Banana

In this editorial on Fusarium Wilt of banana, QAAFI’s Professor André Drenth and a team of international researchers give an overview of a Research Topic they organised which will be published as an e-book on this devastating fungal disease which presents a recurring threat to global banana production.

The devastating Banana Bunchy Top Virus nearly wiped out Queensland’s banana industry over 100 years ago. But an international team of researchers, aided by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and led by The University of Queensland’s Associate Professor John Thomas, have developed promising strategies to protect this key food source for communities in sub-Saharan Africa and prevent further spread of the disease.

Jane Ray, a PhD Candidate at the University of Queensland, travelled to Costa Rica as part of a project to identify and manage bacterial wilt diseases in bananas after being awarded a Crawford Fund Student Award by the Crawford Fund's Northern Territory Committee. She was supported in-country by the University of Costa Rica.

A deadly banana disease that first caused problems in South Sulawesi over a century ago has now spread across the Indonesian Archipelago and to peninsular Malaysia – posing a threat to Australia’s $600 million banana growing industry in northern Australia.

Queensland possesses a world-class research and development capability. UQ is rated the number one agricultural research institution in Australia, and is among the world’s top five institutions in the 2017 NTU rankings. UQ and the Queensland government’s investment in QAAFI builds upon the capabilities of both organisations, to deliver substantial returns on investment across Queensland’s agricultural industries.

QAAFI forges strategic industry partnerships to tackle local and global challenges in tropical and sub-tropical agriculture and food production. We
work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on key projects to boost food and nutrition security in tropics and sub-tropics.

In March 2015, a banana farm in Tully in Far North Queensland went into lockdown. Harvesting of fruit was stopped and movement of plant material, soil, equipment, vehicles and people on and off the farm were restricted. More than 16,000 banana plants were destroyed.

The familiar bright yellow Cavendish banana is ubiquitous in supermarkets and fruit bowls, but it is in imminent danger.

Queensland scientists are tackling one of the world’s worst threats to banana crops – “bunchy top disease” - with help from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.