A new study carried out by the University of North Carolina has found that wrapping potato seeds in biodegradable paper made from unusable parts of banana plants reduces the infestation and harmful effects of a nasty plant pathogen – a worm called the potato cyst nematode – and sharply increases potato size and yields.
During the study, published March 8 in the journal Nature Sustainability, the researchers proved that banana paper helps disrupt signals between the plant and the worm, blocking pathogen infestation and growth.
