African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 6 (8), pp. 953-962, 16 April 2007   

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2007 Academic Journals        

Review

Banana Xanthomonas wilt: a review of the disease, management strategies and future research directions

Moses Biruma², Michael Pillay^1,2*, Leena Tripathi², Guy Blomme³, Steffen Abele², Maina Mwangi², Ranajit Bandyopadhyay⁴, Perez Muchunguzi², Sadik Kassim², Moses Nyine² Laban Turyagyenda² and Simon Eden-Green⁵

¹Vaal University of Technology, Private Bag X021, Vanderbijlpark 1900, South Africa.

²International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), P. O. Box 7878, Kampala, Uganda

³International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP) P. O. Box 24384 Kampala, Uganda

⁴International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria

⁵EG Consulting, 470 Lunsford Lane, Larkfield, Kent ME20 6JA, United Kingdom.

*Corresponding author.  E-mail: m.pillay@yahoo.co.uk. 

Former address: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), P. O. Box 7878, Kampala, Uganda

Accepted 1 March, 2007

Banana production in Eastern Africa is threatened by the presence of a new devastating bacterial disease caused by Xanthomonas  vasicola pv. musacearum (formerly Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum). The disease has been identified in Uganda, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania. Disease symptoms include wilting and yellowing of leaves, excretion of a yel-lowish bacterial ooze, premature ripening of the bunch, rotting of fruit and internal yellow discoloration of the vascular bundles. Plants are infected either by insects through the inflorescence or by soil-borne bacterial inoculum through the lower parts of the plant. Short- and long-distance transmission of the disease mainly occurs via contaminated tools and insects, though other organisms such as birds may also be involved. Although no banana cultivar with resistance to the disease has been identified as yet, it appears that certain cultivars have mechanisms to ‘escape’ the disease. Management and control of the disease involve methods that reduce the inoculum’s density and spread of the pathogen. Removal of the male bud (de-budding) has proven to be very effective in preventing the disease incidence since the male bud appears to be the primary infection site. The economic impact of banana Xanthomonas wilt is not fully understood but its impact on food security in the region is very significant. While germplasm screening for the disease is ongoing, efforts to genetically engineer resistance in some banana cultivars are also making good progress. This paper presents a review of the disease and management strategies that have been successful in curtailing its spread.             

Key words:  Banana, Xanthomonas wilt, disease management, future strategies.