This document summarizes a doctoral seminar presentation on Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense race TR4, a new threat to banana cultivation in Bihar, India. The presentation covers key details about banana cultivation in Bihar and India, important banana diseases, symptoms and spread of Panama wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense, races of the pathogen, its international spread and impact on banana production worldwide, and management strategies for fields infected with race TR4.

1. Doctoral seminar II
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense race TR4
New threat to banana cultivation in Bihar
Speaker
DN Shukla
PhD Student
DEPARTMENT OF PLANT PATHOLOGY
Dr. RAJENDRA PRASAD CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
PUSA, SAMASTIPURBIHAR– 848125
Major Advisor
Dr S.K.SINGH
Associate Professor(Plant
Pathology)
Speaker
Daya Nand Shukla
PhD Student

3. Major banana growing states of India

5. 42%
23%
16%
10%
9% Muzafferpur
Vaishali
Samastipur
Madhepura
Bhagalpur

6. Banana in Bihar
Area- 34.64(000 ha)
Production -1526(000 tonne)
Productivity-44.06 tonne /ha
Banana at National level
Area-880(000 ha);
Production-30,008(000 tonne);
Productivity-34.10 tonne/ha
Source:HorticultureStatisticsDivision, DAC&FW,2015

7. Banana varieties
1. Alpan
2. Harichhal
3. Red banana
4. Grand Naine
5. Robusta
6. Red banana

8. Robusta Grand Naine

9. Red Banana Robusta Kothia

10. Kanthali Battisa Chinia

11. Panama wilt Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense
Bunchy top of Banana Banana bunchy top virus
Sigatoka disease Mycosphaerella musicola
Anthracnose Colletrotrichum musae
Rhizome soft rot Erwinia spp.
Banana leaf rust Uromyces musae
Leaf speckle Acrodontium simplex
Crown rot Colletotrichum,Fusarium,Verticillium spp.
etc.
List of important banana disease

12. Fusarium wilt or Panama wilt disease
This disease ranked as one of the top six important
plant disease in the world.
From 1890 to 1960,the disease had destroyed more
than 40000 ha of banana in Central and south Asia.
The disease was first reported at Eagle Farm, Brisbane,
Queensland, Australia in 1874 in cv Sugar(Silk-AAB).
In Asia the disease was first time observed in 1911 in
West Bengal, India in cv Kanthali.
Source:-www.promusa.org/Fusarium+wilt

13. Symptoms
The external symptoms are generally expressed only
2-4 months after planting.
If the planting material already infested, the
symptoms of the disease can be seen even with in two
month after planting.
Tissue culture plants are planted in the Fusarium
infested soil, the symptoms can be seen in 15-20 days
after planting.
Source:-Agrios,G.N.(1997).Plant Pathology .4th ed. ,Academic Press ,New York.

14. Panama wilt

15. Typical symptoms of Panama wilt

16. Panama wilt

17. Field view Panama wilt
cv Grand Naine in Damdaha(Purnea) Cv Robusta in Barari (Katihar)

18. External symptoms
External symptom easily
be confused with those of
Fusarium wilt in most cases
yellowing of leaves starts
with the lower or older
leaves
The margin of leaf turn
pale to yellow and necrotic
strips surrounded by a
yellow margin.
The lower leaves die and
hang down the pseudostem
as a skirt.
False Panama disorder

19. Internal symptoms
When a cross section of
pseudostem of
approximately 50 cm
above soil level, wine red
discoloured vascular
strands are often visible.
Brown to purple
blotchy areas, the gum
pockets, are always
present in a pseudostem
infected with Fusarium
wilt.
(Zang et al., 2001)

20. Races of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp cubense (Foc)
Race I attacks Silk, Pisang Awak, Pome
Race II affects Bluggoe
Race III attack only of Heliconia sp.
Race IV attacks silk, Pisang Awak, Pome- Bluggoe +
Cavendish groups of Banana
In India (including Bihar) only two races viz. race 1 and
race 2 are present. Cavendish and Poovan groups are not
affected in India but incidence of Panama wilt is reported in
Cavendish Group of Banana in Bihar of India.
(Singh,2002)

21. There are no symptoms differences
among Fusarium wilt pathogen races.
Source:- FAO , Technical Manual on TR4.,2014

22. .
Disease sucker transplant
and healthy in infected soil
Cultural Practices
Cultural Practices that
carry out soil particles
and inoculums
Inoculums Sourceweeds
(Hawang,2002)
Drainage water
Transmission of Fusarium wilt incited
by F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense

23. Survival
Fusarium pathogen
survives in soil as hardy
chlamydospores for more
than 40 years.
The pathogen also infects
and survives on more
than 20 different weed
hosts present in banana
field.
Source:- Proceeding on “Emerging pests and Disease Problems in Banana” in April,2016 at NRC banana,Trruchirapalli

24. SPREADING
Planting material including corm/rhizome.
Soil adhering to implements, container, tools, animals, footwear, clothes etc.
Hurricanes.
Strong winds.
Heavy rains causing flooding.
Irrigation water.
Surface drainage waters after rainfall.

25. IMTP rating scale(1-2)
Scale for rating the internal symptoms
caused by Fusarium wilt
(Photographs courtesy of Mr Zilton Cordeiro, EMBRAPA-CNPMF).
1.Corm completely clean, no
vascular discoloration.
2.Isolated points of discoloration in
vascular tissue

26. IMTP rating scale(3-4)
3.Discoloration of up to 1/3 of
vascular tissue
4. Discoloration of between
1/3 and 2/3 of vascular tissue.

27. IMTP rating scale (5-6)
5. Discoloration greater than 2/3 of
vascular tissue.
6. Total discoloration of vascular tissue.

28. National Scenario of Panama wilt
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
58
12
0 0
27
3
0
8
45
2
57
15
0 0
30
6
0
9
48
Panama wilt (%) 2015-16
Panama wilt (%) 2014-15
((Source:-ACRIP Fruit 2015)

29. International scenario of virulent race TR4
In 20th century TR4 had been observed in Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia
(Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Halmahera, Kalimantan on the island of
Borneo, and Papua Province on the island of New Guinea), mainland
China (Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian and Yunnan), the
Philippines' island of Mindanao and Australia (Northern
Territory),Oman,Jordan,Mozambique,Lebnan,Pakistan,Laos,Vietnam and
India.
It has destroyed>20,000 ha of Grand Naine Cavendish banana in china
and poses serious threat to the multibillion-dollar export industry and
also to the lively hood small scale banana growers in Asia, Africa and
Australia.
Source:- http://www.promusa.org/Tropical+race+4+-+TR4

30. Source:- http://www.promusa.org/Tropical+race+4+-+TR4

31. •.
Source:- ://www.promusa.org/Tropical+race+4+-+TR4

32. Source:- https://www.google.co.in/search?q=panama+wilt+of+banana+symptoms

33. Foc TR4 biological and
epidemiological characteristics
It is easily distributed in soil, water and surface
between infected and free area
Source:- ://www.promusa.org/Tropical+race+4+-+TR4

34. TR4 affect cultivars that produce
more than 80% of world production

35. Panama disease on Cavendish in Asia
Taiwan-(1990)
Indonesia/Malaysia-1990
Australia-1997
China-1996(2004/2005)
Philippines-2001(2005)
India(2015)*

36. TR4 in China
1996-Frist infection in
Guandong.
2000-Positive for TR4.
2005-More than 20000 ha.
2010-Spread to Hainan, Guangxi,
Yunnan and Fujian provinces.
2013-40000 hectares affected in
varying level.
(Li cy et al.,2013)

37. TR4 distribution in China
.
(Li cy et al.,2013)

38. TR4 in Pakistan
In Pakistan, bananas are produced in the Sindh and
Baluchistan Provinces(91% and 9% of the country
production, respectively).
Symptoms of Fusarium wilt of TR4 race first observed
in 2012 in a 2 ha Cavendish plantation in Baoo
Pooran,Sindh provinence.
But report of TR4 infection published in 2015.
(Ordonez et al.,2015)

39. Possible impact of Fusarium wilt in India
.
Severe incidence of TR4(10-50%) was
observed in Cavendish group of
banana in Bihar(Katihar and Purnea
diistricts),Uttar Pradesh(Faizabad
district),Madya Pradesh (Burhanpur
distict) and Gujrat(Surat district).
Recently report is from Raver of
Maharashtra awaiting molecular
confirmation.

40. .
There is a chance for the further spread of this virulent
strain rapidly to other states like West
Bengal,Odissa,Karnatka,Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu and
NES states .
Banana growers now switching over to other less
remunerative crops like maize, paddy, etc., which will profit
of only Rs.25,000/ as against Rs.>2 lakhs/acre in banana,
there is a possibility of incurring a heavy loss to Indian
banana industry which worth nearly Rs.50,000/ crores.
Besides ,this it create unemployment followed by farm
workers from Bihar migrating to other states like Punjab
and Haryana for employment opportunities

41. TR4 in Malaysia and Indonesia
 Late 80s multinational companies established Cavendish
plantation in Indonesia and Malaysia for the expanding
markets of the middle east.
 1990-92 epidemics of FocTR4 destroyed plantation.
 Companies abandoned their plantations for export market.
(Molina et al.,2017)

42. TR4 distribution in Philippines
2001-Frist appeared in Cavendish plantation grown for “sweet
bananas” in the highland of Mindanao.
2003-Sporadic cases observed in the traditional lowland
plantation.
2005-Increased FOC infection in the lowland further spread.
2013-Thousand of hectares affected.
Small independent growers farms are most affected.
Source:- https//www.networks.og./Bapnet/2014

43. In Asia Foc TR4 is primarily a
Cavendish monoculture problems
Source:- https//networks.org/Bapnet/2014

44. Foc TR4 a global threat

45. Source:- https://www.google.co.in/search?q=Panama+wilt+of+banana+symptoms

46. https://www.google.co.in/search?q=panama+wilt+of+banana+symptoms

47. Risk and noxiousness factors of an
outbreak of Foc TR4
Similar symptoms to other races and long latent
period; evidence or it presence can happen after
many years of introduction.
High dependency in cultivars (Cavendish, AAB
plantains, Bluggoe and Pisang awak types, ABB, etc.).
Poor knowledge and conscience among growers of
disease impact, infection cycle and management
tactics.
Source:--www.krishisewa.com/articles/disease-management/80-panama-wilt-banana.html

48. .
Persistence in soil by many years.
Limited options of management.
Easy dissemination by different ways to be
introduced.
Lack of certified free planting material to
grower.
Source:--www.krishisewa.com/articles/disease-management/80-panama-wilt-banana.html

49. If the field infected by Tr4 how to manage?
Keep the sign board at entry of each field affected with Fusarium
wilt tropical race 4.
Demarcated the wilt infected plants with rope/coulred ribbon
for restricted entry inside the field.
Inject the wilt infected plant with Glyphosate 2-5 ml/plant and
after death ,burn them immediately.
Sign of wilt infection is noticed, drenching of carbendazim(0.1 to
0.3%) @3-5 litters per plant for 3-5 times at 15 days interval.

50. .
Follow "come clean and go clean” keep the plant and field
very clean without weeds and banana plant wastes.
When the harvest over, entire plant uprooted and brunt.
Follow crop rotation including
paddy/sugarcane/tapioca/onion/pineapple once or twice.
Intercropping with onion/growing cover crops.

51. .Good agricultural practices so as to improve the
soil haealth by applying recommended dose of
fertilizer,apply 1 kg wood ash,more amount of
vermicompost ,neem cake etc.
Soil application of rice chaffy grain formulation of
endophytic penicillium pinophilum+rhizosporic
Trichoderma aserellum@100 g /plant.
Follow drip irrigation/fertigation.

52. How to prevent the occurrence of Tr4 in the
fields not infested
Restriction of banana plants imports others than certified
virus, bacteria and fungi free tissue culture indexed plants
from trusted sources.
Develop of an Emergency Contingency Plan for a case of an
incursion of Foc TR4 following the guidelines of the
technical document developed by OIRSA, Bioversity
International and INISAV.
Develop of a survey of Panama disease risky areas based on
cultivars and Foc Race1/Race2 current presence.

53. .
Development of disease clean seed programs accessible
to growers.
If farmer seen the infection in Cavendish group of banana
then contact to NRC banana ,Dr.RPCAU,Pusa and BAU,
Sabour .
Distribution of advertising brochures among visitors to
countries with presence of Foc TR4 help in reduction of
further distribution in those countries in which it is not
present .

54. .
Officials and growers help each other on symptoms
identification, sampling, storage, transport and mailing
samples.
Create brochures by Agricultural
Universities(CAU,SAU)and other Institutes' for extension
officers and growers with disease description and steps
to follow in a case of an incursion.
It is possible that due to infrastructure weakness in these
countries disease could disseminate therefore
infrastructure development essential.

55. Status of Panama wilt in Bihar vis a vis National scenario 5th August, 2017