Kagera steps up banana disease fight Details Alert sent: No Sites: PH Publish date: Sat 2013-Dec-14 Author: F464by In2EastAfrica Reporter Channel: Pests/diseases Text (summary): The Kagera Regional Commissioner, Mr Fabian Massawe, said several strategies had shown positive results including using human urine, ashes and destroying through burning the plants showing signs of the disease. Eight districts in Kagera Region have confirmed to have been hit by the destructive Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW), also known as Banana Bacterial Wilt (BBW) disease. Almost 90 per cent of the entire crop is at risk of destruction. According to Mr Massawe, staring January, next year, surveillance teams would make on-thespot inspection and penalize farmers who will be proved to have neglected their banana farms. He also directed district councils to set up by-laws to combat the disease. The situation has caused panic among farmers and residents in the region who depend on banana as their main staple and cash crop. BXW is a bacterial disease that causes yellowing and wilting of the leaves, uneven and premature ripening of the fruits and eventually the plants rot and die. Read more: in2eastafrica.net [English Locations Location Coordinates Zoom Relevance Show on map Arusha, Arusha, Tanzania 3.36667°S 36.6833°E 0.262 Uganda 1.25°N 32.5°E 0.258 Mbeya, Mbeya, Tanzania 8.9°S 33.45°E 0.244 Discovery Discoveries: Discovery method: Robot discovered URL: http://in2eastafrica.net/kagera-steps-up-banana-disease-fight/ Original language: English Original title: Kagera steps up banana disease fight | In2EastAfrica – East African news, Headlines, Business, Tourism, Sports, Health, Entertainment, Education Original text (summary): The Kagera Regional Commissioner, Mr Fabian Massawe, said several strategies had shown positive results including using human urine, ashes and destroying through burning the plants showing signs of the disease. Eight districts in Kagera Region have confirmed to have been hit by the destructive Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW), also known as Banana Bacterial Wilt (BBW) disease. Almost 90 per cent of the entire crop is at risk of destruction. According to Mr Massawe, staring January, next year, surveillance teams would make on-thespot inspection and penalize farmers who will be proved to have neglected their banana farms. He also directed district councils to set up by-laws to combat the disease. The situation has caused panic among farmers and residents in the region who depend on banana as their main staple and cash crop. BXW is a bacterial disease that causes yellowing and wilting of the leaves, uneven and premature ripening of the fruits and eventually the plants rot and die.
