Why Sustainable Management of Xanthomonas Wilt of Banana in East and Central Africa Has Been Elusive

Abstract

Banana is an important food and cash crop and constitutes a large proportion of the total crop production in East and Central African (ECA) countries. Banana production has been threatened by Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) disease caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum. Besides being a threat to food security in the region, the disease has severe economic implications, which emanate from yield losses and management costs. Without proper management, yields in affected areas are reduced to zero. Management approaches of the disease include use of cultural practices and awareness creation among the stakeholders along the banana value chain. These efforts to control the disease produced partial results, and the disease has continued to encroach into previously disease-free areas and to resurge in areas where it had been controlled. One of the major challenges to sustainable management of the disease has been poor understanding by stakeholders of the factors influencing disease spread and severity. Awareness creation among stakeholders has not been sustained due to limited technical, financial and infrastructural capacity. Incorrect application of cultural practices and lack of appropriate methods for field disinfection of tools coupled with weak institutional frameworks for enforcing byelaws and quarantine measures are key drivers to the continued presence of the disease in ECA. It should however be emphasized that no single management option is adequate to sustainably manage the disease. In this paper, we review mechanisms of disease transmission and drivers of the continued disease presence, and suggest approaches for sustainable management of BXW.

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

“…1). The predominance of Xanthomonas wilt incidence and severity in the brewing banana type have also been previously demonstrated (Tripathi et al 2009); this is mainly due to high sugar content in the flower nectar, which attracts a diversity of insects (Tinzaara et al 2011). This study showed a significant association of Xanthomonas wilt severity with the type of banana cultivars (p = 0.005), where the severity was three and seven times lower in farms with a mixture of both indigenous and improved cultivars compared with farms with either improved or indigenous cultivars alone, respectively ( Table 1).…”

“…A similar pattern was observed in the Kagera region of Tanzania (Shimwela et al 2016). The continued spread of banana Xanthomonas wilt in East and Central Africa can be attributed to inappropriate application of management practices, lack of appropriate methods for farm tools disinfection, and failure in applying regulations and quarantine measures (Tinzaara et al 2011). It was also noted that many farmers abandoned control measures because they were stunned by the devastation of the disease (Tushemereirwe et al 2008).…”

“…It was also noted that many farmers abandoned control measures because they were stunned by the devastation of the disease (Tushemereirwe et al 2008). Similarly, some farmers expect immediate results from disease control practices; if that is not the case, they drop the implementation of control measures (Tinzaara et al 2011).…”

“…The bacterium, Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum, is highly transmissible and spreads rapidly through infected plant material, cutting tools, long-distance trade, and vectors such as insects, birds, and bats (Tinzaara et al 2011) (Fig. 1).…”

Distribution, incidence and farmers knowledge of banana Xanthomonas wilt in Burundi

“…This suggests the need for mobilization and sensitization at community level. The approach of engaging the community to own the problem contributed to the success in BXW management in Uganda (Kubiriba et al, 2012;Tinzaara et al 2013;Ochola et al, 2015). This would include engaging locals in the bid for zero tolerance of Xanthomonas wilt by eliminating any sources of inoculum through effective implementation of control measures backed-up by community by-laws that most efficiently brings to book errant farmers who hesitate to manage the disease.…”