Panama disease on Gros Michel (1898-1962)
Ulua Valley, Honduras, 1994 Not a single Cavendish plant has died in Central America as a result of Fusarium wilt caused by Foc race 1
Panama disease on Cavendish (1990 - )
2013: Banana Armageddon!
The threat of Panama disease (FocTR4) to bananas in Africa Altus Viljoen Stellenbosch University altus@sun.ac.za Department of Plant Pathology Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences
Origin of African bananas & plantains Two centers of cultivation: Wet tropics of West and Central Africa plantain East African highlands Highland bananas Plantain was introduced to Africa approximately 3000 years ago EAHB were introduced approximately 1000 1500 years ago
Musa consumption in Africa Africa includes three of the four countries with the highest per capita consumption of bananas in the world, with Ugandans consuming 243 kg/p/yr 7
Uses of bananas in Africa
Banana production in Africa
Fusarium wilt in Africa
Global movement of banana and Foc 1829 1866 1835 1951 1924 1848 Gros Michel Cavendish Pisang Awak 1947
Global occurrence of Foc TR4 (VCG 01213/16) NORTH PD found in PD on Cavendish Malaysia Northern Southern The Foc TR4 Australia in Taiwan Foc Indonesia Australia Philippines JAPAN China in Oman 1876 TR4 2013 1967 PAKISTAN INDIA NEPAL 1990 CHINA 1997 Hong Kong 1998 TAIWAN 1967 2005 PHILIPPINES 2012 BURMA THAILAND VIETNAM CAMBODIA SRI LANKA MALAYSIA BRUNEI INDONESIA
Reasons for Fusarium wilt epidemics 1. Large scale monoculture of bananas 2. Expansion of the international trade 3. Domination of trade with Cavendish bananas 4. Disregard of quarantine regulations 5. Movement of plants, people and equipment
Next stop for Foc TR4 - Africa But it is Africa where the cause is most urgent. While Europe attempts to promote the interest of small growers, big banana companies are moving operations to countries that Europeans can buy bananas from. Cavendish plantations are now expanding across the African continent. Dan Koeppel Banana: The fate of the fruit
Introduction of Foc TR4 into Africa Near Namialo in northern Mozambique Soils at Metocheria have high clay content and a ph between 6.0 and 7.5 Water from Monapo River feeds into two ponds on farms for sprinkler irrigation. A water deficit was experienced in 2012, with Farm 2 being particularly affected Considerable pedestrian movement of people from local communities through Farm personnel were rotated between fields International staff is replaced fairly regularly First observed in February 2013
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense Slide: R.C. Ploetz
Identification of Foc TR4 in Africa 58 RP8 0121 E EF MOZAM C EF MOZAM CAV810 01213 RP9 0121 CAV300 01213 B EF MOZAM RP7 0121 CAV313 01213/16 CAV312 01213/16 CAV604 01216 CAV815 01216 CAV814 01216 CAV811 01213 Clade A CAV793 0126 F.f. sp. canariensis CAV605 0122 59 CAV607 0122 CAV632 01210 CAV1051 01210 CAV794 0126 F. cucurbit CAV195 01219 CAV612 01215 CAV847 01219 CAV293 0120 CAV296 0120 87 CAV298 0120 CAV009 0120 52 23510 0129 CAV1107 0129/11 23631 01211 CAV1100 0129 Figure 1. PCR amplification using F. oxysporum f.sp cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4)-specific primers FocTR4F and FocTR4R (Dita et al., 2010). Lane A: Plant 1 Fusarium inquisetti-incarnatum; Lane B: Plant 1 Foc TR4; Lane C: Plant 2 TR4; Lane D: Plant 2 F. inquisetti-incarnatum; Lane E: Plant 3 TR4; Lane F: Foc TR4 control; Lane G: water control. 100 Clade B 70 94 82 8611 0125 RP58 01212 24219 01220 24211 01220 22994 0128 22993 0128 23487 0125 23480 0125 CAV786 0124 CAV609 0124 73 CAV929 0123 CAV194 01218 CAV871 01217 CAV933 0123 CAV957 0123 CAV189 012 F.f. sp. niveum F.f. sp. radicis-lycopersici strain Fcc 100 100 Fusarium incarnatum Fusarium incarnatum Fusarium incarnatum
Movement of pathogens With non-symptomatic suckers With plants infected in nurseries
Movement of pathogens With irrigation water With boots and plantation tools
Movement of pathogens On the wheels of vehicles With the movement of people
Managing Fusarium wilt: Metocheria
Regional and continental production
Management of banana Fusarium wilt Disease control implicates the elimination of a disease, but may result in unacceptable costs, labor and environmental impacts Disease management attempts to maintain disease levels below economic thresholds Management of disease involves: Avoidance of pathogens Exclusion of pathogens Eradication of pathogens Protection of plants
Exclusion of the pathogen
Evaluation of African bananas Kazirakwe Obubit Ntanga Ibwi Planted in Guangdong, China and Mindanao, Philippines Natural infection by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense TR4 Scoring of internal and external disease symptoms Growth characteristics and susceptibility to other pathogens
Somaclonal variation against Foc
Banana production in Africa
Continental strategy for FocTR4 Goal: To control the current disease outbreak of banana Fusarium wilt (Foc TR4) in Mozambique and to prepare other African countries that rely on banana for food security and income generation, against similar incursions. Research approach: Multi-dimentional and transdisciplinary: On-farm containment and management Regional and continental surveillance and prevention An awareness and training programme Research Research team: Experienced banana people: Horticulturists Phytopathologists Soil scientists Breeders from Africa and Asia Producers National authorities Quarantine officials
African scientists mobilized Research institutions: National Agricultural Research organizations International Institute Tropical Agriculture Bioversity International: Africa and Asia Stellenbosch University Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique Metocheria Farm, Mozambique DuRoi Laboratories Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China Taiwan Banana Research Institute, Taiwan Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Australia In collaborators with: Departments of Agriculture in Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kenya Inter-African Phytosanitory Council International Plant Protection Convention
Actions to manage Foc TR4 in Africa 02/13: First symptoms observed 06/13: Fungus identified as FocTR4 08/13: Recommendations to farm 09/13: Mozambique NPPO visit 10/13: Stakeholder meeting: Maputo 11/13: Press release on outbreak (Dr Serafina Mangana) 12/13: RTB provide $20 000 01/13: Concept proposal finalized 03/13: FocTR4 strategy meeting 05/13: Project start-up