This book provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of Fusarium wilt of banana, the role of monoculture in its spread, as well as best practices to control future outbreaks, including specialised breeding programmes and genetic engineering.
This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on understanding and tackling Fusarium wilt in global banana production.
The first chapter examines the way in which monoculture has affected the banana industry and discusses the available banana varieties, the advent of the Cavendish variety and the need to develop new banana varieties.
The second chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the history, epidemiology and management of F. oxysporum forma specialis cubense Race 1 and 2 the fungus which causes Fusarium wilt of banana.
The third chapter documents the spread of Tropical Race 4 throughout the major Cavendish banana-producing regions of the world and highlights the importance of breeding for resistance to diversify the banana crop for the export trade.
The fourth chapter reviews the potential of particular breeding technologies, such as genetic engineering and induced mutagenesis, to improve the performance of Cavendish cultivars and overcome current biological and environmental challenges.
The final chapter considers the challenges associated with developing hybrid banana varieties with improved properties and uses insights from Embrapas banana breeding programme in Brazil to highlight these challenges and how they could possibly be mitigated.
- Discusses the impact of monoculture in the banana industry and its contribution to the spread of Fusarium wilt
- Highlights the potential of key breeding technologies which can be used to improve resistance to Fusarium wilt of banana
- Discusses the challenges associated with developing hybrid banana varieties
Chapter 1 - Understanding the banana industry: monoculture and beyond:
Dan Koeppel, Independent Journalist and Researcher, USA;
1 Introduction
2 Banana varieties and the Cavendish monoculture
3 The development of a banana monoculture
4 The dynamics of the banana monoculture
5 Post-war developments: business as usual?
6 The Cavendish era
7 Cavendish in crisis and a new paradigm
8 The hunt for new varieties
9 Future trends and conclusion
10 Where to look for further information
Chapter 2 - Fusarium wilt of banana: impact, epidemiology and management of
Fusarium wilt Race 1 and 2 [ Ed. 4]: Einar Martķnez de la Parte, Wageningen
University and Research, The Netherlands and Instituto de Investigaciones de
Sanidad Vegetal (INISAV), Cuba; and Luis Pérez-Vicente, Instituto de
Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal (INISAV), Cuba;
1 Introduction
2 Disease symptoms
3 Pathogen characteristics
4 Disease cycle and epidemiology
5 Disease occurrence and impact
6 Disease resistance: cultivar susceptibility and host resistance
7 Management of the disease
8 Conclusion and future trends
9 Where to look for further information
10 References
Chapter 3 - The past, present and future of Fusarium wilt of banana caused
by Tropical Race 4 [ Ed. 5]: Fernando Garcķa-Bastidas, KeyGene B.V., The
Netherlands; André Drenth, The University of Queensland, Australia; and Gert
H. J. Kema, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;
1 Introduction
2 Past: origins, spread and biology
3 Present: detection, epidemiology and control
4 Future: preventative/curative disease control and breeding
5 Conclusion
6 Where to look for further information
7 Acknowledgements
8 References
Chapter 4 - Targeted improvement of Cavendish clones: Eli Khayat, Rahan
Meristem (1998) LTD., Israel;
1 Introduction
2 Genetic background of bananas and plantains
3 In vitro mutagenesis: somaclonal variation
4 Conclusion and future trends
5 References
Chapter 5 - Developing hybrid banana varieties with improved properties:
Edson Perito Amorim, Vanusia Batista de Oliveira Amorim, Manassés dos Santos
Silva, Fernando Haddad, Claudia Fortes Ferreira and Janay Almeida dos Santos
Serejo, Embrapa, Brazil;
1 Introduction
2 Released hybrids
3 Seeds as the basis of the genetic improvement program of Embrapa
4 Improved diploids and their importance in the improvement of Musa spp.
5 Phenotyping for resistance to Fusarium wilt race 1
6 The Embrapa breeding cycle
7 Alternatives to breeding based on crosses
8 Future trends and conclusion
9 References
Dr André Drenth is Professor in Tropical Plant Pathology and Program Leader for crop protection in the Centre for Horticultural Science at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), at the University of Queensland. He leads several projects on tropical plant diseases and he initiated and led a national Banana Plant Protection Programme set up to protect Australias banana industry from the impact of a range of pests and diseases.
Dr Gert H. J. Kema is Professor of Phytopathology and chair at the Laboratory for Phytopathology of Wageningen University, The Netherlands. He initiated and coordinated several international banana research programs focusing on Fusarium wilt of banana and black Sigatoka as well as interdisciplinary research projects and public-private-partnerships on other perennial crops. He is a cofounder of several spin-off companies focusing on banana improvement, disease management and bioprocessing.
