Recognizing the imminent threat of another invasive potentially devastating disease known as Tropical Race 4 (TR4), the Region is being placed on high alert and has taken action towards putting relevant plans in place to mitigate against the introduction of this dreaded disease on the Banana industry.
Tropical Race 4 (TR4) is the name given to the strains of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) that cause Fusarium Wilt (aka Panama disease) in Cavendish cultivars.
Like all other soil-dwelling Foc strains, TR4 cannot be controlled using fungicides and cannot be eradicated from soil using fumigants.
The capacity of TR4 to survive decades in the soil, along with its lethal impact and wide host range, are among the main reasons it has been ranked as the greatest threat to Banana production
TR4 has devastated commercial plantations of Cavendish bananas in Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia’s Northern Territory. In mainland China, the strategy of establishing Cavendish plantations in TR4-free areas to stay ahead of the disease has led to the spread of the fungus to all the main banana-growing provinces.
It is reported that losses to TR4 have been estimated at US$121-million in Indonesia, US$253.3-million in Taiwan and US$14.1-million in Malaysia.
It is against this backdrop that the Caribbean Plant Health Directors Forum (CPHD) and the French Agricultural Research Organisation CIRAD have partnered with the FAO, IICA and the USDA and recently hosted a Regional Workshop on “Fusarium Wilt of Bananas (FoC TR4): Prevention and Diagnosis: Methods & Tools”.
The Workshop was held in Guadeloupe from July 10-13 and was headed by the Chairman of the Musa Technical Working Group of the CPHD, Plant Pathologist Nelson Laville of Dominica.
Workshop Facilitators were International Experts on TR4 Dr. Luis Perez Vicente from Cuba and Professor Altus Viljoen from South Africa.
Participants of the Workshop identified that the potential impact of this disease is too high and effective management too costly for Small Island States such as ours and therefore focus will be on Total Exclusion from the Region.
The grouping in recognizing that there is strength in numbers, committed to strengthening relationships and greater collaboration between organizations including OIRSA, CIRAD and CAN towards establishing a Hemispheric Plan for the exclusion of TR4.
A Strategic Plan has been drafted and will be presented to Regional Policy Makers for adoption.
Skerro must go. we lost our birds, bananas, frogs, no roads, no airport, food being rotting, and thrown away at sea in the nite, just to name few. Labor ka twavy.
We shouldn’t panic because it has not yet attacked us. But we should be wary and proactive.
We in Dominica shouldnt panic we don’t export anything anyways, Ross = 30% of our gdp, and passports 40% the other 30% is loans from china.
Like all other soil-dwelling Foc strains, TR4 cannot be controlled using fungicides. …
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