Sigatoka

[ sig-uh-toh-kuh ]

noun

, Plant Pathology.

1. a disease of bananas, characterized by discolored spots on the leaves, caused by a fungus, Mycosphaerella musicola.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sigatoka¹

After Sigatoka, river and district on the island of Viti Levu in the Fiji archipelago

Example Sentences

Roos, SMU environmental archaeologist and professor of anthropology, traveled with his team to the Sigatoka River valley in southwestern Fiji in 2013, where they collected charcoal and stable carbon isotopes from deep soil cores to understand historic patterns of fire activity in the area.

From Science Daily

The three boys have been charged with assault and appeared at the Sigatoka magistrate’s court last week.

From The Guardian

So to control a separate fungal infection called Black Sigatoka, banana producers spray crops with pesticide if they can afford it, causing environmental damage, he said.

From BBC

The start-up had aimed to develop an edible banana that is resistant to Panama disease and black Sigatoka, two fungal pests that put 80,000 African growers at risk of losing their entire crops.

From Nature

While other major banana pathogens such as black sigatoka and nematode worms can be controlled if enough pesticides are thrown at them, there is no chemical fix for TR4.

From The Guardian