Fungus selected by IB controls banana borer, the main pest of the crop

Banana producers in São Paulo and throughout Brazil rely on a fungus selected by the Department of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo, through the Biological Institute (IB-APTA), for the biological control of an important pest of the crop: the banana borer. The fungus selected by IB, called Beauveria bassiana, is a natural enemy of the pest, therefore, it performs control without the need for the producer to apply chemicals.

According to the coordinator of the São Paulo Agribusiness Technology Agency (APTA), Antonio Batista Filho, the banana borer is one of the main pests of the crop, responsible for a 30% reduction in the plant's productivity. "The IB selected the Beauveria bassiana fungus to control this pest. The IBCB66 strain is used by producers across the country, including in organic production", says Batista Filho, who has been a researcher at IB for 37 years and has always worked in biological control. .

According to Batista Filho, the first manifestations of the borer attack are characterized, externally, by the yellowing of the leaves and the reduction in the size of the banana bunches.

"The direct damage is caused by the larvae that penetrate and block the plant's rhizome, building galleries in all directions. These galleries allow the entry of pathogenic microorganisms, such as Fusarium oxysporum f. cubense, responsible for the disease known as mal- of Panama. It is common for plants to fall in heavily attacked areas", he says.

In total, 85 biofactories in Brazil produce the IBCB66 strain for biological control in bananas. The fungus selected by the Biological Institute is used in 5 thousand hectares of fruit in Brazil.

Data from the Institute of Agricultural Economics (IEA-APTA), from 2019, show that bananas occupied 11th position in the ranking of production value, with R$1,567 billion (+15,5% compared to 2018). Production was 1.079.698,59 t (+4,61%). It is the second best placed fruit in the ranking, behind only orange for the industry. The Registro region accounted for 67% of production. For 2020, the data indicates an increase in area (+1,4%) and production (+1,9%) of fruit in São Paulo.

Biological control
Biological control consists of using natural enemies to reduce the population of a pest. Briefly, it can be defined as nature controlling nature. Biological control agents act on a specific target, do not leave residues in food, are safe for rural workers, protect biodiversity and preserve pollinators.

IB is a reference in Brazil and the world in biological control and has a strong presence in the production sector, having guided the creation and maintenance of biofactories, which develop these biological products to be applied to crops. In total, more than 80 biofactories across Brazil receive guidance from IB researchers. In 2019, the Institute signed 23 contracts for technology transfer to these companies, located in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso and Paraná.

The Institute maintains the Innovation and Technology Transfer Program in Biological Control (Probio), which brings together the technologies and services provided at the Institute, mainly for the crops of sugar cane, soybeans, bananas, rubber trees, flowers, strawberries, beans and vegetables.