Purpose of international joint research

Disease control measures are adoped by local governments for dissemination in banana/plantain cultivation areas in the Selva and used by farmers.

International joint research topics

Activity1.Diagnostic and alert systems for banana/plantain wilt disease pathogens are established and put in practical use by combination of image analysis and PCR/LAMP.

1-1Establish the field level wilt disease diagnostic methods suitable for the target area.
1-2Set up a molecular diagnostic clinic (tentative title) with equipment, such as centrifuge, PCR machine, and LAMP detector.
1-3Establish molecular identification (detection) techniques for wilt disease fungus and its race using PCR and/or LAMP.
1-4Make manuals for diagnostic and alert system.

Activity2.Tolerant banana and plantain accessions and resistant banana/plantain lines by mutagenesis are selected.

2-1Prepare cultures of 52 INIA accessions of banana/plantain and inoculate them with the wilt fungus and select wilt tolerant accessions.
2-2INIA accessions and varieties used for mutagenesis are selected.
2-3Set up mutagenesis conditions.
2-4Perform mutagenesis and obtain mutant lines.
2-5Inoculate the obtained mutant lines with wilt fungus to select resistant lines.
2-6Further test to confirm the genetic stability of the wilt resistance of the lines obtained in 2-5.
2-7Confirm that the lines selected in 2-6 have other useful agronomic traits.
2-8Verify the wilt tolerance/resistance of the selected lines in demonstration fields.
2-9Publicize the catalog of the wilt tolerant accessions and resistant lines.

Activity3.Systems to produce and distribute pathogen free seedlings are constructed.

3-1Maintain mother plants at INIA.
3-2Propagate pathogen-free plantlets by mericloning at INIA.
3-3Establish a pathogen-free production base for seedlings in UNAS.
3-4Distribute pathogen-free seedlings to farmers.
3-5Train technical staff of local governments and/or organizations by UNAS.
3-6Educate the importance of using pathogen-free seedlings to farmers by technical staff in cooperation with SENASA.

Activity4.Effective microbial ecosystem (microbiota) that constitutes disease suppressive soils is elucidated.

4-1Search for disease suppressive soils and confirm thier transplantability of suppressiveness.
4-2Investigate physical/chemical/biological properties of the soil in the field where disease suppression is observed.
4-3Investigate the microbiota of the soil in the fields where disease suppression was observed, and elucidate the microbial ecosystem involved in disease suppression by metagenomics.
4-4Isolate microbes involved in disease suppressiveness.
4-5Analyze the effects of adding fertilizer, compost, microorganisms, and other factors to the soil on the microbial ecosystem related to disease suppression.

Activity5.Low environmental load biopesticides or biological control materials utilizing microorganisms or microbial ecosystems,etc. are developed.

5-1Develop biopesticides and biostimulants composed ofnon-pathogenic Fusarium and other microbes.
5-2Based on the results of 5-1, register the microbes as biopesticides (under the jurisdiction of SENASA) or make them available for use in the field as biostimulants.
5-3Develop biopesticides or biostimulants that contain the microbial ecosystem (microbiota) involved in disease suppression as clarified in 4-3.
5-4Register the biopesticides developed in 5-3 (under the jurisdiction of SENASA) or make them available for use in the field as biostimulants.
5-5Search for low environmental impact pest control technologies that are effective in controlling wilt disease, such as plant activators and establish technologies to use them.
5-6Register the plant activators developed in 5-5 as pesticides (under the jurisdiction of SENASA) or make them available for use in the field as biostimulants.
5-7Propose methods of banana wilt disease control by integrating 5-2, 5-4, 5-6, etc.
5-8UNALM and UNAS train local government/organization technical staff in charge of banana wilt control and provide instruction to farmers.