Improvements in the Resistance of the Banana Species to Fusarium Wilt: A Systematic Review of Methods and Perspectives

Abstract

The fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (FOC), tropical race 4 (TR4), causes Fusarium wilt of banana, a pandemic that has threatened the cultivation and export trade of this fruit. This article presents the first systematic review of studies conducted in the last 10 years on the resistance of Musa spp. to Fusarium wilt. We evaluated articles deposited in different academic databases, using a standardized search string and predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. We note that the information on the sequencing of the Musa sp. genome is certainly a source for obtaining resistant cultivars, mainly by evaluating the banana transcriptome data after infection with FOC. We also showed that there are sources of resistance to FOC race 1 (R1) and FOC TR4 in banana germplasms and that these data are the basis for obtaining resistant cultivars, although the published data are still scarce. In contrast, the transgenics approach has been adopted frequently. We propose harmonizing methods and protocols to facilitate the comparison of information obtained in different research centers and efforts based on global cooperation to cope with the disease. Thus, we offer here a contribution that may facilitate and direct research towards the production of banana resistant to FOC.

Transgenic approaches for plant disease control: Status and prospects 2021

“…Therefore, bananas represent an obvious target for transgenic approaches (Collinge et al, 2016). Many genes, mostly encoding antimicrobial proteins, have been tested against this disease and some gave good results (Ghag & Ganapathi, 2017;Rocha et al, 2021;Swarupa et al, 2014). Genetic engineering gives the opportunity to protect against multiple pathogens by stacking different genes, for example using HIGS to protect against Fusarium and pathogen-derived resistance against banana bunchy top virus (BBTV; Ghag et al, 2015).…”

Pre-selection of banana somaclones resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense, subtropical race 4

“…Obtaining resistant cultivars through genetic breeding has been successful., Hybrids resistant to race 1 have been developed at the breeding programs of the Honduras Foundation for Agricultural Research (FHIA) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), among other breeding programs (( Amorim et al, 2013 ; Khayat and Ortiz, 2011 ; Rocha et al, 2021 ). The main obstacle in the process of conventional banana breeding is the sterility of some cultivars, especially triploid species, which leads to low seed production in crosses, making it difficult to transfer characteristics of interest from improved diploid species to commercial cultivars ( Silva et al, 2013 ).…”

“…The use of biotechnology tools has allowed advances in banana genetic studies, especially through techniques such as genetic engineering, induction of mutations, somaclonal variation, somatic hybridization, and polyploidy, which can be used to overcome the barriers of natural sterility found in some cultivars ( Pestana et al, 2011 ; Amaral et al, 2015 ; Borges et al, 2016 ; Rocha et al, 2021 ). Among the mentioned tools the induction of somaclonal variations has been recognized as important for generating genetic variability as an alternative for banana genetic improvement, which allows the selection of somaclones with the desired characteristics ( Ghag et al, 2014 ).…”

Phenolic Compounds and Oxidative Enzymes Involved in Female Fertility in Banana Plants of the Cavendish Subgroup

“…According to Scheerer et al [11], this race may affect 17% of the area under banana cultivation in the world in the next 20 years, leading to an estimated loss of 36 million tons, which is equivalent to USD 10 billion. Some approaches to mitigate the adverse effects of tropical race 4 in banana plantations have been discussed, including the development of resistant cultivars through hybridization, somaclonal variation, transgenesis, cisgenesis, and gene editing [8,10,[12][13][14].…”

“…Fusarium wilt is considered a pandemic disease and among its races, the tropical race 4 stands out. This race affects the commercial plantations of cultivars of the Cavendish subgroup, which are the basis of fruit export for many countries and represent 40% of the global production [ 9 , 10 ]. According to Scheerer et al [ 11 ], this race may affect 17% of the area under banana cultivation in the world in the next 20 years, leading to an estimated loss of 36 million tons, which is equivalent to USD 10 billion.…”