Bananas are one of the most consumed agricultural products in the country. In fact, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that banana production was estimated at 2.29 million metric tons from April to June 2023. The report said this data indicated an annual increase of 0.1 percent from the same period in 2022.
Among the 20 known varieties of bananas in the Philippines, the Cavendish variety is the most common and widely cultivated, with the highest production of 1.17 million metric tons in 2023 alone, accounting for 51.5% of the total banana production.
However, despite the high production in the banana industry, growers are experiencing challenges due to certain plant diseases or wilt, which cause significant losses.
According to the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), the banana industry’s major problem is its susceptibility to diseases such as banana bunchy top disease (BBTD), Sigatoka, and Fusarium wilt, also known as Panama disease.
In an episode of ExperTalk aired via the DOSTv, the Hijo Resources Corp.–one of the top banana producers in the Davao region–said that banana wilt affects around 3-5 percent of their total productivity.
Fusarium wilt is a soil-borne fungal disease caused by the fungus called Fusarium oxysporum that damages plants' vascular systems, leading to wilting, yellowing, and eventual death.
“Fusarium wilt is a plant disease which came from a fungus called Fusarium. It attacks different types of plants, however, there is a specific strain that attacks bananas. This is what we call Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense, which can affect all types of bananas,” Dr. Merlina H. Juruena, research director at the University of the Southeastern Philippines (USEP), said.
“The fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense, or what we call Foc–as a soil-borne fungus–have the ability to stay alive despite the banana being out of the soil. It is because this fungus has a structure called Chlamydospores,” she added.
As further explained, Dr. Juruena said that when the fungus runs out of food in the banana, which became their home and source of nutrients, the fungus will automatically form a resting structure called Chlamydospores.
Chlamydospores are structures that allow the pathogens to survive in unfavorable conditions. For example, even if it is exposed to the sun or soaked in water, the fungus will remain alive. Not even the ordinary chemicals used in plantations can fight it.
However, despite being infected with Foc, Dr. Juruena clarified that bananas are still safe to eat because it has no direct effect on the nutrient content of banana fruit, and most importantly, the disease cannot be transmitted to humans.
Meanwhile, if the infection continues, the method of planting Cavendish bananas will be affected. Since no seed can be planted, the only way to produce it is to regrow the shoots of the Cavendish variety.
To address this problem, researchers from the USEP are exploring solutions to lessen the harmful effect of Foc, targeting bananas.
“It causes blockage to the vascular vessel. Prior to that, the Foc infects bananas through fine root hairs. It stays in the vascular bundle, in the pseudostem,” plant pathologist Vladimir Ivan Dodongan said, explaining how fungus attacks bananas.
The vascular vessels of a plant are important for transporting water and nutrients.
In his study, Dodongan explored the effectiveness of Trichoderma harzianum, a fungus that is known as a biological control agent used to control the population of pests and pathogens in plants.
“The result is less manifestation, or the severity of the disease. There is still yellowing, but not as severe as compared to the uninoculated or untreated with Trichoderma harzianum,” Dodongan said.
On the other hand, Johanna Roselle Salvar, also a plant pathologist from USEP, is testing if bacterial endophytes from the roots of a healthy banana plant can fight the fungus of an infected Cavendish plant.
“I found out that bacterial endophytes from the healthy banana roots have potential, both in laboratory conditions and greenhouse conditions. The result is it lessens the severity of the Fusarium [wilt],” Salvar said.
Dodongan and Salvar are still working to improve their studies. If proven effective, these solutions may be helpful for banana growers in managing plant diseases like Fusarium wilt.
Acknowledging the importance of these inventions, USEP encourages the next generation of experts to dive into the world of plant pathologists and explore their potential in this field. (By Claire Bernadette A. Mondares, DOST-STII)
Plant pathologist Vladimir Ivan Dodongan (middle) explains the anatomy of a banana plant during the 7th episode of ExperTalk, season 4 of the DOSTv. (Screengrab from DOSTv YouTube).
Johanna Roselle Salvar (left), and Vladimir Ivan Dodongan, plant pathologists from the University of the Southeastern Philippines, shared their studies on mitigating Fusarium wilt disease in Cavendish banana plant.
