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Kauai banana
plants put on
quarantine
Ladybugs may be used
By Treena Shapiro
to help fight the bunchy
top virus spreading on Kauai
Star-BulletinState agriculture officials will try to use education and maybe ladybugs in addition to destroying banana plants to help control the bunchy top virus on Kauai.
The bunchy top virus, which is passed from plant to plant by aphids, was identified in Kapaa in April, and officials say the virus has spread to banana plants on half the island.
At a meeting yesterday, the Board of Agriculture imposed a quarantine on banana plants on Kauai -- barring the movement of plants to or from Kauai except by permit. The fruit, which is still safe to eat, is exempted.
Lyle Wong, head of the Plant Industry Division, said the quarantine will not eliminate the virus but is the first step in controlling the disease, which stunts banana leaves, giving them a "bunchy" appearance, and can prevent them from bearing fruit.
"We're trying to contain the disease right now," Wong said. "If nothing else were done, infested plants would remain in place and the diseased aphid would continue to move from plant to plant."
The quarantine will lessen the risk of more plants being infested, Wong said. Along with a public notice of the quarantine, the department will educate the general public about the dangers of moving plants, and will start programs for commercial growers and residents to promote early detection .
Wong said the department will be working toward eradication of banana plants on a little more than one-third of the island, but "it's going to be a really difficult goal to accomplish."
The department does not have the $5.4 million needed for eradication, nor would destroying the plants prevent a reinfestation from Oahu and Kona, where plants are also under quarantine.
Methods of fighting the aphid are also being explored. Larry Nakahara, manager of the plant pest control branch, said aphids are being killed with soapy water and detergents, and the department is "likely to step it up in areas where we can use pesticides for aphid control."
According to Wong, the department may also consider using a species of ladybug as a form of biocontrol, since the bug may be a factor in the virus spreading more slowly in other parts of the world.
While commercial growers are in favor of the quarantine and a future eradication, members of the board expressed concern that residents with backyard plants may ignore the quarantine.
The department will spend the next few weeks exploring ways to win a long-term battle against the virus. And Wong said they "will kill the diseased trees with the landowners' permission as soon as we can."
