The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) is strengthening phytosanitary barriers to stop the entrance of race 4 of the fungus causing the so-called Panama Disease, which can affect some species of musaceous plants, like plantains and bananas.
Within the framework of the theoretical and practical workshop held this year on 4 and 5 September at ICA's National Laboratory of Phytosanitary Diagnosis, tests for the early detection of the Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) Tropical Race 4 (TR4) fungus were implemented as a tool to prevent its entrance into Colombia. This fungus causes an illness called Panama Disease, which could affect musaceous plants (plantains and bananas) in the country.
For Luz Marina Aranga, ICA's Deputy Manager of Analysis and Diagnosis and one of the workshop's participants, "it is worth clarifying that, although races 1 and 2 of Foc are already in Colombia, their impact is limited since most of the varieties currently grown are resistant to these races. This situation could change with the entrance of Foc TR4, because it attacks the banana varieties cultivated in our region, like the Cavendish." Early detection tests will allow ICA to take appropriate measures in case suspicions arise over the arrival of Foc TR4, to be able to maintain the health of the national banana and plantain sectors.
The activities carried out at ICA's laboratories were organised by the Institute's Technical Directorate of Agricultural Analysis and Diagnosis, along with Doctor Miguel Ángel Dita, regional coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean of Bioversity's "Commodities for Livelihoods" program, and Doctor Mónica Blanco, in charge of the laboratory of Molecular Techniques at the Research Centre for Crop Protection and lecturer at the University of Costa Rica. They had support from Bioversity International and Musalac (Latin American and Caribbean Network for Research and Development of Plantains and Bananas.)
The workshop was attended by workers of the laboratories for phytosanitary diagnosis and by ICA's Plant and Border Protection Deputy Managers. Also by some personnel from the Banana Research Centre (Cenibanano) and the Colombian Corporation of Agricultural Research (Corpoica), which took the opportunity to expand their knowledge about musaceous plant illnesses, with an emphasis on Panama Disease, its symptoms, handling, epidemiology and diagnosis for quarantine purposes.
Panama Disease
This illness is the most destructive for musaceous plants (plantain and banana) and is among the ten most important ones in world agriculture. So far, and just in plantations of the Latin American exporting industry, its presence has caused losses estimated at more than 2,300 million dollars.
To date, and for more than 30 years, Latin American musaceous plants have shown to be resistant to this pest, protected from the Foc fungus; however, strains are starting to appear which overcome this resistance and cause damages to musaceous plants, as it is the case with Tropical race 4 (TR4), which was identified in late 1990 in South East Asia, where it causes huge losses. RT4 was initially restricted to South Asia; however, it has expanded now to the entire continent and it is nowadays being detected in Australia and some Pacific islands.
Source: Ica