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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 12 No. sp3 (2025): Advances in Plant Health Improvement for Sustainable Agriculture

Potential use of petroleum-based mineral oil and fungicide combinations for the management of leaf spot disease caused by Pseudocercospora eumusae in banana

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.10241
Submitted
25 June 2025
Published
11-12-2025

Abstract

Leaf spot disease, caused by Pseudocercospora eumusae, significantly impacts banana production in India. This study evaluates the effectiveness of petroleum oil (Banole®), both alone and in combination with fungicides, in managing leaf spot disease in the banana cultivars Nendran (AAB) and Robusta (AAA) across different growth phases. The results indicate that petroleum oil alone reduced disease severity, achieving reductions of up to 48.18 % in Nendran and 66.60 % in Robusta. When petroleum oil (1.0 %) was combined with half the recommended fungicide dose, disease control was significantly enhanced, with reductions of up to 90.14 % in Nendran and 73.99 % in Robusta. These results were comparable to those achieved with full fungicide doses applied alone. Additionally, the treatments significantly increased the value of Youngest Leaf Spotted-0 (YLS-0) by up to 140.22 % and improved yield by up to 72.69 %. Increasing the petroleum oil concentration from 1.0 % to 2.5 % and 5.0 % further enhanced disease control efficacy; however, it also led to phytotoxicity during the summer period. Therefore, spraying banana plants with 1 % mineral oil, either alone or in combination with half the recommended fungicide dose, is a promising strategy for effectively managing leaf spot disease while ensuring high-quality banana yields.

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