Yellow Sigatoka: identify, prevent, control

Updated October 2026

Worst in the hot, wet months from December to April in North Queensland, South East Queensland, northern NSW and the Top End.

Yellow Sigatoka is the most common leaf disease of bananas in Australia, caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora musae. It is present in all Australian banana growing regions except Carnarvon in Western Australia. The spots do not kill the plant outright, but when they destroy enough leaf area the bunch is smaller and the fruit ripens unevenly, so keeping leaves clean matters.

Pseudocercospora musae (syn. Mycosphaerella musicola)

How to identify it

The first signs are tiny pale yellow or light green streaks, a few millimetres long, running parallel to the side veins on the upper surface of the older leaves.
The streaks lengthen and widen into oval brown spots about 1 cm long, often surrounded by a yellow halo.
Mature spots develop a pale grey, dry centre with a dark brown to black edge.
Spots join up, especially near the leaf edge and tip, and large areas of leaf turn yellow, brown and dry.
Badly affected plants carry few healthy leaves at bunching, and the fruit is smaller and may ripen early or unevenly.

What it is often confused with

Black Sigatoka

Black Sigatoka makes dark brown to black streaks, mostly on the underside of the leaf, and is an exotic disease that has been eradicated from mainland Australia. Report suspected black Sigatoka to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.

Panama disease

Panama disease yellows whole older leaves from the edges and collapses them at the stalk, rather than making separate streaks and spots.

Leaf spot

Other banana leaf spots, such as leaf speckle, make small dark freckles or blotches rather than streaks that grow into grey centred oval spots.

When and where it is worst

Yellow Sigatoka occurs wherever bananas grow along the Queensland coast, in northern NSW and in the Top End. Spores are splashed by rain and carried on the wind, and they need wet leaves to infect, so the disease builds rapidly in the wet season from December to April and slows in the cooler, drier months. Bananas grown in sheltered, humid spots or under shade are hit hardest.

Because spotted leaves produce spores that infect the young leaves above them, the banana industry guideline asks growers to keep leaf spot below about 5 percent of total leaf area. In Queensland, banana owners, including home gardeners, have a general biosecurity obligation to take reasonable steps to keep leaf spot from spreading, so removing badly spotted leaves is part of growing bananas well.

Plants it affects

These plants in our library list it as a problem to watch for.

Banana

How to prevent it

Plant bananas in full sun with enough space between stools for air to move, and avoid crowding them against fences or walls.
Keep each stool to one main plant with one or two followers, removing extra suckers so the clump stays open.
Feed and water bananas well, since vigorous plants make new leaves faster than the disease can damage them.
Check the older leaves every couple of weeks in the wet season for yellow streaks and brown spots.
Water at the base rather than over the top of the leaves.

Organic control, step by step

Cut off leaves, or the spotted parts of leaves, once spots cover more than a small part of the leaf, using a clean, sharp knife or banana knife.
Lay the removed leaves flat on the ground under the plant, spotted side down, where they rot quickly, or remove them from the garden.
Do this de-leafing regularly through the wet season, since it is the main control used by commercial growers as well.
Keep weeds and trash down around the stool so that air moves freely at the base.

Conventional control

Commercial banana growers use protectant fungicides such as mancozeb, but home garden products rarely list bananas. Only use a home garden mancozeb or copper product if bananas and leaf spot are listed on the label.
For most backyard bananas, regular de-leafing and good spacing give enough control without sprays.
Always read the label, check that bananas are listed, and keep to the withholding period before you harvest.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to remove spotted banana leaves?

It is good practice and, in Queensland, part of your general biosecurity obligation as a banana owner. Removing badly spotted leaves cuts the spores that infect new leaves and protects your neighbours' bananas too.

Will Sigatoka kill my banana?

Yellow Sigatoka rarely kills the plant, but it can strip enough leaves that the bunch is small, ripens unevenly and tastes poor. A plant needs about eight to ten healthy leaves at flowering to fill a good bunch.

Is there a resistant banana variety?

Some varieties, such as Lady Finger and Goldfinger types, are less affected than Cavendish, but none is fully immune. Ask an accredited nursery which varieties suit your district.