Evaluation of Mchare and Matooke Bananas for Resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Race 1

Abstract

Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) race 1, is a major disease of bananas in East Africa. Triploid East African Highland (Matooke) bananas are resistant to Foc race 1, but the response of diploid (Mchare and Muraru) bananas to the fungus is largely unknown. A breeding project was initiated in 2014 to increase crop yield and improve disease and pest resistance of diploid and triploid East African Highland bananas. In this study, eight Mchare cultivars were evaluated for resistance to Foc race 1 in the field in Arusha, Tanzania. In addition, the same eight Mchare cultivars, as well as eight Muraru cultivars, 27 Mchare hybrids, 60 Matooke hybrids and 19 NARITA hybrids were also screened in pot trials. The diploid Mchare and Muraru cultivars were susceptible to Foc race 1, whereas the responses of Mchare, NARITAs and Matooke hybrids ranged from susceptible to resistant. The Mchare and Matooke hybrids resistant to Foc race 1 can potentially replace susceptible cultivars in production areas severely affected by the fungus. Some newly bred Matooke hybrids became susceptible following conventional breeding, suggesting that new hybrids need to be screened for resistance to all Foc variants.

Selection of Improved Banana Diploid Resistant to<em> Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. </em>cubense Races 1 and Subtropical 4

“…These findings are linked to the known virulence and aggressiveness of ST4 isolates in environmental conditions featuring temperature extremes, such as intense cold prevalent in certain regions of Brazil [8,27]. The data underscore the importance of using appropriate Foc isolates and methods that exert the necessary selection pressure to draw accurate conclusions about resistance, both in the greenhouse and subsequently in the field, as practiced in other studies [5,16,28].…”

Evaluation of Resistance of Banana Genotypes with AAB Genome to Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 in China

“…In the field evaluation, some genotypes (Dwarf Nathan, SH-3436, and FHIA-03) showed increased susceptibility throughout their cropping cycles, which was also reported by Mintoff et al (2021) [20] and Ndayihanzamaso et al (2020) [40]. The increased inoculum density of Foc TR4 could be related to this fact, as infected plants were not eradicated.…”

Selection of Improved Banana Diploid Resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Races 1 and Subtropical 4

“…These findings are linked to the known virulence and aggressiveness of ST4 isolates in environmental conditions featuring temperature extremes, such as the intense cold prevalent in certain regions of Brazil [7,14]. The data underscore the importance of using appropriate Foc isolates and methods that exert the necessary selection pressure to draw accurate conclusions about resistance, both in the greenhouse and subsequently in the field, as practiced in other studies [5,16,25].…”