Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Dec 20:10:1395.
doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01395. eCollection 2019.

The Epidemiology of Fusarium Wilt of Banana

Kenneth G Pegg  1 , Lindel M Coates  1 , Wayne T O'Neill  1 , David W Turner  2
Affiliations
Review

The Epidemiology of Fusarium Wilt of Banana

Kenneth G Pegg et al. Front Plant Sci. .

Abstract

Fusarium wilt of banana (also known as Panama disease) has been a problem in Australia since 1874. Race 1 of the pathogen (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense) is responsible for damage to 'Lady Finger' (AAB, Pome subgroup) and other less widely grown cultivars such as 'Ducasse' (Pisang Awak, ABB). Subtropical Race 4 (STR4) also affects these cultivars as well as Cavendish cultivars (AAA) in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales where cold temperature predisposition is involved. Tropical Race 4 (TR4) has led to the demise of the Cavendish industry in the Northern Territory, and its presence was confirmed in a North Queensland plantation in 2015, which warranted destruction of all banana plants on the property; as of this writing (April 2019), TR4 has spread to two adjacent properties. This review, which was commissioned by Biosecurity Queensland in response to the 2015 TR4 outbreak, considers the key epidemiological factors associated with the onset of a Fusarium wilt epidemic. Resistance to TR4, which is mediated by events following entry by the pathogen into the xylem, is not present in any commercially acceptable banana cultivar. Also, there is no effective chemical agent that can be used to manage the disease. Besides prevention, very early recognition and rapid containment of a disease outbreak are necessary to prevent epidemic development. A good understanding of the key factors responsible for disease development is required when devising practical protocols for the destruction of infected plants, treatment of surrounding infested soil, and reduction of inoculum in plant residues and soil.

Keywords: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense; Fusarium wilt; Musa spp.; disease containment; infection process.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Dr Joseph Bancroft (John Oxley Library).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Dark brown discoloration of vascular tissue in a banana root caused by Foc. (W. O’Neill).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Vascular discoloration in xylem vessels (W. O’Neill).
Figure 4
Figure 4
External symptoms of Fusarium wilt in ‘Lady Finger’ banana: pseudostem splitting of leaf bases (W. O’Neill).
Figure 5
Figure 5
The average monthly rainfall and number of Fusarium wilt cases per month show increased disease incidence peaking at three months after high rainfall (from Epp, 1987).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Cavendish plant affected by Race 1 Foc (D. Peasley).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Aerial view of a cotton field affected by Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum) showing spread along rows with flood irrigation water (J. Kochman)
Figure 8
Figure 8
Vascular discoloration in Foc infected bunch stalk (W. O’Neill).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Collection of laticifer fluid and xylem sap from an infected plant for epidemiology studies (W. O’Neill).
Figure 10
Figure 10
Chlamydospore production in a Foc culture (W. O’Neill).
Figure 11
Figure 11
‘Compound interest’ disease epidemic showing a sigmoidal (S-shaped) epidemic progress curve: (a) initial lag phase, (b) exponential phase, (c) decline phase (from Brown et al., 1997).
Figure 12
Figure 12
The area infested with Fusarium wilt in the Cavendish banana industry in Taiwan. Data from Su et al. (1986), Hwang (2001), Hwang and Ko (2004). The industry covered 50,000 ha in the mid-1960s and was 6,000 ha in 1999.
Figure 13
Figure 13
The annual rate of spread of Fusarium wilt in the Cavendish banana industry in Taiwan. Data derived from Su et al. (1986), Hwang (2001), Hwang and Ko (2004).
Figure 14
Figure 14
Cavendish banana plants affected by Fusarium wilt tropical race 4, showing yellowing and collapse of leaves at the petiole base (John E. Thomas).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aguilar E. A., Turner D. W., Sivasithamparam K. (2000). Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense inoculation and hypoxia alter peroxidase and phenylalanine activities in nodal roots of banana cultivars (Musa sp.) differing in their susceptibility to Fusarium wilt. Aust. J. Bot. 48, 589–596. 10.1071/BT99009 - DOI
    1. Alabouvette C. (1986). Fusarium-wilt suppressive soils from the Châteaurenard region: review of a 10-year study. Agronomie 6 (3), 273–284. 10.1051/agro:19860307 - DOI
    1. Armstrong G. M., Armstrong J. K. (1948). Non-susceptible hosts as carriers of wilt Fusaria. Phytopathology 38, 808–826.
    1. Bancroft J. (1876). Report of the board appointed to enquire into the cause of disease affecting livestock and plants. Queensland, 1876. Votes Proc. 3, 1011–1038.
    1. Beckman C. H. (1990). “Host responses of the pathogen,” in Fusarium Wilt of Banana. Ed. Ploetz R. C. (St Paul, Minnesota: The American Phytopathogical Society; ), 93–107.