ICAR- National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu and Jain Irrigation System Ltd., Jalgaon, Maharastra jointly organized a workshop on “Hi-tech banana cultivation in changing climate scenario” on 1st June 2023, at Barwani, Madya Pradesh to upscale the recent cutting edge technologies to the farmers in the region. This workshop mainly focused on disease management in banana cultivation hence the recent emergence of the Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) has been observed in the region.
Dr. R.Selvarajan Director, ICAR-NRCB inaugurated the one-day workshop and delivered a speech on disease management and its importance in the changing climate scenario. He appreciated the Jain Irrigation System and its efforts in the dissemination of Good Banana Practices (GBP) in the region. Further, he underlined that the recent emergence of CMV is causing a production reduction in banana cultivation in the region. The spread of CMV is at its peak stage during the rainy season. He suggested remedial measures to manage the CMV disease. Farmers should keep the field weed-free as this virus can infect 1200 plant species including many weeds which are normally seen in banana fields. The main cause of the CMV is the vector which spread the disease from one plant to another plant. Therefore the vector should be controlled by using the appropriate insecticides. Further, the farmers have to go for virus-free certified TC plants to overcome the virus problem, he stressed.
Dr. K.B. Patil, Vice President of Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., praised the research initiatives of ICAR-NRCB in the recent CMV emergence and its management. He mentioned the importance of resilient strategies in the scenario of climate change. Further, he explained recent initiatives in banana cultivation for export and plants to withstand high winds without using propping sticks. Dr. K.J. Jeyabaskaran, Principal Scientist, ICAR-NRCB elaborated on the different dimensions of Nutrient-Soil Management for banana cultivation. Integrated bacterial disease management practices were discussed by Dr. M. Loganathan, Principal Scientist of ICAR-NRCB. Around 400 banana farmers from the Barwani district of Madya Pradesh attended the one-day workshop. Mr. Zaidi welcomed the gathering and Mr.Yogesh Patel proposed a vote of thanks.
