Gone Bananas? Current and Future Impact of Fusarium Wilt on Production

Banana (Musa spp.) is one of the world’s most valuable primary agricultural commodities. Production, worth an estimated $50 billion per annum, occurs in over 130 countries. Exported fruit are key commodities in several producing countries yet they comprise less than 15% of the total annual output of 150 million metric tons. Diseases are the most significant biotic constraints for both export and smallholder production. Notably, tropical race 4 (TR4) of Fusarium wilt (aka Panama disease) affects the Cavendish subgroup, which is now responsible for 47% of all production (virtually all exported fruit and over 30% of all remaining production). The recent outbreak of TR4 in Colombia threatens future export production in tropical America, where most export production occurs. This chapter presents an overview of the disease and its causal agent, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense . Although there is a substantial positive literature on biological, chemical or cultural measures, management is largely restricted to using resistant cultivars where the pathogen has established.