Banana freckle
Banana freckle detected in the Northern Territory
A national response plan has been implemented to eradicate banana freckle.
Under the plan, only banana plants on properties where the disease has been detected will be removed.
The Phyllosticta cavendishii strain of banana freckle was first detected on Dwarf Cavendish bananas in the Batchelor – Rum Jungle region in May 2022.
It has since been detected in Middle Point, Fly Creek, Tiwi Islands, Marrakai, Humpty Doo, Girraween, Herbert, McMinns Lagoon and Howard Springs.
If you are in the Darwin, Palmerston and rural areas, call the National Banana Freckle Response team for a banana health check on 08 8999 2136 or email bananafreckle.nt@nt.gov.au.
Updated: August 2024
A national response plan is in place to eliminate banana freckle. Only banana plants on properties where the disease is found will be removed.
Plant Health Inspectors are inspecting all properties in the Greater Darwin Rural Area for banana plants and signs of the disease. Every property needs to be checked, even if there are no banana plants.
What is banana freckle
Banana freckle is a fungal disease of banana leaves and fruit.
There is no risk to human health from eating banana freckle infected bananas.
It's a declared pest under Northern Territory (NT) Plant Health Act 2008.
The fungus is exotic to Australia and affects Cavendish and other varieties of bananas.
Banana freckle is a serious threat to the banana industry for commercial production as well as backyard growers.
The disease decreases plant health and productivity by reducing the amount of healthy leaf area, and affects fruit quality and appearance. This is of concern to the banana industry as it can impact production costs and marketability of fruit.
Appearance
Key characteristics of banana freckle include:
- sandpapery feeling spots, mainly on leaves and fruit
- very small to large spots (1 to 4mm) and dark brown to black in colour
- spots running together to form streaks
- yellowing of the leaf, which can wither and die.
Spread
There are 2 known pathways for this fungal disease to spread.
This fungus spreads over short distances through water droplets carried by the wind. The droplets can move from one infected leaf to another and can also land on and infect banana fruit.
This fungus spreads when infected plants are moved. For example, if someone puts an infected plant in their car and takes it to a new location, the fungus can spread.
For more information, read:
- advice for NT banana growers PDF (2.0 MB)
- banana freckle industry flyer:
- banana freckle fact sheet on the Plant Health Australia website.
For information on managing banana freckle, go to the Australian Banana Growers’ Council website.
For biosecurity alerts and updates, go to the Biosecurity NT Facebook page.
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How to report
If you think you have seen banana freckle in the NT:
- fill in the online form
- call the exotic plant pest hotline on 1800 084 881 or
- contact the National Banana Freckle Response team by:
- calling 08 8999 2136
- emailing bananafreckle.nt@nt.gov.au.
Submit a sample
You can submit a specimen for identification to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (DITT).
To find out how to submit a sample, go to the DITT website.
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