Disease on crop
fungalPanama Disease (Banana Wilt) on banana
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense
Soil-borne fungus that colonizes banana root and vascular tissue, causing irreversible wilt. Tropical Race 4 is currently spreading globally and threatens the Cavendish industry. Survives in soil for decades.
- Disease
- Panama Disease (Banana Wilt)
- Pathogen type
- Fungal
- Crop
- Banana
- Scientific name
- Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense
Panama Disease (Banana Wilt) on banana
Detailed guidance for this section is being prepared. Check back soon.
Symptoms on banana
- ▸ progressive yellowing and collapse of older leaves first
- ▸ brown vascular streaking when pseudostem is split
- ▸ plant death typically within months of symptom onset
IPM controls
- ✓ Plant resistant cultivars where TR4 is present (FHIA hybrids, some Goldfinger types)
- ✓ Strict sanitation: never move soil, suckers, or tools between infected and clean fields
- ✓ Quarantine infected plants and the surrounding 3-5 meters; do not replant bananas there
- ✓ No chemical cure exists; resistance is the only durable answer
Other crops affected by panama disease (banana wilt)
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