Abstract
THE leaf spot disease of bananas, caused by Mycosphaeiella musicola Leach (Cercospora musœ Zimm.), long known as a destructive malady in the Australasian region, was not observed in the New World until 1934, when a small outbreak was observed in Trinidad. This was soon followed by news of the disease in Suriname, Jamaica and Central America, and the Caribbean region generally. In the course of the few years during which the disease waxed to epidemic proportions it was under constant observation. Hence it may fairly be claimed that among plant epidemics the leaf disease of bananas is among the most fully documented and best known scientifically. The progress of the disease has been marked by a number of important advances in our knowledge, such as the details of infection, the progressive development of symptoms in plantations, and the ultimate effects of the disease on commercial fruit intended for refrigerated transport overseas. Not least important, as a result of imaginative innovations on a gigantic scale, the large fruit companies operating in Central America showed how the disease could be controlled by frequent spraying with appropriate fungicides.
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WARDLAW, C. Banana Leaf Spot. Nature 158, 886 (1946). https://doi.org/10.1038/158886a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/158886a0