Towards sustainable management of nematodes in banana

Plant-parasitic nematodes present a major constraint to production of bananas and plantains world-wide. Early efforts in management in the mid-twentieth century relied on applications of fumigant nematicides followed by non-fumigant organophosphates and carbamate compounds. The development of integrated nematode management systems incorporated the destruction of infected banana plants, a period of fallow, mostly with non-host plants and replanting with nematode free, preferably tissue cultured plants, with care taken to prevent reinfestation. In addition, nematode monitoring systems allowed banana growers to make informed management decisions. This chapter documents the success of integrated nematode management systems for banana production from around the world. The overall challenge of nematode management in bananas remains, which is to integrate practices allowing production to continue in the face of greater consumer demands for reduced inputs of pesticides. Future solutions involve changing from high-input monocultures to diverse agroecological systems to reduce losses in bananas caused by plant-parasitic nematodes.