Leaves have dark green streaks at the base and hooks (the veins of the
leaf blade extend into the normally clear area along the leaf midrib and point down toward the base of the leaf) in the clear area next to the midrib. Plants become stunted and leaves become bunched at the top. Banana bunchy top disease (a plant pathogenic virus of the family Nanoviridae) is present throughout the Hawaiian island of Oahu and in the Kona district on the island of Hawaii. It has been eradicated on the island of Kauai and attempts are under way to eradicate it from the Kona district.
Once infected, the plant cannot be cured. The infected plant, as well as the other plants in the same mat, must be destroyed. To keep the disease from spreading to non-infected islands, no banana-planting materials are allowed to be transported out of the infected areas.
For more information, see the following publication on
Banana Bunchy Top Virus.
