Kari sounds alert on banana viral disease
What you need to know:
- Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) officials said although the disease, Fusarium wilt (Tropical Race 4), had not been noted in the country, farmers need to be vigilant to ensure it does not affect their crop.
Banana farmers have been warned of a disease that is sweeping through the continent.
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) officials said although the disease, Fusarium wilt (Tropical Race 4), had not been noted in the country, farmers need to be vigilant to ensure it does not affect their crop.
Report to Kari
Assistant director for horticulture and industrial crops Lusike Wasilwa told farmers to report any abnormal growth on their plants to them.
“Farmers can take samples to any of the 90 plant clinics in central, eastern and western Kenya. These clinics have experienced agriculture extension workers with extensive training on diseases,” she said.
The warning follows the recent outbreak of what is also known as Panama disease, a fungus strain, which the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says has already been detected in parts of the content, including Mozambique.
Bananas are mainly grown in Kisii, Murang’a, Meru and Taita Taveta.
Once present, FAO says, the disease cannot be controlled by common chemical or cultural management, and alternative remedies are still at the evaluation stage.
The fungal disease can have severe effects: “Bananas are an important source of food, income, employment and government revenues in many tropical countries,” FAO say in its website.
Resistant to pests
Tuesday, Dr Wasilwa said Kari had introduced more than 165 banana genotypes that are resistant to pests.
She said that together with officials from Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, they will increase surveillance along borders to block banana from neighbouring countries.
