PREFERENCES OF Pentalonia caladii van der GOOT AND ITS POTENSIAL AS A VECTOR FOR BANANA BUNCHY TOP VIRUS

Abstract

Bananas (Musa sp.) are vital horticultural crops in Indonesia, where the Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) poses a major threat. Previous studies have identified Pentalonia caladii as a potential vector for BBTV. This research examined the preferences of P. caladii among four banana cultivars: Kepok, Cavendish, Raja, and Tanduk, and evaluated its transmission potential as a BBTV vector on Raja and Kepok cultivars. A Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD) was used for the experiments, and the data were analyzed with ANOVA and LSD tests at a 5% significance level. The findings showed that P. caladii preferred the Tanduk cultivar most, followed by Raja, Kepok, and Cavendish. Additionally, P. caladii exhibited a mild capacity to transmit BBTV with an incubation period of about 19.6 days on cv. Raja and 29.6 days on cv. Kepok, with the average of disease incidence 33.3-40%. These findings suggest that P. caladii could reproduce well on banana and serve as a vector for BBTV.