Mr David East1, Mr Richard Piper1, Mrs Kathy Grice2, Mr Daniel Farrell1

1Department Of Agriculture and Fisheries, Qld, South Johnstone, Australia, 2Department Of Agriculture and Fisheries, Qld, Mareeba, Australia

Biography:

Biography to come.

Abstract:

Sooty mould, as the name implies, presents a significant challenge in banana cultivation, where patterns of black fungal growth can spread to cover the fruit causing market rejections. This issue arises as a result of fungi thriving on the sugary secretions (honeydew) produced by insects feeding on plant sap. Sucking insects such as cicadas (Hemiptera, Cicadidae), scale insects (Heimptera, Coccoidea), mealybugs (Heimptera, Pseudococcidae), and aphids (Homoptera, Aphididae) can produce sooty mould on fruit. From April to June 2024, banana growers in North Queensland experienced severe infestations of sooty mould damage to harvested bunches. Sooty mould may have been worsened by environmental conditions with tropical growers experiencing a warm and prolonged wet season that promoted fungal growth. The poster discusses the challenges faced by banana growers in the coastal area of the wet tropics growing region in early 2024. For example, one Tully farm had up to 30% of harvested bunches affected. The banana aphid, Pentalonia nigronervosa, was the principal insect identified and the primary fungal organism associated with the symptoms has been identified as a Cladosporium sp. Possible causes for the increase in insect populations and solutions to address the problem in the future for banana growers are presented.