Photo: ©FAO

Antalya – The closing workshop of the project “Support for Prevention and Management of Banana Fusarium Wilt Disease” implemented by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in cooperation with Çukurova University Faculty of Agriculture, was held in Antalya on 15 December 2022. Participants included the head of the Plant Health Research Department of the General Directorate of Agricultural Research (TAGEM), Suat Kaymak, FAO Agriculture Expert Fazıl Düşünceli, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, academics, researchers, producers and members of the press.

The workshop started with an opening speech given by Fazıl Düşünceli, who explained that “the causal fungus spreads insidiously and cannot be completely eliminated from the soil with the available means once established”. He added that Banana Fusarium Wilt Disease “can cause 100 percent yield loss in the infested areas, and that infested plant materials, soil particles, irrigation water, floods, shoes, agricultural tools and vehicles can all spread the disease agent”. He further emphasized that the disease, which has spread over 1 million decares in more than 20 countries worldwide, poses a significant threat to bananas in Türkiye. The fact that the majority of banana production in Türkiye is conducted in greenhouses represents an important advantage in the fight against the disease, but entrances and exits to these greenhouses should be controlled to prevent spread of the disease agent. Later in the workshop, Düşünceli gave a presentation on the global status of the disease and the work of the FAO to combat its spread in different regions around the globe.

The workshop continued with a speech by Suat Kaymak, who emphasized the risk posed by the disease to banana production in Türkiye, and the value of the joint project in combating this threat. He explained in more detail: “With the cooperation of FAO, TAGEM, the General Directorate of Food and Control, and the Çukurova University Faculty of Agriculture, we conducted surveys, trained experts, raised awareness among farmers and prepared a strategic programme and a road map to prevent the spread of the disease in Türkiye”. Kaymak also presented the research activities of TAGEM on transboundary plant pests and diseases in Türkiye.

The workshop continued with a presentation by Agricultural Engineer Mumine Ozarslandan of the Adana Biological Control Research Institute on the project’s activities, providing details on surveys made, awareness-raising and farmer-training activities, the development of training materials and a national strategy elaborated within the scope of the project. She also explained the symptoms of Banana Fusarium Wilt disease and how to distinguish them from other similar symptoms, and the importance of integrated management practices.

In the second session of the workshop, the working group coordinator at the General Directorate of Food and Control, Hasenem Ertaş, delivered a presentation on “Preventive measures and quarantine regulations to prevent the spread of banana Fusarium wilt disease in Türkiye”. This was followed by a presentation by Tuğçe Gürkan, an expert from the General Directorate of Crop Production of the Ministry, on “Challenges and solutions regarding production and distribution of banana propagation materials”.

Roadmap for the Prevention of Fusarium Wilt Disease in Bananas

The workshop’s group work session focused on reviewing the draft national strategic programme and action plan for prevention of the disease. Discussions were held on actions that various sectors should take to prevent its spread, which is currently limited to a small area of the Mediterranean coast in Türkiye.

There was common agreement that all stakeholders should work together to prevent further spread of the disease, and that producers, in particular, public institutions, private sector agents, consultants, research institutions and input providers such as sellers of saplings, fertilizers and pesticides, all have important roles to play. The participants discussed the actions to be taken by producers and the responsibilities of key stakeholders, and determined the tasks to be assumed by related institutions.

As a result of the discussions, the workshop emphasized that producers should follow closely phytosanitary practices and pay attention to the following in particular:

• The causal fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense Tropical race 4 (TR4) cannot be eradicated entirely with current means once established in the soil, and can survive for many years.
• The fungus can spread easily through infested seedlings, soil particles, irrigation water and floods. For this reason, producers should use disease-free, certified seedlings produced through tissue culture.
• It is important to control greenhouse and field entrances, avoid unnecessary visits, and limit the entry of goods that may be contaminated with the fungus spores since the fungus can also spread through the shoes of visitors, field tools and vehicle tyres.
• For essential visits, shoe covers should be worn, and disinfection footbaths should be installed at entrances to clean and disinfect shoes and boots.
• Tools and vehicles used in other fields should not be brought into the banana production area. If this is unavoidable, the tools should be disinfected before use and the vehicle should pass through disinfection pools.

The concluding part of the workshop emphasized that entry of plant materials without permission, particularly from overseas, plays a highly important role in the spread of plant pests and diseases into the country. All participants agreed that this poses a significant risk to all types of plant production in Türkiye. The event closed by underlining the importance of observing these guidelines and the need for collective efforts by all individuals and institutions to ensure biosecurity in the plant sector.