Cultivated and wild bananas in northern Viet Nam threatened by devastating fungal disease
ScienceDaly
- Summary:
- For over 100 years, Fusarium, one of the most important fungal plant pathogens, has affected banana production worldwide. In Viet Nam, predictions on its impact are dramatic: an estimated loss in banana production area of up to 71% within the next 25 years. To find out what individual species are causing the Fusarium wilt among Vietnamese bananas, an international research team used DNA analyses and morphological characterization.
Fusarium is one of the most important fungal plant pathogens, affecting the cultivation of a wide range of crops. All over the world, thousands of farmers suffer agricultural losses caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (referred to as Foc for short), which directly affects their income, subsistence, and nourishment.
As a soil-borne fungus, Foc invades the root system, from where it moves into the vascular tissue that gradually deteriorates, until eventually the plant dies. What makes it particularly hard to deal with is that, even 20 years after all infected plants and tissue are removed, spores of it still remain in the soil.
One industry significantly affected by Foc is global banana export, largely dependent on the cultivation of members of the Cavendish subgroup, which are highly susceptible to some of the Foc strains.
For over 100 years, the fungus has affected banana production worldwide. Researchers predict it will continue spreading intensively in Asia, affecting important banana-producing countries such as China, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Viet Nam.
Read on: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220214095747.htm