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NRCB develops stem weevil vaccine

L.N. Revathy

COIMBATORE, July 20

THE National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) has developed a formula for treating the stem weevil disease in banana.

The commercial formulation - banana stem injector - is actually pierced into the pseudo stem of the crop atleast three to four times during its cycle to save the crop. Its preferred host is the nendran variety.

The disease which was more predominant in north-eastern region is now prevalent in Kerala and Coimbatore. Due to the disease coupled with the decline in price levels, the area under nendran variety, which was over 50,000 acres sometime back, had started to fall, according to Dr S. Sathyamoorthy, Director, NRCB.

He told Business Line that field sanitation was very important to keep the insect at bay. He pointed out that the insect survived for nearly 12-18 months without food or water. ``Cutting the infested plant and dumping it in a pit in the field served a br eeding ground for the insect. The infected plant should be destroyed completely,'' he stressed.

Due to availability of water and the scope of cotton as an intercrop with banana, the area under nendran variety in Tiruchi, Thanjavur and Karur districts had expanded. But, following a fall in the off-take to an all-time low in March this year, banana p rices had crashed. Coupled with this now, was the problem of stem weevil disease in the crop.