Biodegradable paper made from banana waste is saving potatoes from pests and chemical pesticides

According to a new study, an eco-sustainable paper can be obtained from banana waste that can protect plants from parasites.

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Wrap the potato seeds in biodegradable paper made from unusable parts of banana plants reduces the infestation and harmful effects of a nasty plant pathogen, a worm called a cyst nematode, and greatly increases size and yield.

Reported in Nature, a recent study shows that the banana paper helps to interrupt the signals between the plant and the worm, blocking the infestation and growth of pathogens. Potato seeds planted inside paper, with and without miniscule amounts of a worm-killing chemical called abamectin, grew larger and more abundant than potatoes planted without paper or in fields treated with abamectin alone.

Charles Opperman, co-author of the study and professor of plant pathology at North Carolina State University said:

We knew the banana card would be successful, but not to this extent. We have previously had some success increasing yam yields in Benin using this 'wrap and plant' method, but nothing in the order reported with the potato.

Potato cyst nematodes are a global scourge that can cause severe crop damage; in some areas of Africa, potato yields fell by 60% after infestation.

To obtain biodegradable paper, the water is removed from the slurry, from which long ones are formed flexible banana paper sheets; a paper cutter is used to cut it into small pieces that can wrap potato seeds; those packages are then planted.

In field trials designed to test the efficacy of banana paper against the potato cyst nematode, researchers in Kenya grew potatoes in four different ways: wrapped in banana paper dosed with low doses of abamectin; wrapped in banana paper without abamectin; without banana paper but in fields sprayed with abamectin; and in the control fields without wrapping of banana paper or chemical treatments.

The results showed that the banana paper, with or without the worm-killing chemical, effectively prevented potato infestation in the field and increased potato yield and size. The root systems of potatoes were also denser when paper was used.

To further test the role of paper, the researchers also conducted laboratory studies that exposed the pathogen to chemicals released from the potato plant's roots, known as root exudate, with and without banana paper; it was noticed that the banana paper adsorbed these chemicals and retained them.

So, the Banana card is effective because it interrupts the signaling between the potato and the nematode. The nematode can't detect those compounds, so it doesn't grow and doesn't know where to infect the plant. Researchers are currently testing the "wrap and plant" technique on other crops, including yams, sweet potatoes and cassava, and are looking to commercialize the technology, which could drive economic development in Africa.

The positive side of this approach is that it is simple, economical and sustainable; farmers can adopt it on a smaller scale, and most importantly, no chemicals are used in the paper-making process.

Photos: Nature

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