Backyard Banana Joe

First off, my Pisang Ceylon put out a leaf a while ago, and it’s put out many more leaves, and those don’t have these streaks. It looks like BSV.





This is the one that scared me though. It’s my SH-3640. The new leaf looks like those pictures one sees of BBTV infected plants. The plant was growing very fast. When the new leaves would come out, they would be white, but turn green when exposed to sun. This leaf slowly came out, and never turned dark green, it turned yellowish green. Please tell me if it’s just a fertilizer issue or something (I hope!)









Thanks for any insight as to what it could be!

Backyard Banana Joe

Here’s some more pics:

75north

Here's a good link that you may have not seen.

https://www.promusa.org/Bunchy+top

Check for the "Morse code" dashed markings on the leaf veins and for green "J hooks" near the petiole. These are the only true indications of Bunchy Top Virus you can get at this point. The only other way seems to be to wait for a few more leaves to emerge.

I would imagine it's very probably some other issue though. It seems like the earlier leaves are healthy and BBTV cases are very rare (unheard of?) in Florida. It is also my understanding that the aphids that carry BBTV are not found in the mainland US [EDIT: This is evidently inaccurate. Thanks to Gabe for the clarification!]. At any rate, for your plant to become infected here seems highly unlikely.

For what it's worth, I've had leaves shaped similarly to this emerge only for the plant to eventually begin growing normally - though admittedly my plants were smaller than yours when this has happened.

Keep us updated!

AaronTT

Let's hope not. To my eye it looks like a deficiency in a mineral(s) or a ph issue, or related. Did you do anything different than you've done with your other bananas?

Might just be no big deal, and the plant comes back normal with the next leaf. If it gets worse, then its something.

AaronTT

If it gets worse pm me because I have done several soil tests here, and know the deficiencies found in our soil, and how to correct them.

Gabe15

First plant Mysore is definitely BSV symptoms, unfortunate but common and overall not very serious.

Your SH-3640 does have some BBTV-like symptoms, which is highly unlikely, but you never know. The aphid vector is well established in Florida already for many years, and people are sending plants all over the place lately via the mail and it wouldn't be entirely impossible the virus could have been introduced to FL.

However, it actually looks closer to Boron and or Calcium deficiency, and not BBTV. Try correcting for that and seeing if things improve.

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Backyard Banana Joe

Thanks everyone! I will keep you all updated on how it grows.

Backyard Banana Joe

Actually growing fast now. It’s put out two more leaves, and three pups right next to each other. Today I sprinkled bone meal around the plant (source of calcium), and 1 teaspoon of 20 mule team borax (source of boron) dissolved in one gallon on water. I then watered in the bone meal with the solution of dissolved borax.

Midrib. This pic is the most recent leaf.... a little j-hooky, but not like the pics on promusa.



This was the first weird one:

smeash

Hi Gabe,
For a plant infected with BSV, would the pups be infected as well? Ive got a mysore exibiting same symtoms, but it has a small pup on it, that appears normal. I know Im supposed to destroy the infected plant, but what about pups?

PR-Giants

There are thousands of bananas being shipped from BBTV hotspots around the world to the U.S. mainland each year so BBTV is being reintroduced to the U.S. on a regular basis. Several years ago some bananas shipped from Hawaii to Florida tested positive for BBTV and both the sender and receiver are members of this forum.

The Western Hemisphere was BBTV free for a long time but with the rise in demand for bananas it was clear many years ago that that would not last long.

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OllieB497

How are they now?

Backyard Banana Joe

The new leaf looks the same so far. In every leaf, the j hooks are getting more and more prominent. We'll see if it clears up because I put down some stuff for it, or gets worse.

OllieB497

Don’t panic, trust me. As much as it’s deadly, u can use this opportunity to experiment with the plant.
Obviously be careful and don’t plant Any bananas near it. But saying that,u have a real opportunity to experiment and record what happens. Give other an insight into what it looks like and what happens. As people still don’t really know much (me included)

But saying that the J hooks aren’t the only thing.

Others to look out for are ;

The stem of the plant get brittle. I mean it snaps like a twig
Morse code dot dashes on the leaves. It’s easy to see.
New growth is completely upwards and leaves pack up easily. They are short and narrow also.
Dark green streaks on the midrib. So where the leave comes off the stem
Also is there lots of aphids on it. Then there’s ur answer
Or where u got it from. Id u got it from somewhere maybe warm them about it incase.
But yeah. It’s **** luck. But luckily it doesn’t spread via rain or anything. Use a systemic insecticide, kill the plant and aphids dig it up burn it all. All pups aren’t usable and plant something else there or let the soil rest and try again later on.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to treat,

Hope this helps

Yug

Looks like it has the narrow leaves, the j-hooks are obvious, and showing some of the 'morse-code' appearance, too. The pups look good. If it has the virus, it may not even show for up to 5 months.
My blue java came from a plant that did have some bbtv in the matt, but the pup has shown no indications of the virus. I've had it for more than 5 months, so it should have shown something by now.

Backyard Banana Joe

I'm holding out to see if it corrects itself (nutrient deficiency), even though it does appear to have the virus.

Yug

Any nanners within 4 feet are at risk from what I've read in the past.

OllieB497

It doesn’t spread other than by aphids. so
If u mean the aphids can easily spread to the next plant then that’s correct. But it wouldn’t spread by water ect. It strictly
A plant material infection

Yug

Aphids are moved around by ants; they are like cattle for the ants. The ants move them to prime 'grazing' areas, then feed off the 'honeydew' that they exude out the back.

Backyard Banana Joe

Well would you look at that she pulled through!! :
:

We do have BSV on the Pisang Ceylon, but I am very thankful we don’t have BBTV. BSV is definitely the lesser evil.

We’ll never know which deficiency it was but I don’t care. If it happens again I’ll just apply both bone meal and borax. Huge thanks goes to Gabe as well as everyone who helped!

sirdoofus

That is most definitely good.news!!

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