Disease-resistant bananas are ideal
Jun 21, 2011
Research on biological control of banana pests and diseases has proved its potential to contribute to improving banana production in East Africa from six tones to 60 tones.
By Clet Wandui Masiga
Research on biological control of banana pests and diseases has proved its potential to contribute to improving banana production in East Africa from six tones to 60 tones.
In the 1970s, banana production in Uganda averaged 17 tones, which has since fallen to six tones due to pests and diseases, leading to food insecurity and poverty among banana farmers.
Breeding bananas that are resistant to pests and diseases is done using conventional and bio-technological tools.
A number of resistant varieties have been developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and its partners using conventional approaches. However, the taste of these new varieties has slowed their acceptance by the local market.
Using bio-technological methods, genetically modified bananas resistant to bacterial wilt, are being developed and tested by National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) and IITA.
Production of farmer-preferred naturalised varieties can be increased by using pest and disease-free planting materials, produced using a bio-technological tool such as tissue culture technology, agronomic practices, pesticides and fungicides.
Some of these practices are expensive and unfriendly to the environment and as such, scientists have turned to research on endophytes and their commercialisation. An endophyte is a fungus that lives within a plant without causing disease, while protecting its host plant from drought, pests, weevils and diseases.
To exploit this potential, scientists in countries, including France, Italy, the US, South Africa and Nigeria are working on different aspects of endophytes. Laboratory, screen house and on-station field trials in Uganda and Kenya indicated that endophytes protected bananas against nematodes and weevils. This led to studies on commercialisation, focusing on how the product will get to the farmers. Commercialisation studies confirmed that tissue culture bananas injected with endophytes are a feasible option.
In follow up studies, endophyte enhanced bananas when evaluated in farmer fields, showed susceptibility to attack by pests and diseases.
Critics have challenged previous results and approaches used in studying commercialisation of endophyte-enhanced bananas. They believe that earlier research findings not only had potential for widespread application, but also lucrative monetary implications for the scientists who discovered and licensed it.
Plant health, phytosanitary and inspection organisations have been criticised for suppressing information on commercialisation of endophytes.
Others have indicated that the unregistered product had been sold to farmers.
Commercialisation of endophytes study proved adoption for high level invention in Uganda. It provided evidence that once the product is ready, farmers will have access to it and use it. This could increase banana production to 86 million tones per year.
The writer is a Geneticist and Farm Entrepreneur
wmasiga@hotmail.com
Associate for Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Breeding, Conservation, Genetics, Production and Statistics
P O Box 23158, Kampala-Uganda
Research on biological control of banana pests and diseases has proved its potential to contribute to improving banana production in East Africa from six tones to 60 tones.
In the 1970s, banana production in Uganda averaged 17 tones, which has since fallen to six tones due to pests and diseases, leading to food insecurity and poverty among banana farmers.
Breeding bananas that are resistant to pests and diseases is done using conventional and bio-technological tools.
A number of resistant varieties have been developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and its partners using conventional approaches. However, the taste of these new varieties has slowed their acceptance by the local market.
Using bio-technological methods, genetically modified bananas resistant to bacterial wilt, are being developed and tested by National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) and IITA.
Production of farmer-preferred naturalised varieties can be increased by using pest and disease-free planting materials, produced using a bio-technological tool such as tissue culture technology, agronomic practices, pesticides and fungicides.
Some of these practices are expensive and unfriendly to the environment and as such, scientists have turned to research on endophytes and their commercialisation. An endophyte is a fungus that lives within a plant without causing disease, while protecting its host plant from drought, pests, weevils and diseases.
To exploit this potential, scientists in countries, including France, Italy, the US, South Africa and Nigeria are working on different aspects of endophytes. Laboratory, screen house and on-station field trials in Uganda and Kenya indicated that endophytes protected bananas against nematodes and weevils. This led to studies on commercialisation, focusing on how the product will get to the farmers. Commercialisation studies confirmed that tissue culture bananas injected with endophytes are a feasible option.
In follow up studies, endophyte enhanced bananas when evaluated in farmer fields, showed susceptibility to attack by pests and diseases.
Critics have challenged previous results and approaches used in studying commercialisation of endophyte-enhanced bananas. They believe that earlier research findings not only had potential for widespread application, but also lucrative monetary implications for the scientists who discovered and licensed it.
Plant health, phytosanitary and inspection organisations have been criticised for suppressing information on commercialisation of endophytes.
Others have indicated that the unregistered product had been sold to farmers.
Commercialisation of endophytes study proved adoption for high level invention in Uganda. It provided evidence that once the product is ready, farmers will have access to it and use it. This could increase banana production to 86 million tones per year.
The writer is a Geneticist and Farm Entrepreneur
wmasiga@hotmail.com
Associate for Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Breeding, Conservation, Genetics, Production and Statistics
P O Box 23158, Kampala-Uganda