Editorial: Fusarium Wilt of Banana, a Recurring Threat to Global Banana Production

Abstract

Editorial on the Research Topic Fusarium Wilt of Banana, a Recurring Threat to Global Banana Production THE TOPICThis Research Topic contains a selection of papers dealing with Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), also known as Panama disease, that investigate (i) the epidemiology, distribution, infection biology, and diversity of the pathogen, (ii) management practices, and (iii) ways to identify and screen for resistance. The Research Topic arose from the increasing spread and the growing global impact of FWB, affecting a wide range of banana production systems worldwide.During the inception of this Research Topic an increased understanding of genetic diversity of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc), traditionally considered as the causal agent of FWB, emerged and showed that Foc comprises several different Fusarium species (Ploetz, 2006;Maryani et al., 2019). The so-called Tropical Race 4 (TR4) was found to be genetically distant from other FWB causing species and was described as Fusarium odoratissimum (Maryani et al., 2019).Different strains of this Fusarium species have affected banana production worldwide. Prior to the 1960s, the spread of FWB was primarily caused by so-called Race 1 strains that caused severe losses in the production and export trade in Latin America, which was based almost entirely on the highly susceptible cultivar Gros Michel. The failing management of FWB in Gros Michel eventually convinced the export companies to convert the business to resistant Cavendish cultivars.TR4 first emerged in Southeast Asia (Ploetz, 1990) and its current rapid spread was analyzed by Ordonez et al. (2015). Subsequent studies showed that the TR4 strain is extremely virulent toward many banana cultivars, including Cavendish cultivars grown in large-scale monoculture plantations for export markets and many banana varieties important for food security and domestic consumption. There are no readily available solutions to manage this disease. Moreover, this global threat connects export trade, strongly dependent on the susceptible Cavendish cultivars, to local production systems wherein a range of banana varieties contributing to food security are also impacted.This Research Topic aims to provide a platform for information exchange and knowledge sharing. The contributions demonstrate an active research community in search of effective control of FWB. Taken together, the papers provide an overview of our current understanding of the

Impacts of the Biocontrol Strain Pseudomonas simiae PICF7 on the Banana Holobiont: Alteration of Root Microbial Co-occurrence Networks and Effect on Host Defense Responses

“…Currently, TR4 constitutes the main threat to banana production due to its extreme virulence toward Cavendish cultivars, which constitute a monoculture in large-scale industrial plantations. Different management measures exist against Foc , but none of them, when applied individually, have provided complete protection to this disease ( Ploetz, 2015 ; Dita et al, 2018 ; Kema et al, 2021 ). Therefore, efforts have focused on integrated management strategies that include, among other measures, the application of biological control agents (BCA) to reduce the impact of Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB) on susceptible cultivars or to increase the durability of those ones already tolerant ( Köberl et al, 2017 ).…”

Genetic diversity and disease: The past, present, and future of an old idea

“…The banana industry developed around the Gros Michel cultivar only to face fusarium wilt in the early 1900's, a drawn-out battle with devastating economic, environmental, and social ramifications. In 1962, the industry was restructured around monocultures of Cavendish, a cultivar that was originally resistant but is now succumbing to another Fusarium lineage (Marquardt 2001;Ploetz 2015;Kema et al 2020). Modern breeding practices fostered further epidemics by facilitating wide dissemination of varieties derived from a single parent lineage: 80% of acreage planted to a single lineage explained the severity of the 1940s epidemic of crown rust on oats and the 1970 Southern leaf blight on corn in the United States (Browning 1972).…”

Distribution and farmers knowledge on Fusarium wilt (Race 1) in cropping systems of Uganda

“…Fusarium wilt remains one of the most devastating diseases in several banana growing regions of the world and thus a global threat to banana production (Ploetz, 2015b;Kema et al, 2020). In this study, we identified the spatial distribution of FW in the banana growing areas and within banana subgroups, ascertained the effect of management practices and plantation age on FW incidence, as well as investigated how much information is known by farmers in regard to the symptoms and spread of FW in Uganda.…”