Cultivation of banana is an important source of income for small and middle farmers of the state of Alagoas. Most plantations are located in rain forest and nearshore costal areas, with suitable weather conditions for occurrence and development of diseases. The objective of this work was to survey the diseases of banana occurring in production areas of the state of Alagoas. This work was conducted during 2006 and 2007, by means of visits to farms and assessment of infected plant materials, in 60 banana production areas, distributed in fourteen counties of the state of Alagoas. The material collected was analyzed in laboratory for identification of pathogens associated with diseases. In this survey several diseases caused of fungi and nematodes were observed. It was found the diseases: yellow sigatoca (Pseudocercospora musae) (Zimm.) Deighton; Deightoniella spot (Deightoniella torulosa) (Syd.) Ellis; Cordana spot (Cordana musae Zimm), the three diseases presented in all areas surveyed; Chloridium spot (Chloridium musae Stahel), occurring only in areas with humidity and associated at others leaf spots; the spot Exosporella found only at Santana do Mundau; Phytonematoses causaded by Rhadophulus similis, Helicotylenchus multicinctus and Pratylenchus sp. found only in some counties; panama disease (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense) found only in four areas in the outh of the state and bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum) (Smith) Yabuuchi et al. (race 2), found only in three areas. Even though panama disease and moko disease (Ralstonia solanacearum race 2) were found in low incidence, these diseases still are considered major problems in banana plantations in the State Alagoas.
Musa sp.; fungi; nematode; bacteria
