Thangavelu R, Loganathan M, Backiyarani S, Saraswathi M S, Uma S, Edwinraj E, Durai P, Nithya B, Roux Nicolas, Selvarajan R
ICAR- National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli, 620102, TN, India.
ICAR-National Research Institute for Integrated Pest Management, New Delhi, 110068, India.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 11;15(1):25060. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-10843-z.
Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), is one of the most destructive diseases affecting global banana production. Foc Race 1 (Foc R1) and Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4) are particularly destructive and lethal, impacting both Cavendish and local commercial cultivars. Deploying resistant varieties is crucial for managing this disease in commercial cultivation. This study evaluated 99 exotic banana accessions from the International Transit Centre (ITC), Belgium, representing diverse genomic groups to identify resistant sources within the banana gene pool. The accessions were assessed against both Foc R1 and Foc TR4 under glasshouse and hotspot field conditions. Disease severity was assessed using rhizome discoloration at harvest. The results of the study indicated significant variation across genome groups, test conditions, and Foc races (P < 0.001). Out of 99 accessions, 63 exhibited either an increase or decrease in resistance level in accessions between the test conditions, while 36 remained stable. Similarly, 68 accessions showed shifts between the tested races, while 31 remained stable. In the field evaluation of Foc R1, 19 accessions were immune, 13 highly resistant, and 17 were resistant, whereas in the glasshouse, only one accession was immune, nine were highly resistant, and 46 were resistant, indicating a greater resistance response under controlled conditions. For Foc TR4, 18 accessions were immune, nine highly resistant, and 19 were resistant in the field, whereas in the glasshouse, one was immune, 30 were highly resistant, and 50 were resistant, demonstrating a notable shift in resistance levels between environments. Some of these banana accessions show potential for direct commercial deployment in Fusarium wilt hot spot areas and/or could be used to identify resistant genes to further improve commercial cultivars through genetic engineering or gene editing techniques.
枯萎病由土壤传播病原菌尖孢镰刀菌古巴专化型（Foc）引起，是影响全球香蕉生产的最具破坏性的病害之一。Foc 1号生理小种（Foc R1）和热带4号生理小种（Foc TR4）尤其具有破坏性和致死性，对卡文迪什香蕉和当地商业品种均有影响。在商业种植中，部署抗性品种对于管理这种病害至关重要。本研究评估了来自比利时国际中转中心（ITC）的99份外来香蕉种质，这些种质代表了不同的基因组群，以在香蕉基因库中鉴定抗性来源。在温室和热点田间条件下，对这些种质进行了针对Foc R1和Foc TR4的评估。在收获时，通过根茎变色评估病害严重程度。研究结果表明，不同基因组群、测试条件和Foc生理小种之间存在显著差异（P < 0.001）。在99份种质中，63份在测试条件之间的抗性水平有所增加或降低，而36份保持稳定。同样，68份种质在测试的生理小种之间表现出变化，而31份保持稳定。在Foc R1的田间评估中，19份种质免疫，13份高抗，17份抗病；而在温室中，只有1份种质免疫，9份高抗，46份抗病，表明在可控条件下抗性反应更强。对于Foc TR4，田间有18份种质免疫，9份高抗，19份抗病；而在温室中，1份免疫，30份高抗，50份抗病，表明不同环境下抗性水平有显著变化。其中一些香蕉种质显示出在枯萎病热点地区直接进行商业部署的潜力，和/或可用于鉴定抗性基因，以通过基因工程或基因编辑技术进一步改良商业品种。
