Banana varieties sent by Embrapa arrive in Costa Rica

Action is part of the joint project to improve Cavendish bananas for resistance to Tropical race 4 of the fungus, responsible for Fusarium wilt disease, the most destructive disease of the crop and still without definitive control

19.11.2021 | 14:15 (UTC -3)
Embrapa
Embrapa's improved diploids were sent in vitro. - Photo: Jorge A. Sandoval
Embrapa's improved diploids were sent in vitro. - Photo: Jorge A. Sandoval

On Wednesday (17/11), the day on which the Corporación Nacional Bananera (Corbana), the official banana regulatory entity in Costa Rica, turned 50 years old, the improved banana diploids – ancestral relatives of the current varieties – sent by Embrapa Cassava and Fruticultura (Cruz das Almas, BA) arrived at the institution.

The action is part of the joint Cavendish banana breeding project for resistance to race 4 Tropical of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (FOC R4T), responsible for the Fusarium wilt disease, the most destructive disease of the crop and still without definitive control. The project is financed with resources from Corbana and lasts five years in its first phase. “Our diploids will be used in breeding schemes in Costa Rica, aiming to obtain seeds with a Cavendish genetic base, which, after in vitro cultivation of the embryos, will give rise to plants/progenies, which will be evaluated for their agronomic and market potential, in addition to the challenge in the presence of R4T”, says researcher Edson Perito Amorim, project coordinator at Embrapa.

The execution of the project in Brazil has already begun with the installation of crossing blocks in the experimental fields of Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura. “We expect the first results at the end of 2022, after harvesting the first pollinated bunches. The same work will be carried out in Costa Rica, hence the need to send our diploids. By happy coincidence, the plants arrived precisely on Corbana’s 50th birthday”, he highlights.

According to Amorim, in addition to the diploids, the Maçã BRS Princesa type banana, resistant to race 1 of Fusarium, landed in Costa Rica, seeking commercial validation for export. It is worth noting that Costa Rica is one of the largest banana exporters in Central America. Bananas are the country's number one agricultural export product, despite less than 1% of the national territory being dedicated to the production of the fruit. “This is the second coordinated action focused on the internationalization of the Maçã Princesa banana. The first was with IITA [International Institute of Tropical Agriculture] in 2017, for local use in Africa”, explains Amorim.

international partnerships

A set of improved diploids developed by Embrapa is in Australia for resistance testing to R4T, under the coordination of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAAF), with which the institution has a partnership. Another set of diploids will be sent later this year, going through the same testing process.

Similar action will soon take place in Colombia. Other genotypes are awaiting authorization from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply to travel to that country with the purpose of testing them against R4T.

The objective of these tests is to guide Embrapa in the use of resistant diploids in its crosses, in order to allow the development of resistant commercial cultivars, especially the Prata type, the most planted in Brazil.

Fusarium wilt

The fungus can enter through different routes: contaminated soil carried on shoes, tools, banana seedlings (visibly healthy, but infected) and ornamental plants, which can also be hosts.

The research already carried out by Embrapa in relation to existing breeds in Brazil, whether in the area of ​​genetic improvement or disease management, is a benchmark for combating a possible outbreak of TR4 in the country. Today, Embrapa is already monitoring populations of the pathogen existing in Brazilian territory, which will assist in the selection and recommendation of varieties and even in the timely detection of a TR4 outbreak.

The disease already occurs in Australia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Oman, Jordan, Mozambique, Colombia and Peru, where the focus was identified in 2020. The presence of the plague in two neighboring countries with strong friendship and commercial ties with Brazil leaves the country in a permanent state of attention and dedication to research.

Cultivar Newsletter

Receive the latest agriculture news by email