BANANA FARM BEST PRACTICES FOR PREVENTION OF FUSARIUM WILT TR4 AND OTHER EXOTIC BANANA DISEASES

Abstract

Banana production in Latin America and Caribbean is threatened by important endemic and exotic diseases caused by fungi as Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4, bacterial wilts and rots by Ralstonia solanacearum complex, Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum, Dickeya spp. and the viruses BBTV, BBrMV, BSV complex, CMV, etc. Current increment of movement of persons and commodities, increase risks of transboundary movement of pests putting under press exotic pest surveillance. This report describes the dispersal ways of Fusarium wilt and other important diseases threatening banana production, conditions that predispose plants to infection and actions to adopt routinely to prevent their introduction to production sites. Unrestricted movement of infected suckers and plant residues, surface runoff and free movement of machinery, animal and persons inside and between farms and plots, can carry soil and move chlamydospores of pathogen between infected and disease free areas. Some lessons that arose from last century Foc race 1 epidemic in America are discussed. Some basic and simple measures that contribute to reduce the risks of introduction of exotic pathogens at the farm level are discussed. The implementation of measures to prevent introduction and dissemination of exotic diseases should be a shared responsibility between NPPO and growers.