banana Archives - IITA News

NARITA hybrids cross borders for farmers’ evaluation in Kenya

In improving banana production in East Africa countries, researchers at Kenyatta University in Kenya are now multiplying and testing for the adoption of NARITA hybrid varieties that are high yielding and resistant to Black Sigatoka disease. Banana is the third most important food after maize and rice, with an annual production of 1.5 million tons,…

Study identifies new sources of resistance to Black Sigatoka in banana

A study looking for additional sources of resistance to the deadly fungal disease of banana, black Sigatoka, has identified 11 new accessions that are potential sources of resistance to Pseudocercospora fijiensis. These accessions are from a collection of banana germplasm maintained by IITA at Sendusu, Wakiso District in Uganda. They can be used to broaden the…

Banana project applauded for making record progress amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

IITA management and the Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) of the Accelerated Breeding Better Bananas (ABBB) project—the biggest banana breeding project—have praised the project for its solid achievements in improving the production and productivity of banana in Tanzania and Uganda, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19. Notable achievements include the official release of new banana hybrids…

Study sheds light on banana’s defense mechanism against the deadly Fusarium wilt disease

IITA scientists have identified the defense mechanisms for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) in resistant and susceptible cultivars with or without biological control agent (BCA) inoculation as part of efforts to identify effective ways to control Fusarium wilt of banana. Fusarium wilt is a disease caused by the soilborne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp….

Dr Lilian Nkengla-Asi (Middle), after a brief introductiory discussion on gender research with men and women banana farmers in Idologun community/study site.

Understanding the gender dimensions of the spread of banana diseases in Nigerian communities

Seeds are essential agricultural inputs in food production, biodiversity conservation, and overall crop yield. However, seeds can carry plant pathogens and serve as vehicles for pathogen spread, naturally and through formal and informal seed distribution, from one season to the next, and within and between geographies. The global spread of the banana bunchy top virus…

New study: Use of genome editing confers resistance to Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) disease

Disease-resistant varieties developed through genome editing are an effective strategy for managing diseases in food crops, a new IITA study shows. The study shows that recent advances in CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing can accelerate banana improvement. The study, published in May in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, was conducted at IITA-Nairobi between 2019 and 2020. ‘‘It is…

Food security: Scaling innovation towards banana production in Rwanda

To improve food security in banana production in Rwanda, IITA has commenced a project titled “Multiplatform delivery of co-developed tools for national control and prevention of Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) in Rwanda: Scaling innovation for enhanced Banana production and Food Security – ICT4BXW@Scale ” In Rwanda, banana is the leading staple food and source of…

Banana breeding project successfully implements modern track and trace system

Tagging products with barcodes for easy price retrieval in supermarkets is now a regular practice that people often take for granted. But beyond supermarkets, barcodes can be employed across a whole spectrum of settings, including by scientists in their research. The Accelerated Breeding Better Bananas project has developed, adapted, finetuned, and deployed a fully operational…

Adoption of gender-responsive approaches towards research on pest and disease management

Studies have shown that adopting a gender perspective while conducting agronomic research and extension work provides more efficient approaches to managing pests and diseases at the field level. This is because women and men farmers often play different roles in agricultural production. Women possess different knowledge levels about pests and diseases and are differently involved…

Managing Xanthomonas Wilt of Banana (BXW) using Single Diseased Stem Removal (SDSR) technique

Xanthomonas wilt has been affecting banana fields in Rwanda since 2005. Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resource Development Board (RAB), and IITA introduced the Single Diseased Stem Removal technique, considered as the best approach to fight the disease in Rwanda. Watch new video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4mGpm00vD0) about the SDSR technique on IITA’s…