The guidelines are divided into two parts. The first part makes general recommendations on how best to move Musa germplasm. The second part covers the important pests and diseases of quarantine concern. The information given on a particular pest or disease is not exhaustive but concentrates on those aspects that are most relevant to quarantine.

Botany and cultivation; Non-infectious diseases: climatic, cultural and other effects; Non-infectious diseases: mineral deficiencies and related conditions; The virus diseases: bunchy top; Mosaic, infectious chlorosis and other virus diseases; Bacterial diseases of rhizomes and roots; Panama disease (Vascular Wilt); Panama disease (concluded); Rhizome and root diseases caused by fungi; Bacterial and fungal diseases of heart-leaves and pseudostem; Leaf-spot (Sigatoka disease); Sigatoka disease: control measures; Other leaf diseases; Plantation diseases of fruit; Harvesting, packing, transport and ripening; Causes and extent of wastage in harvested fruit; Main-stalk rot, finger-dropping and scarring; Other fruit diseases; Botany, cultivation and non-infectious diseases; Further on virus diseases; Bacterial and fungal diseases of roots, rhizomes and pseudostems; Recent investigations of leaf diseases; Diseases of fruit before and after harvesting; The black-root complex; Bibliography; Index.

Banana one of the most popular consumed fruits in the tropical and sub-tropical region. Most of the edible bananas present now a days are derived solely from Musa accuminata Colla or Musa balbisiana Colla or a hybrid between the two wild diploid species. The main objective of this research work is to provide an overview of various pest and diseases affecting Banana in South India. Diseases and pests of edible banana became problems when certain genotypes were grown as monocultures. Fusarium wilt and Sigatoka leaf spot were also affect the banana production in South-India. Bacterial wilt and Xanthomonas wilt are other bacterial diseases affecting the banana production. Bunchy top and bract mosaic are damaging virus diseases, which have a limited distribution at present. Virus diseases mosaic and streak are less damaging, but more widespread. Pre- and post-harvest diseases of fruit also cause losses. The burrowing nematode is the most important root parasite of banana, and the most damaging banana insect pest is the rhizome-attacking banana weevil. Genetic engineering and other biotechnology-based approaches could produce better diseases tolerant varieties. Chemical control has been employed successfully in the past to counter pests and pathogens, but resistance to fungicides and pesticides is becoming a major issue. Biological control methods are being employed more often in integrated pest management programmes could offer a promising result to address this issue.

Fusarium wilt of banana: some history and current status of the disease; Importante of fusarium wilt in different banana-growing regions; Taxonomy of fungi in the genus fusarium with emphasis on fusarium oxysporum; Genetic exchange within sexual and asexual populations of the genus fusarium; Molecular genetics of plant pathogenic fusarium oxysporum; Using karyotype variability to investigate the origins and relatednes of isolates of fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense; Population biology of fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense; Biological control of diseases caused by fusarium oxysporum; Influence of mineral nutrition on fusarium wilt: a proposed mechanism involving cell water relations; Host responses to the pathogen; Banana breeding and fusarium wilt; Breeding bananas and plantains for resistance to fusariu m wilt: the track record; Somaclonal resistance in cavendish banana to fusarium wilt; Baseline tissue and cell culture studies for use in banana improvement schemes.