During a period of 10 months, weekly samples were taken of rotted banana crowns to determine the microorganisms associated with rot. On a total of 648 crowns,Cephalosporiumsp. occurred on 93,Verticillium theobromae81,Fusarium roseum'Gibbosum' 80,F. moniliforme14,Botryodiplodia theobromae12, andGloeosporium musarum3. Isolates of these organisms from green crowns, bracts, flowers, and petioles of the banana plant were able to rot crown segments in laboratory tests.Cephalosporiumsp. has been shown for the first time to be capable of causing crown rot. Cultures ofF. roseumfrom the air, grass, andDrosophilasp. were also pathogenic. A synergistic effect on rotting was demonstrated betweenF. roseumand bacteria isolated from crown tissue. Crown rot incidence fluctuated during the sample period, but this could not be correlated with changes in the occurrence of causal organisms present on the crowns.
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