Black Sigatoka, environmental factors and agroforestry systems in banana plantations of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

Nowadays the black sigatoka is the major fitosanitary constrain of the banana cultivation in the world. In this context, the knowledge of the environmental factors related to the disease is essential for proposing management techniques and damage reductions. This paper presents some aspects of black Sigatoka disease, environmental factors related to the disease, and possibi- lities of management. Besides, it infers about the behavior of the disease at the extreme South of Brazil. Regarding the banana plantations of Rio Grande do Sul, the black Sigatoka dissemination should be avoided and the disease management should be integrated, considering aspects of soil, cultural practices, and the use of resistant cultivars. Agroforestry systems are also alterna- tives to the banana plantations as they can promote shading, and concomitantly produce other crops, in a diversified and sustaina- ble way.