Bayer launched, on the e-learning platform of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the virtual course Biosafety in the face of R4T, a relevant information tool on the tropical race 4 strain of the Fusarium fungus, which seriously threatens global banana production and the food and nutritional security of millions of families that depend on this crop.
The new training is part of the 13 modules of the BayG.AP initiative, a Bayer program to support producers and actors in the supply chain, which aims to offer training, advice and support in the process of verifying their products.
The Biosafety course in front of R4T is free and is aimed at producers, regardless of size or level of technology, distribution channels, irrigation districts, technical advisors and, in general, anyone related to cultivation of banana. (Available here)
“The objective is to publicize the characteristics of the disease, such as basic aspects of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Race 4 (Foc RT4), the symptoms that appear in plants according to their development, the impact on banana production and the biosecurity measures that must be implemented to stop its transmission and spread to non-infected areas” , explained the Regional Manager of Food Chain Value at Bayer Crop Science, Beatriz Eugenia Arrieta.
The virtual course is made up of five modules. The first contains the antecedents of the disease and its socioeconomic consequences, delving into aspects related to its detection and epidemic, as well as its threat to the banana industry. The second presents the cycle and symptoms of the disease. The third deals with the spread of the pest, which spreads through plant elements, soil and substrates and water. The fourth addresses prevention measures (educational, preventive and containment). And the fifth, which closes the course, addresses disease control in terms of nutritional management of plants, control management through the use of different cultivation systems and management of plant elements.
“After learning about the disease, how easy it is to spread and how long the fungus lasts in the soil, we hope that farmers will become aware and immediately implement the measures described in the course,” added Arrieta.
This training option was also made available to the Global Partnership against Fusarium R4T, formally established in February, whose mission is to support the banana sector and its actors in the fight against this disease through the development of knowledge, technology and mechanisms to find a definitive scientific solution. Its actions cover three fronts: prevention and training, genetic improvement and control methods.
The Partnership brings together 25 institutions and includes representatives from the private sector, the academic community and civil society organizations, state entities and international organizations, including IICA, chosen by the other members to serve as secretariat of the Partnership's Executive Committee.
This Partnership includes, among others, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the National Banana Corporation (CORBANA) of Costa Rica, Bayer, Chiquita Brands International, the Solidariedade Network and Wageningen University (Netherlands), in addition to from IICA. (More information at here)
The tropical race 4 strain (R4T) does not affect human health, but it can destroy the plantations of a crop on which the income of thousands of rural families depends. It is transmitted through soil, and there is currently no treatment to eradicate it. The only solution to stop its spread is to burn entire banana plantations, on whose land it cannot be cultivated immediately, thus losing thousands of hectares of fertile land.
Bananas are cultivated in 135 countries on five continents and, in addition to playing a central role in global food security, they are the livelihood for those who work in their cultivation, transport and marketing. It is estimated that 400 million people depend on this fruit as food or a source of income.
In our region, it is one of the few crops that provides year-round income to rural producers, accounting for the most vulnerable populations a quarter of the calories they ingest daily.
Bananas are the fourth highest-producing food crop in the world, behind wheat, rice and corn, and the fifth most consumed unprocessed crop on the planet.
Currently, the disease is present mainly in tropical and subtropical countries. It has been detected in 19 countries.
Recently, the presence of the fungus was confirmed in northern Peru and Ecuador, a neighboring country, which raised the alarm to prevent its spread.
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