The IAEA is working with countries to manage Fusarium wilt (Foc TR4) in bananas through nuclear techniques and coordinated research. Foc TR4 is a soil-borne fungus that can persist for decades and has spread from Asia to Africa and recently Latin America, creating a transboundary challenge for banana-producing regions.
Hua Liu, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Technical Cooperation Department, said, "This pathogen poses a major threat to the economic livelihoods of banana farmers worldwide. The IAEA supports research and training opportunities that bring experts together to encourage best practice exchange."
In August, the IAEA organized an interregional meeting and symposium on Fusarium wilt in China, bringing together researchers, plant protection agencies, and industry representatives. Participants shared research updates and management practices and visited laboratories and plantations to observe China's disease-management measures. Roanne Gardoce of the University of the Philippines Los Baños said, "The symposium provided an ideal avenue to exchange information, network, and benchmark the global status of related research and management."
The Joint FAO/IAEA Centre is supporting integrated plant health approaches that combine nuclear and non-nuclear methods. Early detection tools such as PCR and LAMP are promoted for identifying infected plants before spread occurs. Juan Jose Oviedo from Costa Rica's National Phytosanitary Service said, "If infected bananas are identified sufficiently early, they can be destroyed and containment measures can be taken before neighbouring plantations are infected."
The Centre also supports mutation-breeding programmes using irradiation to generate disease-resistant banana lines. Research in Brazil and China is examining resistance mechanisms at cellular and physiological levels, and results are being shared with breeding programmes across Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
Dongxin Feng, Director of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre, said the Centre works with Member States to develop science-based solutions and transfer them through technical cooperation projects. Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Deputy Director General, added that coordinated research and technology transfer can help farmers remain resilient against Foc TR4.
In parallel, Ecuadorian researchers are developing a separate biotechnological approach targeting the pathogen itself. As the world's largest banana exporter, Ecuador faces direct exposure to Foc TR4. Scientists there are applying CRISPR-Cas9 to edit the fungus, focusing on a virulence gene known as SIX9. By making targeted cuts to the fungal DNA, researchers reduced its ability to infect banana roots and limited its aggressiveness at the molecular level. The work, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, outlines a potential tool for managing pathogens that do not respond to conventional control methods.
These ongoing programmes form part of broader international efforts to develop integrated management strategies and maintain production in regions exposed to Foc TR4.
