Field studies were conducted to determine banana weevil attraction to processed banana tissues that could then be used at delivery sites for the entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana . Tested materials included pounded corm or pseudostem and chopped corm or pseudostem of (cv Mpologoma, AAA-EA and Kayinja, AAB), which were placed on top of the soil and buried 5 cm below the soil surface. Processed banana materials placed at the soil surface captured 2.0 – 2.7 weevils/trap, with no significant differences among the traps, and were more attractive than split pseudostem traps. By contrast, material buried 5 cm below the soil surface captured only 0.1 – 0.5 weevils/trap, and were less attractive than the split pseudostem traps. Kayinja chopped tissues captured significantly more weevils than the rest of the processed banana tissues. There were no significant differencesbetween the two test cultivars or the test plant parts. Although buried banana materials had been reported elsewhere as highly attractive to banana weevils, our results suggest that burying processed banana tissues actually lowers their ability to attract banana weevils. Moreover, the realized attraction levels of the processed tissues placed at the soil surface may not be sufficient for their recommendation as appropriate for the delivery of entomopathogens, given the extra labor required in comparison to conventional pseudostem trapping. However, efforts to improve attractivity of the banana tissues, such as integration with other weevil trapping strategies (e.g. use of pheromones) should focus on placement of the tissues at the soil surface, instead of burying them. This might result in synergistic effects thus improving their ability to aggregate adult banana weevils under field conditions.

Banana; Plant Diseases; Disease Control; Plant Health

Cosmopolites Sordidus; Musa; Pseudobulbs; Bananas

Africa; East Africa

Uganda