Occurrence and spread of the banana fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense TR4 in Mozambique
Date
2020-11-26
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ASSAf
Abstract
Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), poses a major
threat to banana production globally. A variant of Foc that originated in Southeast Asia, called tropical race 4
(TR4), was detected on a Cavendish banana export plantation (Metocheria) in northern Mozambique in
2013. Foc TR4 was rapidly disseminated on the farm, and affected approximately half a million plants
within 3 years. The fungus was also detected on a second commercial property approximately 200 km
away (Lurio farm) a year later, and on a small-grower’s property near Metocheria farm in 2015. Surveys
in Mozambique showed that non-Cavendish banana varieties were only affected by Foc race 1 and race 2
strains. The testing of Cavendish banana somaclones in northern Mozambique revealed that GCTCV-119
was most resistant to Foc TR4, but that GCTCV-218 produced better bunches. The occurrence of Foc TR4
in northern Mozambique poses a potential threat to food security on the African continent, where banana
is considered a staple food and source of income to millions of people. Cavendish somaclones can be
used, in combination with integrated disease management practices, to replace susceptible Cavendish
cultivars in southern Africa. The comprehensive testing of African cooking bananas for resistance to Foc
TR4 is required, along with the improvement of biosecurity and preparedness of growers on the African
continent.
Description
CITATION: Viljoen, A. et al. 2020. Occurrence and spread of the banana fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense TR4 in Mozambique. South African Journal of Science, 116(11/12):8608, doi:10.17159/sajs.2020/8608.
The original publication is available at https://sajs.co.za
The original publication is available at https://sajs.co.za
Keywords
Fusarium wilt of banana -- Mozambique, Cavendish somaclones, Bananas -- Diseases and pests -- Mozambique, Fusarium oxysporum
Citation
Viljoen, A. et al. 2020. Occurrence and spread of the banana fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense TR4 in Mozambique. South African Journal of Science, 116(11/12):8608, doi:10.17159/sajs.2020/8608.