Banana xanthomonas wilt continues to spread in Tanzania despite an intensive symptomatic plant removal campaign: an impending socio-economic and ecological disaster
Autor: | Fen D. Beed, Shabani I. Mkulila, Ariena H. C. van Bruggen, Jeffrey B. Jones, Jason K. Blackburn, Randy C. Ploetz, M M Shimwela |
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Rok vydání: | 2016 |
Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Banana Xanthomonas wilt Development 01 natural sciences medicine East africa Socioeconomics Management practices Food security biology Ecology business.industry food and beverages 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Limiting medicine.disease biology.organism_classification Tanzania Agriculture 040103 agronomy & agriculture 0401 agriculture forestry and fisheries Field management business Agronomy and Crop Science 010606 plant biology & botany Food Science |
Zdroj: | Food Security. 8:939-951 |
ISSN: | 1876-4525 1876-4517 |
Popis: | Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW), caused by the recently introduced pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm), is a limiting factor for banana production in Kagera, Tanzania. A region-wide eradication campaign was initiated in 2013. The objectives were to gain insight into the spatial and seasonal occurrences of BXW and into field management practices. In 2015, 135 smallholder farmers were interviewed about BXW and management practices, and their farms were assessed for incidence of the disease. BXW incidence per ward in 2014, obtained from extension offices, and space-time cluster analysis was performed with SaTScan. BXW clusters were detected during rainy but not during dry seasons. These results agreed with the information provided by farmers that the highest incidence of BXW occurred during rainy seasons. Farmers recalled that BXW incidence increased exponentially between 2011 and 2013 but decreased steeply after 2013, coincident with the start of the BXW eradication campaign. However, pathogen transmission continued due to inconsistent sterilization of field tools and exposure of Xcm to rain. Fields of poor farmers are at greatest risk because they borrow tools and are unable to impose some recommended management practices. After the appearance of BXW in individual farms, the number of banana bunches consumed per family per month decreased significantly from 13.1 to 6.4 with a corresponding increase in areas planted to cassava and maize. Based on these findings, we suggest refining the BXW management recommendations, in particular limiting the cutting of BXW-affected plants to dry periods and sterilizing farm tools in fire. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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