Ecuador remains highly vigilant after an outbreak of what authorities believe is Fusarium Race 4 (Foc R4T) in El Oro in early September. While awaiting official confirmation, authorities are strengthening biosecurity measures to prevent the potential spread to neighboring plantations.
During the Banana Time technical congress, held in Guayaquil on October 16, Carlos Muentes, an Agrocalidad technician, explained how the situation was handled. To date, 1,235 affected plants from eight outbreaks, covering an area of 3,588 square metres, have been destroyed. To put this in perspective, on September 22, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Danilo Palacios, reported that only one outbreak with one affected plant had been identified.
Muentes is glad no new outbreaks have been detected in the monitored areas after 40 days, but regrets that the affected farm lacked basic biosecurity measures, reflecting the reality of the province, where only 5% of farms follow preventive protocols.
"In early September, thanks to surveillance and training, we identified a plant showing symptoms of a vascular disease other than Ralstonia (moko). We acted immediately according to the protocols, without waiting for confirmation," Muentes stated.
A team of 50 technicians from various provinces, along with specialized teams, four mobile vehicles, drones, and a system of control barriers, including disinfection points, was deployed to manage the situation. Monitoring zones of 1 km and 5 km have been set up around the suspected outbreak. To date, drones have completed 88 overflights, covering 1,188 hectares and capturing 12,168 images. All images have been analyzed on the Estamos Alerta platform to identify potential links to Fusarium wilt and to determine if direct visits to suspect plants are necessary.
During this period, four additional phytosanitary inspections were conducted on seven farms, covering 245 acres; however, all tests came back negative for the disease.
The case underscores the importance of strengthening biosecurity measures in the province and highlights the crucial role of preventive surveillance in safeguarding one of the country's leading agro-export industries.
Source: eluniverso.com
