Scientific news

Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB) is a serious soil-borne fungal disease. In the previous century, FWB already destroyed Gros Michel-based banana cultures in Central America, and currently, the disease threatens all major banana-producing regions of the world. The causal agents of these epidemics, however, are diverse. Gros Michel was infected by a wide range of Fusarium species, the so-called Race 1 strains, whereas the contemporary Cavendish-based cultures are affected by Fusarium odoratissimum, colloquially called Tropical Race 4 (TR4).