was positive (P<0.001) with a fresh bunch yield increase from 3.99 (untreated control) to 11.88 t/ha (boiling water treated). The technique requires very little capital investment (<$10) and only marginal additional labor. It appears suitable as a general technique to reduce both specific and unspecific pests and diseases spread by conventional suckers.