Isolation and identification of banana pests and diseases and study on biology of major species in greenhouses and plantations of Iran.

43 plant materials and soil samples were collected from different banana plantations and banana plantoins under plastic cover of Sistan & Balouchestan and Gilan provinces during 2004-2006. Fungal, bacterial and nematode species were processed and identified by current experimental methods for each group. In Sistan and Baluchestan province fungal species Alternaria alternata, Fusarium oxysporum, Musicillum theobromae, Colletotrichum musae, Fusarium sp. and bacterial species, Ralstonia solanacearum and Pectobaterium carotovora were isolated with frequencies of 29.3, 17, 4.9, 9.7, 17, 9.7 and 12.2 % respectively. In Gilan province, Musicillum theobromae, causual agent of cigar end rot disease was isolated with 87.5% and chok throat disorder was observed with 42.85 %. Out of 11 identified plant parasitic nematodes species of banana in Sistan & Balouchestan 9, 1 and 1 species were belonged to Tylenchida, Dorylaimida and Mononchida orders respectively. The most important identified species were: Hoplolaimus indicus, Tylenchorhynchus nudus and Meloidogyne javanica with frequencies of 87.5, 75 and 87.5% respectively. M. incognita was isolated from Zarabad region of Sistan & Balouchestan province and Roodsar, Rasht, Astaneh ashrafiyeh and Chaboksar regions of Gilan province with frequencies of 12.5 and 57 % respectively and this is the first report of this species on banana from Iran In Sistan & Balouchestan province banana pests in 20 plantations of Chabahar, Rask, Sarbaz and Nikshahr were sampled during 2004-2006. Banana pests, Thrips hawaiiensis, Scirtothrips sp., Tetranychus urticae and Carpophilus sp were identified with frequencies of 60, 40, 15, and 15 % respectively. Biology of the major pest of banana, T. hawaiiensis, in Balouchestan region was studied under laboratory condition during 2005-2006.According to the results, various developmental phases of T. hawaiiensis are as follows: eggs 5.4 ± 1.2, larva 8.2 ± 1.2, prepupa 1 ± 0, pupa 1.5 ± .4 and adult 4.7 ± 1.3 . Hence the time for completion of a generation from egg to adult insect was set at 20-22 days. In Northern Iran including Gilan province, 41 greenhouse bananas were sampled in Chaboksar, Rasht, Shaft, Bandare anzali, Astaneh ashrafiyeh, Fooman, Someh sara , Khomam and Sangar regions. According to the results, Tetranychus urticae and 2 predacious acari, Amblyseius herbicolus and Typhlodromips caspiansis were identified with frequencies of 17, 17 and 41 % respectively. All of these species are the first records of banana pests in Iran.