bacterial wilt may be no more
Aug 11, 2005
SCIENTISTS at Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) have made a break-through in the control of bacterial wilt that is threatening to drive bananas into extinction.
By Gerald Tenywa
SCIENTISTS at Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) have made a break-through in the control of bacterial wilt that is threatening to drive bananas into extinction.
While experts at the biological technology centre searched for the cultivatable variety that could resist the bacterial attacks, an effective control has been elusive.
Dr. Aritua Valentine, a biologist at the National Agricultural biotechnology Centre, said recent research findings have paved way to a conclusive way of dealing with the disease.
“One wild variety was found resistant and is now used as a source of resistance in the breeding programme at Kawanda,’’ he said.
Aritua said this on Wednesday at a workshop convened at Grand Imperial Hotel, Kampala.
Genetic engineering is the manipulation of genes to produce plants or animals that are either resistant to disease or have higher yields or higher nutritional values.
Dr. Matthias Magunda of the National agricultural Research organisation (NARO) warned that this was a long-term measure that could be available to farmers after over five years. Magunda said the bacterial wilt, which was first reported in Mukono district about five years ago, had spread to 40 districts.
Arutia said the potential national loss, if the disease is not controlled, is 90% of the banana output amounting to $360m a year.
Bananas contribute 25% of the country’s GDP and 45% of the income in the western region, the National Bureau of Statistics indicate.
SCIENTISTS at Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) have made a break-through in the control of bacterial wilt that is threatening to drive bananas into extinction.
While experts at the biological technology centre searched for the cultivatable variety that could resist the bacterial attacks, an effective control has been elusive.
Dr. Aritua Valentine, a biologist at the National Agricultural biotechnology Centre, said recent research findings have paved way to a conclusive way of dealing with the disease.
“One wild variety was found resistant and is now used as a source of resistance in the breeding programme at Kawanda,’’ he said.
Aritua said this on Wednesday at a workshop convened at Grand Imperial Hotel, Kampala.
Genetic engineering is the manipulation of genes to produce plants or animals that are either resistant to disease or have higher yields or higher nutritional values.
Dr. Matthias Magunda of the National agricultural Research organisation (NARO) warned that this was a long-term measure that could be available to farmers after over five years. Magunda said the bacterial wilt, which was first reported in Mukono district about five years ago, had spread to 40 districts.
Arutia said the potential national loss, if the disease is not controlled, is 90% of the banana output amounting to $360m a year.
Bananas contribute 25% of the country’s GDP and 45% of the income in the western region, the National Bureau of Statistics indicate.