Image: Banana Plant Affected by Sigatoka Leaf Spot Disease

The image depicts a banana plant growing in a tropical plantation environment, captured in landscape orientation under natural daylight. The central focus is a mature banana plant exhibiting clear and advanced symptoms of Sigatoka leaf spot disease, a common fungal disease affecting banana crops. The large, elongated banana leaves dominate the foreground and midground, many of them heavily damaged. Their surfaces show numerous irregular lesions ranging in color from dark brown and black to yellow and pale green. These spots are elongated and streak-like, following the natural veins of the leaf, and in several areas they have merged to form large necrotic patches. The edges of the leaves are frayed, torn, and curled, indicating tissue death and prolonged disease progression. Yellowing chlorotic zones surround many of the lesions, creating a mottled pattern that contrasts with the remaining healthy green areas. Some leaves hang downward with a dry, brittle appearance, suggesting reduced photosynthetic capacity and stress on the plant.

Beneath the damaged canopy, a bunch of unripe green bananas is clearly visible, hanging from the pseudostem. The bananas are tightly clustered, smooth-skinned, and uniformly green, indicating they are still in the developmental stage. Below the fruit cluster hangs a large banana inflorescence, or banana heart, with deep reddish-purple bracts that taper downward in a teardrop shape. The pseudostem of the plant appears thick and fibrous, with layered leaf sheaths forming its structure. In the background, additional banana plants can be seen arranged in rows, many of them also showing varying degrees of leaf spot damage, reinforcing the impression of a plantation affected by disease rather than a single isolated plant.

The ground beneath the plants is covered with dry leaf litter, fallen banana leaves, and patches of exposed soil, typical of a managed agricultural setting. The overall lighting is soft and diffuse, consistent with an overcast or lightly clouded tropical sky, which enhances the visibility of textures and color variations on the leaves. The image as a whole provides a realistic and detailed visual representation of Sigatoka leaf spot disease in banana plants, illustrating its characteristic symptoms, impact on foliage health, and coexistence with otherwise developing fruit in a plantation context.

The image is related to: A Complete Guide to Growing Bananas at Home