Presented at the International Conference and Exhibition on Science and Technology (ICEST) held by the Faculty of Science Engineering in Labuhan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, on 26 October 2018.

1. The spread of blood disease of banana in the island
of Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia:
What does it mean to agrobiosecurity and
why does it matter?
I Wayan Mudita1), Andre Drent2), Jenny E.R. Markus3),
Jane Ray4), and Remi L. Natonis5)
1) Corresponding author, Faculty of Agriculture, Nusa Cendana University, Kota Kupang, NTT, Indonesia,
email: iwayanmudita@staf.undana.ac.id
2) University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
3) Faculty of Agriculture, Nusa Cendana University, Kota Kupang, NTT, Indonesia
4) University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
5) East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Agricultural Department, NTT, Indonesia

2. Banana: World Production and Export 2016 (FAO, 2016)
21,019,246
America
28,626,955
61,584,024
408,151
354,241
1,641,926
World total: 113,280,302
Area
Production
(tonnes)
India 29,124,000
China 13,324,337
PR China 13,066,778
Indonesia 7,007,125
Brazil 6,764,324
Ecuador 6,529,676
Philippines 5,829,142
Angola 3,858,066
Guatemala 3,775,150
Tanzania 3,559,639
Area
Export Value
(USD)
Ecuador 2,657,015
Guatemala 1,006,811
Costa Rica 994,638
Belgium 928,655
Colombia 857,165
Philippines 618,830
Netherlands 420,302
USA 416,137
Germany 332,607
Dominica 300,844

3. Blood Disease of Banana:
A serious Threat to Banana Production
• BDB is spreading out of Sulawesi,
destroying banana in its centres of
production in Java, Sumatera,
Kalimantan, Maluku, and Papua
• BDB is a very destructive bacterial
disease of banana, as destructive as
another bacterial disease known as
moko/bugtok
• No effective control measure is yet
available, but preventive measures
through strict implementation of
farm biosecurity
• Banana is an important cash crop
and staple food in many regions of
the world as well as in eastern part
of Indonesia

4. Blood Disease of Banana: What is it?
• A destructive disease of banana
caused by a bacterium known as
Blood Disease Bacterium (BDB)
• Part of Ralstonia solanacearum
species complex that consists of 4
phylotypes
• The new name recently proposed
for BDB is Ralstonia syzygii subsp.
celebesensis subsp. nov.
• Two other species in phylotypes IV
are R. syzygii subsp. syzygii subsp.
nov (clove) and R. syzygii subsp.
indonesiensis subsp. nov. (potato)
• Phylotype I and phylotype III are
renamed R. pseudosolanacearum
sp. nov. (casuarina, ginger,
mulberry, tomato; groundnut,
pelargonium, and potato,
respectively) and pylotype II is
maintained as R. solanacearum
(banana, potato, tomato, tobacco)
Source: Safni et al. (2014)

5. Joint Research Project
• A PBCRC-UQ-UNDANA joint-research
project with the following objectives has
been completed:
 To carry out field surveys in for DNA-
based identification of the pathogen
and morphological identification of
banana cultivars
 To map and assess means of spread of
the disease within an island and from
one island to another
 To engage relevant stakeholders for
establishing means of communication
and sharing of data and information as
the basis for decision making process
for the local governments and farmers
in taking the necessary biosecurity
measures

6. Blood Disease of Banana Survey
• First reported around 2013 in South West Sumba
district in Sumba island
• Undana was asked by the thr district government
to identify the disease and provide control
recommendation
• Undana tentatively identified the disease as BDB
based on symptoms and signs of the disease and
morphological and biochemical characteristics of
the pathogen
• The district governments carried out an
eradication programme, but the programme was
not effective because banana was planted small-
scale, scattered in isolated places over a very large
areas
• The disease continue to destroy banana in the
district and is very likely spreading eastward to
West Sumba, Central Sumba, and East Sumba
districts
• Sumba was once an important source of banana
for Bali after the same disease and fusarium wilt,
another destructive disease of banana, destroyed
banana in Java and Lombok

7. Identification of the pathogen and
banana cultivars
• Field surveys were planned for Sumba, Flores,
and West Timor to collect sample for the
identification of the pathogen and banana
cultivars
• The samples collected during the surveys were
subjected to the molecular diagnostic assays
involving amplification of DNA from the blood
disease bacterium by two specific sets of
primers (121, BDB2400) (Das 2004; Kubota et
al. 2011). The resultant amplicon was
visualised using gel electrophoresis and the
size compared to a standard to confirm
presence
• Identification of banana cultivar was carried
out both on affected and not affected banana
using descriptors consisting of 15
morphological characters necessary to
determine the genome group and cultivar of
banana accessions

8. BDB in Sumba:
How symptoms start and develop

9. BDB in Sumba: Pisang Kepok

10. BDB in Sumba: Other banana cultivars

11. Most affected banana cultivars
• Banana cultivars most affected by BBD are Musa AAA ‘Pisang
Ambon’ (Ambon Putih and Ambon Lumut), Musa AAB ‘Pisang Raja’
(Raja Bulu, Raja Uli, Raja Sereh), and Musa ABB ‘Pisang Kepok’
(Kepok Amerika, Kepok Lokal, Kepok Putih, Kepok Rote)

12. Geographic distribution of BDB in Sumba Island
BDB not found
What brought BDB to Sumba island?
Why no BDB was found in Flores Island?
If nectar-feeding bats, birds,
and insects were responsible,
BDB should have also found
in Flores Island
Something else must
have brought BDB to
Sumba island
Most likely
planting
material
manejebem.com.brFlickr
Pixdaus
Bird Ecology
Study Group

13. Implication to Agrobiosecurity:
What is agrobiosecurity anyway?
• Agrobiosecurity is biosecurity within the sector of agriculture in general
• There are several definitions of biosecurity, but essentially it deals with an
approach used to frame a set of policies and actions to secure life,
livelihoods, the environment and economy from hazardous pests (animal
pests, pathogens, and weeds, including invasive species) taken along the
continuum of pre-border, border, and post-border
• Border can delineates a state, a province, a district, a farming area, an
individual farm, etc.
• In case of BDB in ENT, agrobiosecurity is an approach to frame a set of
policies and actions taken to protect banana life, banana-based livelihoods,
banana environment, and banana industry from BDB taken along the
continuum of pre-border, border, and post-border of a quarantine area, an
island, a banana farming area, or an individual banana farm

14. Implications to Agrobiosecurity:
Why does agrobiosecurity matter?
• Agriculture is an important industry in ENT on which the life and
livelihoods of local people and the economy of the province
depends on
• Banana is not a national strategic crop like rice, maize, soybean,
shallot, and chilies, but indeed an important source of cash income
and an alternative staple food in the drylands of ENT
• Banana pseudo-stem is an important source of water for cattle and
other domestic animals during the dry season
• Banana bells (male flowers) and leaves are sold in the local markets
as an important additional source of cash income for those living
nearby towns and cities
• Without an appropriate biosecurity policy and action, BDB can
cause severe crop loss (up to 80%)

15. BDB: A serious threat to banana industry
-10,000.00
10,000.00
30,000.00
50,000.00
70,000.00
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Production(Tonnes) Sumba Barat Alor
Belu Ende
Flores Timur Kota Kupang
Kupang Lembata
Malaka Manggarai
Manggarai Barat Manggarai Timur
Nagekeo Ngada
Rote Ndao Sabu Raijua
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Production(Tonnes)
Aceh Sumatera Utara
Sumatera Barat Riau
Jambi Sumatera Selatan
Bengkulu Lampung
Bangka-Belitung Kepulauan Riau
DKI Jakarta Jawa Barat
Jawa Tengah DI Yogyakarta
Jawa Timur Banten
Bali Nusa Tenggara Barat
Nusa Tenggara Timur Kalimantan Barat
4,000,000
4,500,000
5,000,000
5,500,000
6,000,000
6,500,000
7,000,000
7,500,000
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Production(Tonnes)
• Banana production increased, except 2009-2010
and 2015-2016
• Banana production in ENT decreased, mainly due
to the decrease of production in East Manggarai
(unknown cause)
• No data is available on how banana blood
disease and other diseases and pests impacts
banana production

16. Implication to Agrobiosecurity:
What should we do to secure our banana industry against BDB?
Awareness raising by promoting data, information, and knowledge
sharing across sectors involving all stakeholders
Pre-Border Border Post-Border
Strengthen collaboration to
reduce the likelihood of
BDB to spread further
Increase risk based
inspection on good arriving
from Sumba island and
other infested island
Carry out targeted
surveillance to detect BDB
in BDB-free islands and
areas
Ensure that no transport of
banana planting material
from Sumba and other
infested island
Develop and validate new
BDB detection and
identification methods
Develop contingency plans
and better governance in
responding to BDB spread
to new areas
Facilitate data, information,
and knowledge sharing on
BDB pathways and threats
Enhance collaboration with
border force and trade to
gain intelligence on BDB
pathways and threats
Engage stakeholders to
build resilience and to
manage BDB using on-farm
biosecurity measures

17. Community Engagement
• To communicate the serious threat posed by BDB to agrobiosecurity and banana
biosecurity in particular, a community engagement workshop was carried out in
Kupang in November 2017
• The community engagement workshop was aimed at communicating data,
information, and knowledge so var available on BDB and its biosecurity measures
• Stakeholders attending the workshop consisted of representatives of provincial
and district governments, NGOs, academic institutions, farmers, and banana
business and they agreed to keep in contact to discus the necessary follow up
actions

18. Selected References
Drenth, A.; Mudita, I W.; Ray, J.; & Subandiyah, S. (2019). Blood disease of banana: diagnostics and
distribution. Final Report. Canbera: Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre.
Das, S.H.J. (2004) Molecular diagnostics of the Blood Disease Bacterium. The University of Queensland
Brisbane, Australia
DEFRA (2014) Protecting Plant Health: A Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain April 2014.
Available from
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data
/file/307355/pb14168-plant-health-strategy.pdf
Ray, J.; Rincon-Florez, V.; Mudita, I W.; Markus, J.E.R.; Subandiyah, S.; O'Dwyer, C.; Drenth, A. 2018.
Dispersal of banana blood disease in Southeast Asia. Presented at International Congress of
Plant Pathology (ICPP) 2018: Plant Health in A Global Economy held in Boston, USA, 29 July-3
August 2018. Available from:
https://apsnet.confex.com/apsnet/ICPP2018/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/9932
Safni, I., Cleenwerck, I., De Vos, P., Fegan, M., Sly, L., & Kappler, U. (2014). Polyphasic taxonomic
revision of the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex: proposal to emend the descriptions of
Ralstonia solanacearum and Ralstonia syzygii and reclassify current R. syzygii strains as
Ralstonia syzygii subsp. syzygii subsp. nov., R. solanacearum phylotype IV strains as Ralstonia
syzygii subsp. indonesiensis subsp. nov., banana blood disease bacterium strains as Ralstonia
syzygii subsp. celebesensis subsp. nov. and R. solanacearum phylotype I and III strains as
Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum sp. nov. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary
Microbiology, 64(9), 3087–3103. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs. 0.066712-0

19. Thank you
Presented at the International Conference and Exhibition on Science and Technology (ICEST) held by the Faculty
of Science Engineering in Labuhan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, on 26-27 October 2018.
For further information, please contact the corresponding author