Introduction. Bananas are harvested
at the green preclimacteric stage prior to sale. The time between
harvest and the initiation of the natural ripening process is called
green life. Black Leaf Streak Disease and Sigatoka Disease are the
main foliar diseases affecting banana production. Sigatoka Disease (SD)
is due to Mycosphaerella musicola, which frequently causes
early ripening in commercial banana plantations, considered as an
important source of damage. Our work aimed at determining the effectiveness
of the removal of necrotic leaves, one month before harvest, on
recovering banana quality arising from SD-infested plants. Materials
and methods. Banana plants (totaling 80) at the flowering
stage were selected in an experimental plot. These plants were divided
into two groups of SD infestation levels: level 1 (Severity Index
at flowering < 10%) and level 2 (Severity Index at flowering > 25%).
We divided each group into two treatments: a treatment with no necrotic
leaf removal and a treatment with necrotic leaf removal. Fruits
were harvested at the same physiological age, at 900 degree-days. Fruit
quality was characterized by weight, diameter, % of ripe fruit in
the field and fruit green life. Results. Our results
showed that the removal of necrotic leaves causes a reduction in
size parameters but leads to a strong reduction in SD effects on
the fruit maturity, thereby preventing premature ripening. Banana
plants whose necrotic leaves were removed produced fruit with a very
long green life. Discussion. Removal of necrotic leaves allows
thwarting the negative effect of SD on fruit physiology. This shows
that the presence of necrosis during the last month of fruit growth is
responsible for this fruit physiological modification characterized
by early ripening. Conclusion. Removal of necrotic
leaves one month before the date of harvest may be a technique that
can limit production losses when the infestation level by SD is
high.