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Open Access Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology Research Article 8 min read

Fusarium Wilt Disease of Banana: Current Development of Fusarium Resistant Banana

Poon NK and Teo CH*
* Corresponding author
ISSN: 2576-7771  10.23880/oajmb-16000134  Received: December 25, 2018  Published: January 16, 2019
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Keywords
Banana Fusarium wilt Resistance
Abstract

Fusarium wilt of banana constantly causing considerable losses on banana industry of both local and global markets. Global exportation of banana was greatly affected by this disease since 1950s. After the emergence of a hypervirulent Tropical Race 4 strain of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense, many genetic improvements aiming to create resistant cultivars were attempted, mainly through transgenic approach. This review provides the recent finding of potential resistant genes and various efforts in creating resistant cultivar from year 2008 to year 2018.

Introduction

Banana is a very popular fruit crops. According to FAO, banana is ranked eight on the list of most important food crop globally and it’s the fourth most important crop for the least developed countries. Globally, nearly 85% of the annual banana production was consumed locally and only less than 15% were exported (FAOSTAT, 2015). Exportation of banana is frequently being hampered by the fact that banana is highly susceptible to diseases caused by various pathogens (fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes). Disease is the major biotic constraints facing by banana export trade where it first obvious setback traced back to the loss of Gros Michel to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp cubense race 1 in 1950s [1]. Currently, almost all bananas traded internationally and a considerably part of locally consumed bananas is of Cavendish and other cultivars with no resistance towards F. oxysporum f. sp cubense Tropical Race 4 (_Foc_TR4). Many studies have been conducted to screen potential resistance gene candidates in banana germplasm. Genetic improvement programs are aiming at creating new resistant varieties. The source of resistance gene comes from two directions, the resistance gene analogues from wild relatives of banana which can be identified with a NBS-LRR domain, and other broad-spectrum resistance genes which response after a pathogen invasion.

Impacts of Fusarium Wilt on Banana Industry

In early 1990s, the occurrence of _Foc_TR4 epidemic in Malaysia collapsed a then newly established Cavendish exportation effort which targeted the expanding East Asia and Middle East market in merely 2 years’ time [2]. Since the infection of the _Foc_TR4 is irreversible and untreatable for decades [3], its economy impact is profound where not restricted to the losses related to yields but also the gradual losses of arable lands for banana. _Foc_TR4 is known to infect non-host species such as weeds and these asymptomatic species will act as an reservoir of inoculum which in turn spread to nearby uninfected lands and water sources [4, 5].

Two decades ago, _Foc_TR4 first occurred and was restricted in Asian banana producing countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as Northern Australia. But since late 2013, _Foc_TR4 was reportedly found outside of South East Asia and Pacific Areas for the first time. Incidences caused by _Foc_TR4 were spotted from Middle East [6, 7] and then crept into Africa [8]. In Malaysia, a country-wide survey carried out in year 2008-2009 showed that around 883 hectares of banana plantation lands were infected with Fusarium wilt. This costed the country’s banana industry about USD14.1 million losses per annual. Constraint the disease incured additional cost to producers and causing small holders to cease operation due to insustainability [1]. Also, diseased plants with lower yields and quality significantly reduce the incomes of growers and adversely impact the banana industry on both local and international levels.

Generally, the transgenes transformed into banana plant for Foc resistance were coding for broad-spectrum antimicrobial or antifungal peptide (Table 1). The transgenic bananas generated were all specifically tested for Fusarium wilt resistant trait but they might potentially carrying a broad-range pathogen resistance. Dale et al. (2017) [12] reported a transgenic Cavendish banana carrying RGA2 transgene showing promising Fusarium wilt resistance after a 3 year field trial. In the Cavendish banana, 3 endogenous RGA2 homologues were present in addition of the transgenic cassette. But it was found that the native expression of RGA2_s were 10 folds lower than the _RGA2 transgene driven by a maize polyubiquitin promoter (Ubi-P). The over expression of RGA2 have no detrimental effect on the banana growth and bunch size.

Transgenic Efforts in Fusarium Wilt Resistance

The establishment of resistant banana cultivar is usually performed through transgenic studies since conventional breeding approaches are not applicable to banana because most of the commercial cultivars are sterile and seedless. The resistance gene candidates consist of those have potential to offer broad-spectrum resistance and those provide the banana with specific resistant against Foc. Efforts are also been made on studying the potential of manipulating plant defense pathway such as salycylic acid pathway to heighten the response of banana towards broad range pathogen particularly Foc invasion [9, 10, 11].

aResistancee
TransgeneSourceFunctionBanana cultivarReferences
ssessment stag
Plant ferredoxin-like
protein (pflp)		Capsicum annuumantimicrobial peptidecv. Pei Chiao (AAA)Greenhouse
bioassay		[13]
PR5 or Thaumatin-like
proteins (TLPs)		Oryzae sativaAntifungal activityPisang Nangka
(AAB)		Greenhouse
bioassay		[14]
Petunia floral defensinsPetunia hybridaAntimicrobial peptidecv. Rasthali (AAB)Greenhouse
bioassay		[15]
Synthetic dsRNAmolecules-dsRNA targeting
adenylate cyclase		-In vitro Foc
inhibition assay		[16]
Ace-AMP1Allium cepaeAntimicrobial peptidecv. Rasthali (AAB)Greenhouse
bioassay		[17]
[18]
Endochitinase gene (chit42)Trichoderma
harzianum		Antifungal activitycv. Furenzhi (AA)Greenhouse
bioassay		[19]
Small interfering RNAs
(siRNAs)		-Silence vital fungal genescv. Rasthali (AAB)Greenhouse
bioassay		[20]
(ihpRNA-VEL and ihpRNA-
FTF1
Cell-death genes
(MusaDAD1, MusaBAG1 and
MusaBI1)		Musa acuminatacell-death-related and
highly induced by Foc
infection		cv. Rasthali (AAB)Greenhouse
bioassay		[21]

Table 1: Transgenes used in generate Fusarium wilt resistant transgenic banana.

Figure 1
Click to enlarge
Figure 1
  • Defensin gene (Sm-AMP-D1) Stellaria media
  • Antimicrobial peptide cv. Rasthali (AAB)
  • Greenhouse
  • Ced9
  • Caenorhabditis elegans antiapoptosis cv. Grand Nain
  • Field trial
  • [23]
  • Resistance gene analogues nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat (NB-
  • LRR)-type resistance (R)
  • Musa acuminata ssp. malaccensis cv. Grand Nain
  • Field trial
  • [24] (RGA2) gene

Table 2: Transgenes used in generate Fusarium wilt resistant transgenic banana.

While the other utilized transgene to confer Fusarium wilt resistant to existing cultivars, Chen, et al. (2013) [25] utilized ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) to induce mutations in plantlets of banana, cv. Brazil. The induced micro-cross-sections of pseudostem were regenerated and 5 Fusarium resistant lines were identified from early screening technique followed by a bioassay. However, all resistant lines generated still produce certain amount of regenerants which showing disease symptoms, ranging from 7% to 34% of disease incidences. The major drawbacks of induced mutations are the untraceable random mutation in the genome thus the effects on the plant other than Fusarium-resistant are difficult to be predicted.

Apart from antimicrobial peptide-encoding genes, miRNAs are promising candidates since they potentially regulating the plant response toward biotic stresses. But overexpression of a common miRNA, Musa miRNA156 resulted in transgenic plant with abnormal leaf anatomy and stunted growth [26]. This infered the importance of careful assessments on the potential detrimentral effects of transgenic plants with desired wilt resistance traits before disseminate for cultivation.

Fusarium wilt will continuously causing losses in banana industry unless a resistant cultivar can be generated and mass cultivated successfully in a reliable way. Although most of the transgenic banana improvement projects were carried out up to the greenhouse trials, specifically the screening for Foc resistance. However, a more thorough assessments are needed to assess the possible deleterious effects of transgenes on banana quality and yield, their impacts on banana natural microbiomes or rhizospheres and the environments, and lastly the biosafety of transgenic bananas.

References

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@article{poon2019,
  title   = {Fusarium Wilt Disease of Banana: Current Development of Fusarium Resistant Banana},
  author  = {Poon NK and Teo CH},
  journal = {Open Access Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology},
  year    = {2019},
  volume  = {4},
  number  = {1},
  doi     = {10.23880/oajmb-16000134}
}
Poon NK and Teo CH (2019). Fusarium Wilt Disease of Banana: Current Development of Fusarium Resistant Banana. Open Access Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.23880/oajmb-16000134
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Fusarium Wilt Disease of Banana: Current Development of Fusarium Resistant Banana
AU  - Poon NK and Teo CH
JO  - Open Access Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology
PY  - 2019
VL  - 4
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.23880/oajmb-16000134
ER  -