LAUSR

Fusarium wilt of banana, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), is a major constraint to banana production worldwide. A strain of the fungus that affects Cavendish and other dessert bananas in the tropics, called Foc tropical race 4 (TR4; VCG 01213/16), has been confined to five Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, mainland China and Taiwan) for more than three decades. Cavendish production is now being expanded in Asia to Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, where local varieties still dominate the market. This is due to an increase in Cavendish banana consumption and a decline in areas of production caused by Foc TR4 in China. The expansion of Cavendish production in Southeast Asia, however, has increased the risk of Foc TR4 being introduced into new countries. Leaf-yellowing symptoms typical of banana Fusarium wilt were observed in three provinces in northern Vietnam along the Red River that originates in the Yunnan province of China, namely Hanoi (October 2014), H...