Banana production in Nepal's Chitwan district has recorded its first confirmed cases of Tropical Race 4 (TR4), a variant of Panama disease. According to Mahesh Regmi, head of the Programme Implementation Unit under the National Agriculture Modernization Programme, the infection has been verified on farms covering five bigha in western Chitwan. One bigha is approximately 0.25 hectare.
Regmi said that out of 55 bigha of banana plantations in the affected zone, five bigha have tested positive for TR4. The disease has caused fruits to emerge prematurely from the stem during bunch formation. Seedlings used in the infected plots were sourced from Nawalparasi. Samples have been submitted to the National Forensic Science Laboratory and the Nepal Agricultural Research Council for further testing. This marks the first confirmed detection of the disease in the district.
To limit spread, Regmi said all agricultural tools and vehicles used on infected farms must be disinfected before entering other fields, and no new banana seedlings should be planted until full sanitization of the affected plots is completed.
Chitwan has 2,800 hectares under banana cultivation, with 2,200 hectares included in the district's designated banana zone. Data from the District Agriculture Knowledge Centre show that the area produces 43,193 metric tons of bananas annually.
Source: The Rising Nepal
