Impact of Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD) by Different Doses of Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) on Banana Tree Growth Parameters

Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD) is the most devastating viral disease affecting banana plants. To study the impact of this disease on banana plant growth using different inoculum doses, an experiment was conducted at the Lycée Technique de Bikélé (Ntoum municipality). Two dessert banana varieties (Fougamou and Gros Michel) and two plantain varieties (Elate and Ebang) were multiplied using the PIF (Plants from Stem Fragments) method in a germinator for six weeks. The resulting plantlets were then transplanted into a nursery and contaminated by foliar spraying with inoculum (at 50% and 100% concentrations). Growth parameters (leaf area, collar diameter, and stem length) were monitored over a period of fourteen weeks. For each variety, three treatments were applied: control (T0), 50% inoculation, and 100% inoculation. The results showed that in the germinator, the Elate (59 plantlets) and Ebang (46 plantlets) varieties produced the highest number of plantlets. Regarding the impact of BBTD on growth parameters, only the Gros Michel, Elate, and Ebang varieties were affected, showing a slowdown in leaf area expansion, collar diameter increase, and stem elongation from the eleventh week (S11) onwards. Fougamou was the only variety whose growth parameters remained largely unaffected despite the different virus inoculations. The results of this study suggest Fougamou as a variety of interest for sustainable management programmes of this viral disease.