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Black sigatoka is a destructive fungal disease that affects all banana varieties. The fungus requires living plant tissue in order to complete its lifecycle but also has the ability to survive on dead plant residues. The fungus penetrates leaf tissue and continues to develop for a few weeks without causing damage to the tree.

Black sigatoka favours periods of heavy rainfall and high humidity. It is spread mainly by winds, splashes of water, and packaging materials that came in contact with infected plant parts. Infected crops may result in more than 50% of yield losses due to crop damages. Black sigatoka symptoms often include small chlorotic spots appearing on the underside of leaves. With time, spots expand and form thin brown streaks in the around the veins. When humidity conditions are high for a significant period of time, the whole leaf can become dry and die, which triggers fruit to ripen early.