Skip to content

Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) Photo: placeholder pending image-fill pass

Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV)

Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) is a single-stranded DNA virus in the family Nanoviridae and the most damaging viral disease of banana (Musa spp.) in India. The virus is transmitted persistently by the banana aphid Pentalonia nigronervosa and through infected suckers, and is recognised as the principal viral threat to commercial Cavendish plantings monitored by ICAR-NRCB, Trichy. Once introduced into a plantation it can reduce productivity by 80-100% if not contained.

Identification and symptoms

Infected plants show a characteristic "bunchy top" rosette of stunted, narrow, upright leaves clustered at the pseudostem apex. Newer leaves are progressively shorter, more chlorotic and brittle, with dark green "Morse-code" streaks along the secondary veins and on petioles when held against the light. Affected mats fail to produce a bunch or yield small, distorted, unmarketable fingers.

Host crops and life cycle

BBTV infects all commercial cultivars including Grand Naine (Banana Grand Naine G9 Jain Tc, Banana G9 Tissue Culture), Nendran (Banana Nendran Kerala Plantain), Poovan (Banana Poovan Mysore Tn), Ney Poovan (Banana Ney Poovan Elaichi) and Rasthali (Banana Rasthali Silk India). The virus is acquired by Pentalonia nigronervosa in 17-18 hours of feeding, retained for the aphid's life, and inoculated into healthy mats during sustained feeding. Sucker-based propagation from infected mother mats is the principal mode of long-distance spread; the virus is not seed-transmitted.

Damage and economic impact

Late-infected plants may still bear a bunch but produce 30-50% fewer fingers. Plants infected at the sucker or early vegetative stage rarely flower. Repeated cropping with infected suckers leads to complete plantation collapse within two to three cycles, a pattern documented in Kerala, Assam and parts of Tamil Nadu.

Management

ICAR-NRCB and ICAR-IIHR recommend an integrated package:

  • Indexed planting material: tissue-culture plants screened by PCR or ELISA, sourced from accredited labs.
  • Roguing: prompt uprooting and destruction of symptomatic mats including the corm and all suckers; gaps left vacant for at least one season.
  • Vector control: imidacloprid soil drench or foliar spray against Pentalonia; conservation of natural enemies; weed control to remove alternate hosts such as wild Musa and Heliconia.
  • Sanitation: avoiding sucker exchange between farms; disinfecting tools with 1% sodium hypochlorite.
  • Area-wide approach: coordinated removal in cluster plantings; quarantine on inter-state movement of planting material.

See also: Banana Grand Naine G9 Jain Tc, Banana Fusarium Wilt Foc Tr4, Banana Sigatoka Yellow Mycosphaerella, Banana Nendran Kerala Plantain.

References

  1. Banana Bunchy Top Virus — disease profile. ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Trichy.
  2. Banana bunchy top disease management. ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru.