Management strategies for banana Xanthomonas wilt in Rwanda include mixing indigenous and improved cultivars

Abstract

Xanthomonas wilt is a major constraint to banana production in the East and Central Africa. The disease can cause up to 100% yield losses if proper management strategies are not well implemented. Understanding of disease status, driving factors and farmers' knowledge provide insights towards a sustainable management approach. A total of 120 and 150 banana farms from eight and ten districts of Rwanda were surveyed for disease occurrence in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The owners of the farms were interviewed about disease knowledge, management practices, and source of information in these aspects. The results show that Xanthomonas wilt was present in all surveyed districts with high incidence (above 45% in both 2015 and 2016) in major banana growing areas, highlighting the risk of increasing yield losses. High Xanthomonas wilt incidence and severity was associated with Impara and Eastern plateau agro-ecological zones, intercropping systems, brewing bananas, dense spacing, and homogenous cultivars. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the gravity of Xanthomonas wilt in major banana growing areas of Rwanda. This agrees with the finding that proper implementation of management practices by the farmers remains limited. Disease management difficulties could be attributed to inaccessibility to the right information since some information sources may be unreliable. We also report for the first time that fields with a mixture of indigenous and improved cultivars are likely to have low Xanthomonas wilt disease severity (p < 0.005), and this could be considered in banana Xanthomonas wilt management package. Our findings are essential to understand the urgency of improving extension services with updated practices and reinforcing disease monitoring efforts in order to stop new infections and further spread of the Xanthomonas wilt disease, a threat to sustainable banana production in Rwanda.

Has Continued Exposure to Banana Xanthomonas Wilt Worsened Farmers’ Welfare Over Time? Evidence From Banana-Producing Households in Uganda

“…Survey data indicate that the larger families expanded into maize production and adopted the control practices, both of which are labour-intensive ventures, indicating that these households possibly utilize readily available family labour. On the other hand, households that allocated more land to the production of beans also adopted the control practices because beans and bananas are complementary crops and they are usually grown together (Uwamahoro et al, 2019). Households in the central region consume more bananas per capita compared to those in other regions.…”

“…income source for millions of farmers (Jogo, Karamura, Tinzaara, Kubiriba, & Rietveld, 2013;Karamura et al, 2010;. Furthermore, it has great environmental value in most farming systems as it reduces soil erosion on steep slopes, conserves soil fertility and provides cover to other crops such as beans, groundnuts and coffee with which it is often intercropped (Geberewold, 2019;Uwamahoro, Berlin, Bylund, Bucagu, & Yuen, 2019).…”

More than what meets the eye : factors and processes that shape the design and use of digital agricultural advisory and decision support in Africa

“…BXW threatens farmer livelihoods and food security in the African Great Lakes region and is a longstanding, endemic agricultural problem for which eradication attempts have been unsuccessful (Shimwela et al, 2016). Farmers rely on cultural practices for disease control, yet proper implementation of management practices by farmers remains limited (Blomme et al, 2019) which is attributable to inaccessibility of the right and reliable information (Uwamahoro, Berlin, Bylund, Bucagu, & Yuen, 2019). The disease can be perceived as a complex agricultural problem and a public bad, because of its persistence, the absence of a cure, and its complex…”

Social capital, collective action, and livelihood resilience : A multidimensional approach

“…It has an impact on livelihoods making farmers reluctant to comply with good BXW management practices, which is further exaggerated by perceptions of the (in)effectiveness of disease management. Some farmers hide the disease, by cutting down symptomatic stems or leaves, to avoid enforced uprooting (McCampbell et al, 2018;Uwamahoro, et al, 2019). An alternative for CMU exists in the practice of Single Diseased Stem Removal (SDSR).…”

“…Additionally, the government needs to provide effective support mechanisms, e.g. advisory services, monitoring (Uwamahoro et al, 2019). Prevention of the spread of the disease can only be achieved (efficiently) if all the involved stakeholders work in a coordinated manner.…”