Banana growers go for environment-friendly methods to wipe out pests, diseases

More banana plantations in Mindanao are discarding the excessive and irrational use of toxic and hazardous chemicals in the cultivation of bananas for the export market.

Instead, these big players are adopting more environment-friendly products to wipe out potentially devastating problems, particularly the black Sigatoka disease, which if uncontrolled, would render an entire yield unmarketable and translate into billion-dollar losses for these companies.

The black Sigatoka fungus or Mycosphaerella fijensis is the most destructive leaf disease on banana. The illness first appeared in banana plantations in the Pacific regions towards the end of the 1960s and has spread since. The Cavendish variety of bananas grown in the regions of intensive production is especially sensitive to this illness and growers in Latin America spend an estimated $566 per acre annually on treating their plantations. This disease spread to the whole of Latin America and the Caribbean and to other banana-producing countries such as the Philippines.

The disease is characterized by severe black leaf streaking or spotting which affects the photosynthesis capacity of the leaves. The old way, aside from spraying toxic fungicides, was to remove the contaminated leaves, and when few leaves are retained on the plant near harvest time, the quality of the fruit deteriorates because it will prematurely ripen in the field.

Spraying of fungicides and pesticides from airplanes however, as shown by various studies, is often times ineffective because the hazardous chemicals are either scattered by the wind and end up outside the plantations or fall on the soil rather than on the banana trees. In many instances, these chemicals are washed away by rain and contaminate waterways and other tributaries.

Today however, the problem is easier to control. When properly managed, black Sikatoga could be reduced or even eliminated at the onset of the problem.

Currently, one of the most popular products being used to manage the problem in the Mindanao region is Banole, a biodegradable spray oil especially developed by the special fluids division of the Paris-based Total S.A. and the fourth largest oil and gas company in the world. Its local unit in the country, Total (Philippines) Corporation is now the exclusive distributor of Banole.

Raymond Royales, vice president of the special fluids division of Total Phils. said Banole is preferred by the company’s growing clientele in Mindanao, because the product can be used in combination with other pesticides and fungicides.

"What Banole does is to enhance the effectivity of other products, since it is sprayed, the other products are spread more evenly to the leaf, this maximizes the desired output of products used with Banole," Royales explained.

He said Banole is so valuable because it was designed to combine two features.

One, its penetrating effect improves the diffusion of active ingredients through the cuticle of the plant. Second, it has a so-called "fungistatic effect." What this means is that the oil film on the surface of the leaf slows down the growth of the fungus.

Royales noted that Banole’s molecular structure is superior compared to conventional spray oils, a result of a modern manufacturing process. He added that its physico-chemical characteristics are largely responsible for the beneficial action on crops in terms of selectivity and efficiency. Since the recent re-introduction of Banole (it has been in the Philippines since 1995 but was then licensed and distributed by Bayer Philippines) by Total Phils, the product’s use in Southern Mindanao is growing. There are some 25,000 to 30,000 hectares in Southern Mindanao devoted to cultivating Cavendish bananas for export.

Voltaire Tienzo, Total special fluids business developer is bullish about marketing Banole under the Total banner.

"Most of our clients are large-scale growers looking for options on how to replace hazardous chemicals used in keeping their plantations free from diseases. We have a superior product that is friendly to the environment, and just as effective as conventional chemicals," he said.

With the growing use of environment-friendly products like Banole, it is likely that more companies, not only in the local banana industry, but other fruit and vegetable sub-sectors will subsequently demand products that will minimize the impact of the use of conventional chemical-based pesticides and fungicides on the health and safety of workers, as well as its effects on the biodiversity and ecological balance of affected areas.