Global Alliance to Control Escalating Threat of Banana Bunchy Top Disease in Africa Lava Kumar Kumar, R Hanna Hanna, P Lepoint and C Staver IITA and Bioversity (CGIAR) Joyce Mulilla Mitti and Winfred Hammond FAO Jean-Baptiste Bahama and Diana Oyena Akollo African Union Council Earnest Asiedu CORAF/ECOWAS Alliance members
Banana and Plantain in Africa •O Over 50% off th the Musa M area is i in i Africa, Af i but b t its it productivity is lowest compared to world average. • Musa spp. (banana and plantain) are the fourth most important crop after cassava, maize and yam. • Mainly grown by smallholder farmers under subsistence conditions • Over 100 million directly derive income and food from banana 140
10.2
8 5.9 6 4
120
120
100
100
80
80
60
36.7
40
2 0
Million t
Million h ha
10
140
125.1
t/ha
12
40
0
0
World
67.5
60
20
20
Africa
125.9
World
Africa
World
Africa Source: FAO2010
Banana and Plantain in Africa
•Contributes to livelihoods, the local economy and income security. About 35% of dietary calories to people in Central and Eastern Africa. •About
Source: FAO2010
Banana and Plantain in Africa Mainly cultivated by smallholders under subsistence conditions
Bunchy top disease threat to banana
•Known K to t occur in i the th African Af i continent ti t since i 1901 •Reports of first epidemics in 1990s from Southern Africa
Banana bunchy top Th mostt destructive The d t ti virus i disease di off Banana B and d Pl Plantain t i
©Lava
©Lava
Banana aphid
• Caused by Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) • Infects members of Musaceae (banana, plantain and wild relatives) and Ensete • Transmitted by the banana aphid, Pentalonia nigronervosa Virus genome
Banana bunchy top The most destructive virus disease of Banana and Plantain
A. Clumping (bunching)
B. Morse code chlorosis
C. Chlorotic streaks
Characteristic symptoms: •Clumping at the top (A) •Morse code (dash-dot) chlorosis on leaf lamina (B) •Chlorotic streaks on petioles and pseudostem (C)
Banana bunchy top The most destructive virus disease of Banana and Plantain
Aphids
Healthy Infected Infected BBTV infected plants are severely stunted, unproductive and eventually die.
Banana mats destroyed destro ed b by BBTV
Banana bunchy top Invasive transboundary disease
•BBTD is regarded as one of the most difficult diseases to control and eradicate. •BBTV is amongst the list of top 100 of invasive species, considered as serious threat to biodiversity.
Banana bunchy y top p How it spreads? Natural transmission of BBTV is through: •Banana aphid •Planting material (suckers, corms and uncertified tissue culture plants)
Banana bunchy top How it spreads?
Infected Musa field Infected planting materials Infected planting material suckers / tissue culture
Healthy Musa field Within and between field spread by vectors
Vectors
BBTV: worldwide distribution Reported from 35 countries
A = Asian group SP = South Pacific group ©Lava
Continent
BBTV type
Countries
Asia
A‐group
Taiwan China Japan Philippines Indonesia Vietnam Thailand Taiwan, China, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand
Australia
SP‐group
Australia
Asia
SP‐group
India, Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh
Africa
SP‐group
Angola, Burundi, Benin, Cameroon, CAR, Congo, DRC, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia,
South Pacific
SP‐group
Hawaii and South Pacific islands (Fiji, Tonga, etc)
BBTV Distribution in Africa (1982)
Reproduced from “Foure and Manser ((1982)) Fruits Vol 37, 410.
• Earliest reports are from Kisangani of DRC and Gabon ((1960s)) • Known in Congo since 1958 (Vanderweyen 1962). • In Gabon, disease was suspected to have been introduced from Taiwan (Prossard, 1980).
BBTV Distribution in Africa (Present)
Reported from 14 countries
Source: L Kumar
BBTD spread in the continent Long distance spread through exchange of planting materials Local spread by aphids and planting materials
Zone 1 Likely introduction from outside the continent
Likely introduction from within Africa
Zone 3
Likely introduction from outside the Zone 2 continent
Source: L Kumar
BBTV in Africa: Disease Control • No durable host resistance available • Di Diseases surveys and d di disease managementt th through h diagnosis and clean planting material is on-going, but in small scale and insufficient. • Disease control options are fragmented and lacks continuity • Disease spread is unabated and it is spreading into new regions. • Unified continent continent-wide wide strategy is necessary to manage this important disease.
Partnership to tackle emerging diseases of banana in Africa Workshop conveyed to share results and develop action plan Meeting the Challenges of Emerging Disease Threats to Banana and Strategies for Raising Awareness, Surveillance and Management of these Diseases in sub-Saharan Africa
24 – 28 August g 2009,, Arusha,, Tanzania
Participants from 19 countries
Workshop conveyed to share results and develop action plan Workshop led to development of key recommendations and joint action plan
Alliance to Tackle Emerging Disease Threats to Banana in Africa • Reviewed the status of BBTD and banana bacterial wilt (BXW), risk of further spread and national capacity for response. • Brought together experiences from global partners on BBTD, BXW and banana aphid control to the planning and development of the SSA strategy. strateg • Developed country/regional strategies to control BBTD, BXW and banana aphid hid iin endemic d i areas, and d restrict t i t spread d iinto t unaffected ff t d zones. • Plants to strengthen regional capacity for quarantine, research and extension with respect to surveillance and management tools and approaches on BBTD and BXW in SSA.
Further Impetus from CGIAR (CRP-RTB) to form Global Alliance to fight BBTD in Africa Building a collaborative, public private R4D alliance to address BBTV in Africa
Workshop p held from 2 to 4 Feb 2013 in Arusha Reviewed the state of knowledge, lessons learned and new developments relating to BBTD/BBTV in Africa and other parts of the world (building from the 2009 Arusha framework for BBTV in Africa) Identified gaps and actions in three areas based on different country and local contexts in terms of BBTV presence and severity, cultivar and production system and implementation infrastructure: 1. Surveillance, quarantine and awareness raising; 2. Crop improvement through breeding and transgenics, rapid and lowlow cost diagnostics and tap other potential technologies 3. Farm and community recovery strategies based on clean planting materials and disease disease-,, vector vector- and host host-management management approaches. 4. Develop short, medium and long-term action plan
BBTD Control in Africa Two Pronged Approach Curative 1. Reduce sources of inoculump refuges g Eliminate crop 2. Reduce spread Vector control (biocontrol) 3. Reduce impact Replace infected mats
Preventive Exclusion & Prevention Control of material movement Awareness campaigns Increased vigilance Routine surveillance Field isolations Supply of clean planting material
Enhance resistance to BBTV and vector in Musa germplasm through new crop improvement programs
The Alliance aims to conduct and coordinate R4D efforts to • Study disease epidemiology and ecology for a better understanding of factors driving the field spread and develop appropriate management packages to delay spread and manage the disease in endemic areas. • Develop and distribute sensitive diagnostic tools, and develop capacity for disease recognition and knowledge of control options. • Augment host resistance to the virus and explore biocontrol options to manage aphid vector. • Establish location-specific location specific clean banana production and distribution systems, and train farmers and entrepreneurs in producing clean planting material • Train African scientists to continue contin e surveillance s r eillance on the e extent tent of disease incidence to update spatial distribution map of BBTV spread in SSA • Put in efforts to mobilize the resources necessary for a sustained and longterm effort to achieve this mission
Conclusions • BBTV is widespread in Central and Southern Africa. • Widespread occurrence since 1994. Disease is well established in central Africa Africa. • Still in invasive phase in Western and Southern Africa, threatening to spread to East Africa. Severe incidence and spread seems to be due to • Increase in cultivation of most susceptible varieties, such as Cavendish (cause for recent epidemics) • Human movement of planting of infected suckers (within and between region spread) • Aphids vector contributing to the secondary spread (localized). •Infected plants are the potential sources for new spread. •Risk of spread is high in the routes of traditional exchange of planting material.
•Important I t t to t protect t t the th planting l ti material t i l source sites. it
Conclusions • Invasive diseases like BBTD, has no boundaries and most difficult to control. • Collective action is required to stop the spread of transboundry diseases. diseases • Alliance approach are proving to be effective, enhance linkages and collaborations, contribute to capacity development, and shown to pay rich dividends (eg. Global Wheat Rust Initiative) • Please join and support our Alliance against BBTD in Africa Contact e-mail: L.kumar@cgiar.org and Joyce.MulilaMitti@fao.org
Acknowledgments • Joyce Mulila-Mitti, Mulila Mitti FAO-RAF FAO RAF • Johanna Gardesten, IPPC Secretariat, Rome • Alliance team • CGIAR Research R hP Program on R Roots, t T Tubers b and dB Banana
Contact e-mail: L.kumar@cgiar.org and Joyce.MulilaMitti@fao.org
Thank you