The mission of the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP) is to sustainably increase the productivity of banana and plantain grown on smallholdings for domestic consumption and for local and export markets. The programme has four specific objectives: To organize and coordinate a global research effort on banana and plantain, aimed at the development, evaluation and dissemination of improved banana cultivars and at the conservation and use of Musa diversity. To promote and strengthen collaboration and partnerships in banana-related activities at the national, regional and global levels. To strengthen the ability of NARS to conduct research and development activities on bananas and plantains. To coordinate, facilitate and support the production, collection and exchange of information and documentation related to banana and plantain. INIBAP is a programme of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), a Future Harvest center. The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to advance the conservation and use of plant genetic diversity for the well-being of present and future generations. It is one of the 15 Future Harvest Centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private members who support efforts to mobilize cutting-edge science to reduce hunger and proverty, improve human nutrition and health, and protect the environment. IPGRI has its headquarters in Maccarese, near Rome, Italy, with offices in more than 20 other countries worldwide. The Institute operates through three programmes: (1) the Plant Genetic Resources Programme, (2) the CGIAR Genetic Resources Support Programme and (3) the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP). The international status of IPGRI is conferred under an Establishment Agreement which, by January 2003, had been signed and ratified by the Governments of Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Slovakia, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda and Ukraine. Financial support for IPGRI’s research is provided by more than 150 donors, including governments, private foundations and international organizations. For details of donors and research activities please see IPGRI’s Annual Reports, which are available in printed form on request from ipgri- publications@cgiar.org or from IPGRI’s Web site (www.ipgri.cgiar.org). The geographical designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IPGRI or the CGIAR concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Similarly, the views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of these organizations. Mention of a propriety name does not constitute endorsement of the product and is given only for information. Cover: (Clockwise) A typical fruit stand in Indonesia; Musa velutina, an ornamental banana; BAPNET SC members in a banana genebank in Bogor, Indonesia; Pisang Tanduk, a popular plantain in Indonesia INIBAP ISSN 1729-0805 © International Plant Genetic Resources Institute 2004. Citation: A.B. Molina, V.N. Roa, I. Van den Bergh, M.A.G. Maghuyop and K. Borromeo, editors. 2004. Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol. 12. Proceedings of the 2nd BAPNET Steering Committee meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia, 6-11 October 2003. International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain - Asia Pacific, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. IPGRI Headquarters Via dei Tre Denari 472/a 00057 Maccarese Italy INIBAP Parc Scientifique Agropolis II 34397 Montpellier Cedex 5 France INIBAP-AP c/o IRRI, GS Khush Hall Los Baños, Laguna 4031 Philippines Proceedings of the 2nd BAPNET Steering Committee meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia, 6-9 October 2003 A.B. Molina, V.N. Roa, I. Van den Bergh, M.A. Maghuyop and K. Borromeo, editors Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol. 12 ii Acknowledgement The Banana Asia Pacific Network (BAPNET) is grateful to all participants of the 2nd BAPNET Steering Committee meeting for their contribution to this proceedings. BAPNET would like to thank: • Its local partners in Indonesia, the Indonesian Center for Horticulture Research and Development (ICHORD), Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (AARD), for hosting the meeting and having provided the staff support and local arrangements that ensured the meeting’s success under the able leadership of Dr Ahmad Dimyati, Director, ICHORD; • A.B. Molina, V.N. Roa, I. Van den Bergh, M.A.G. Maghuyop and K. Borromeo for their conscientious work as editors of the proceedings; • V.N. Roa who undertook the style editing, layout and design of the proceedings. Editorial Note Some references have been submitted without complete publishing data. They may thus lack the full names of journals and/or the place of publication and the publisher. Should readers have difficulty in identifying particular references, staff at INIBAP-Asia Pacific will be glad to assist. The opinions in the publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of INIBAP. iii Contents Workshop recommendations 3 Special presentations International collaboration to improve food security through food diversification diversification Dr Benni H. Sormin 7 The National Repository, Multiplication and Dissemination Centers: An instrument to enhance the distribution and adoption of improved varieties within Asia and the Pacific Dr Agustin B. Molina 15 FFTC-INIBAP/BAPNET collaboration Dr Torng-Chuang Wu 21 Country Reports Status of banana production in Bangladesh Dr Md. Shahidul Islam 33 An update on research and technology development of banana in Cambodia Dr Men Sarom 43 Production and R&D of banana in China Dr Xu Linbing 49 Current status of banana research in India Dr Mohamed Mustaffa 61 Progress report of pests and diseases research on banana in Indonesia Dr Ahmad Dimyati 67 Banana R&D in Malaysia: Updates and highlights Dr Nik Mohd. Masdek Nik Hassan 75 Banana R&D in the Philippines: Updates and highlights Dr Patricio S. Faylon 81 Current situation of banana R&D in Papua New Guinea Mrs Rosa N. Kambuou 95 Current status of banana R&D in Sri Lanka Dr Chandrasiri Kudagamage 101 Current status and prospects of banana R&D in Thailand Dr Bansiddhi Korbkiati 111 Current R&D of banana in Vietnam Dr Ho Huu Nhi 117 Status of banana R&D in the Pacific Dr Mary Taylor 129 iv Appendixes Appendix 1: Programme of the 2nd BAPNET Steering Committee meeting 153 Appendix 2: 2nd BAPNET Steering Committee members and guests 155 Appendix 3: Awards 161 Appendix 4: Acronyms and abbreviations 163 Advances in the deployment of the new variety, Formosana, for improving banana production in Taiwan Dr Shin-Chuan Hwang 137 Banana R&D in Myanmar Dr Sein Hla Bo 143 v Workshop recommendations 2 A 3Workshop recommendations Workshop recommendations All the members unanimously agreed to continue all programmes of INIBAP more specifically the International Musa Testing Programme (IMTP), Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS) and National Repository, Multiplication and Dissemination Program (NRMDP). Other priority programmes identified were: • Use of healthy planting materials, establishment of production system of disease-free seedlings, organization of training programme on tissue culture and virus-indexing • Strengthening of information sharing through RISBAP • Varietal improvement through germplasm exchange • Identification and mapping of vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense • Development of a proposal for submission to funding institutions on sustainable production systems through varietal diversity, biological control, promotion of new technologies, new varieties, improvement of cultural practices and use of tissue-cultured plantlets • Address the development and promotion of different uses of bananas to increase farmers income and promote conservation of Musa diversity • Promote establishments of demo-trials for new banana varieties and IPM systems against banana pests and diseases with local institutes • Application of biotechnological tools in varietal improvement and diagnosis of diseases • Development of suitable postharvest and processing technologies • Development of disease-resistant varieties based on somaclonal- variation approach. Special presentations 6 A 7International collaboration to improve food security through food diversification Benni H. Sormin* *Assistant FAO Representative in Indonesia. Background World Food Summit (WFS) 1996 adopted a definition which underlined that food security existed “when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preference for an active and healthy life.” In spite of the evolving definition of food security over time, its basic concept remains very much the same. This concept embodies several dimensions consisting of: food availability, accessibility and stability at different levels of aggregation, namely global, national, household and individual levels. Food diversification has a direct bearing on the food security since broader presence of food variety at a particular point in time or over time would somehow enhance food availability, accessibility and stability. Food diversification would also strengthen the terms of trade at local, national and international level, hence leading to more income generation and greater access to food. In line with the global issue concern, food diversification would also be desirable, noting that it would be in line with the environmental objective of conserving biodiversity in a sustainable way. In the new era of globalization, international affairs have affected the dynamics of all human life aspects, and in this respect, food security or the agriculture sector is not an exception. Therefore, one must endeavor to harness all possible benefits from international collaboration in such a way as to enhance food security through food diversification. The question: “What terms of international cooperation would likely enhance food security and diversification?” should be answered. This question is very relevant noting that the theme of the World Food Day for 2003 is ‘International Alliance Against Hunger’. The theme emphasizes the need for global mobilization to create the policy environment which is conducive to agricultural trade; to provide the adequate funding and investment; and to facilitate transfer of technology to empower people, especially marginal farmers, to fight hunger and poverty. International collaboration to improve food security... 8 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 An ‘international alliance against hunger’ will bring together the strengths of different groups all over the world to gain momentum to achieve the common goal of eliminating hunger in all its forms. Such an alliance would include all partners working together in concert: food producers, consumers, international organizations, governments, private firms, scientists, academics, religious groups and non- government organizations. It also include donors and policy-makers from from rich and poor countries. According to FAO (1997), the world supply has more than tripled during the past three decades but the green revolution-increased production has not solved the problem of chronic under-malnutrition for hundreds of millions of poverty-stricken people around the world. World population will probably reach 8300 million by 2025. If present per caput consumption remains unchanged, population growth will necessitate that world food production increases by 2600 million tonnes or 57 per cent between 1990 and 2025. However, if diets were improved among hungry people, estimated to be one billion living mainly in Asia and Africa, world food demand could double to some 9 billion tonnes by 2025. One of the major challenges for agriculture development in the coming decades is the fulfillment of the need for tremendous increase for food production that has to be achieved in an environmentally sustainable way. While national initiative is the main determinant in achieving food security, it is increasingly more evident that international cooperation to increase agricultural investment through transfer of fund and technology and fair trade is indispensable. Likewise, the promotion of the roles of technology through research networks is essential to speed up human capacity to attain food security at all levels. Agriculture investment and transfer of funds Countries, especially developing countries, need investments to improve their productive capacity and competitiveness, and to acquire a better chance to sell their products at the world market. According to an FAO Report (1997), agriculture investment in many developing countries is largely dependent on foreign assistance. Therefore, the trend of overseas direct assistance (ODA) which has been declining in the 1990s need to be reversed. ODA to agricultural sector of developing countries rose from US$11 billion per year in the early 1980s to US$14 billion in 1988. It has since declined to probably not more than US$8 billion annually in early 1990. Within these new totals, multilateral lending shows broadly similar trends. World Bank lending 9to agriculture as a share of total lending fell from 30 per cent in the 1970s to 16 per cent in the 1990s. Dr. Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, underlined that public support for agriculture in developing countries has decreased (1997). “From 1997 to 2000, concessional assistance from developed countries and loans from international financing institutions fell by 50 per cent for agriculture, the livelihood for 70 per cent of the world’s poor.” He added, “As a result, the number of undernourished has only fallen by 6 million per year instead of 22 million needed to attain the objective set in 1996 where at this rate, the target will be met 45 years behind schedule.” He mentioned that the proposal on ‘Anti-Hunger Programme’ called for an additional public investment of US$24 billion annually to enable poor countries to reduce the number of hungry people by half in 2015. This number is the target unanimously pledged by world leaders at the World Food Summit, and which has become one of the Millenium Development Goals adopted by the UN General Assembly. Developed countries and international financing institutions will have to provide half of the resources and developing countries will have to increase their budgets for the rural sector to meet the other half. FAO in its Press Release (1996) said that “Nearly three-quarters of future investment needed in developing countries would, as in past, consist of private commitments by farmers for land improvement, new equipment, expansion of livestock herds and plantations, often in the form of family labor, and for private investment in the post-production chain.” The remaining quarter, representing about US$41 billion per year, will consist of complementary public investment to create and maintain the conditions for profitable private sector agriculture investment. “If external multilateral and bilateral financial support for these public investment were to provide the same share as in the past, i.e., around one-third overall, external commitments would need to arise by some US$5 billion per year, from presently US$10 billion to US$15 billion annually, i.e., to the level already attained in the late 1980s.” Foreign assistance has also played a key role in agricultural research development in all developing countries (FAO 1997) particularly on the national agricultural research system (NARS) institutional development. The funding directly channeled to NARS for the international agricultural research centers around the world through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) was estimated to be at least US$270 million annually. Funding in the form of loans and grants from international donors accounted International collaboration to improve food security... 10 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 for around 34 per cent of total research expenditures in Sub-Saharan Africa in early 1960s. Transfer of technology and scientific information Food diversification can only be strengthened if the farmers and other supporting partners acquire necessary information and technology especially in improving agricultural productivity. This is true in every phase of agriculture processes. Transfer of technology, especially on agriculture sector has been an outstanding issue in various international negotiations under the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Rio de Janeiro, 1992 as well as under GATT/WTO. Without preferential access to technology, the achievement of the sustainable agriculture and food security would not be likely to be achieved as targeted by UN. Similarly, access to agriculture-related information need to be ensured to enable agricultural players, farmers, producers and industries, to take the best decisions out of available options in their endeavor to contribute to the attainment of food security. The usage of more scientific information should be facilitated and advocated in developing countries, through mutual international cooperation, where possible. In this context, the observance of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) must be promoted. At the “World Food Summit: five years later begins” in 2002, FAO Director-General, Dr. Diouf, stated that “farmers should be given greater access to land, credit, technology and knowledge that would help them grow more resistant crops, as well as ensuring plant and animal safety.” In this context, he also emphasized the key role of women who are involved in every stage of food production, who work far longer hours than men. International trade Trades, at all levels, promote food security. International trade contributes to food security by providing exporting countries with foreign exchange and by enabling others, including many of the poorest countries, to consume more than they produce. In developing countries, agriculture strengthens food security in three ways. It generates rural income, increase foreign exchange through agriculture exports and increase food production for domestic markets. The attainment of food security through food diversification very much depends on the terms of trade at different levels. Under WTO, member countries are negotiating various international trade-related issues such 11 as subsidy, tariff and non-tariff barriers, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, special and differential treatment, and IPR which have direct or indirect impact on market access to agriculture products. Most countries must deal some regional arrangements such as ASEAN and APEC in addition to its bilateral agreements with many partner countries. The global market for agricultural commodities has continued to defy any notion for fairness. FAO Director-General said that “the OECD countries transfer more than US$300 billion to their agriculture sectors, which mean that they directly subsidize each farmer to the tune of US$12 000 per year. In contrast, these same countries provide developing countries with an estimated 8 billion dollars per year which works out as 6 dollars for each farmer.” Furthermore, at the “WFS: five years later begins” in 2002, UN Secretary-General also called upon developed countries to open their markets further. He said that “the tariffs imposed on processed food such as chocolate make it impossible for processing industries in developing countries to compete.” According to him, “Access to developed country markets is constrained by customs tariff that average roughly 60 per cent for primary agricultural products as compared to about 4 per cent for industrial products.” FAO Assistant DG, Mr Hartwig de Haen, underlined that “For many low-income food deficient countries, priority for agricultural development is the surest and quickest means for combining sustained economic growth and poverty alleviation with enhanced domestic food production. The key challenge for developing countries in the upcoming reform process is to ensure that international regulatory framework governing agricultural trade will contribute to their agricultural development and food security.” He concluded that “for agriculture to be successful in both export and domestic markets, the reform process needs to help countries improve competitiveness, particularly by improving access to export markets and bolstering productivity. Progress has been made in reducing tariff barriers on unprocessed tropical products like coffee, tea and cocoa. However, many more developing countries would benefit if similar improvements in market access were granted for other agricultural products such as temperate zones horticulture, sugar, cereals and meat, as well as for processed agricultural products.” International collaboration to improve food security... 12 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Agriculture R&D networks and human resource development Existing research cooperation and networks, be it through the CGIAR or non-CG system, should be enhanced. BAPNET, as one of the interest group should be further empowered. International organizations, such as FAO, should play an increasing role to provide neutral forum for all stakeholders in agriculture to promote transfer of science and technology to increase productivity which ultimately leads to the achievement of food security. Research communities should contribute to the dialogue on the use of new technologies which might be controversial, such as cloning or the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) and find sound alternatives to enhance agricultural productivity. Since human resource is the player and the beneficiaries of the agricultural and food security programme, it must be emphasized that the development of human capacity is the most important aspect of agricultural development. Experience tells us that international cooperation via fellowships, on-the-job training and study tours besides all other formal degree programme have been instrumental in human resource development in developing countries. It is important to note that a level of critical mass of human capacity improvement must be reached to produce significant impacts for agricultural development. Concluding remarks Food security has three main dimensions: food availability, accessibility and continuity. Food diversification has very much linkage with food security since it embodies the notion that food should be available in wider variety at a particular point in time or over time, hence it increases the three dimensions of food security mentioned above. International collaboration is indispensable in agricultural development. International collaboration, through favorable international trades, conducive transfer of scientific information and technology, enhanced research networks and human resources development, would facilitate food diversification, which ultimately improve the state of food security at all levels. This will pave the way to achieve the Millenium Development Goal, which is to reduce the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by half in 2015. All stakeholders, especially governments, are urged to strengthen their commitments to international collaboration in resource management, technology development and trade. Actions at global level is required to avert the potential threat to food security posed by environmental 13 problems such as the narrowing of plant and animal genetic diversity, global warming, ozone depletion, deforestation and desertification. All stakeholders must work together to find new forms of sustainable agricultural intensification and diversification. Banana production as one of the strategic agricultural commodities should be enhanced for many reasons, including that of enhancing food diversification. All countries representing in this meeting, including Indonesia as one of the major countries producing banana, should harness international collaboration to strengthen the banana production and banana industry which ultimately contributes to domestic food diversification and food security. References FAO. 1996. FAO Urges Increase in Investment in Agriculture. FAO Press Release PR 96/32. FAO. 1997. Impact of Foreign Assistance on the Institutional Development of National Agricultural Systems in Developing Countries. A Joint FAO/SPAAR Research Project. FAO. 1999. The Impact of Banana Supply and Demand Changes on Income, Employment and Food Security. A Background Paper presented at the ‘First Session of Intergovernmental Group on Bananas and Tropical Fruits’, Gold Coast, Australia, 4-8 May 1999. FAO. 1999. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization warn against Agricultural Subsidies and Protectionism in Developed Countries. FAO Press Release 99/76. FAO. 2001. Contribution of Bananas to Income, Employment and Food Security in Ghana and Equador. A Background Paper presented at the Second Session of ‘Intergovernmental Group on Bananas and Tropical Fruits’, San Jose, Costa Rica 4-8 December 2001. FAO. 2002. Professor Jeffrey Sachs: More Investment in Agriculture could Save Millions from Starvation and Death. FAO Press Release. FAO. 2002. World Food Summit: five years later begins. FAO Press Release. FAO. 2003. International Alliance against Hunger, theme of World Food Day/TeleFood 2003. FAO Press Release. International collaboration to improve food security... 14 A 15 The National Repository, Multiplication and Dissemination Centers: An instrument to enhance the distribution and adoption of improved varieties within Asia and the Pacific The members of BAPNET have identified pests and diseases as the main constraint to Musa production in Asia. The impact of these pests and diseases is most severe to small-scale farmers who do not have the economic and technical capabilities to manage such problems. Large plantation owners can control pests and diseases through the intensive use of chemicals and pesticides, but aside from having an adverse effect on the environment and human health, these chemicals are beyond the means of majority of the growers, hence other options are needed. The need for National Repository, Multiplication and Dissemination Centers (NRMDCs) In the last 15 years, Musa researchers worldwide have made several important breakthroughs in developing a number of high-yielding, pest- and disease-resistant varieties. Although the major Musa breeding programmes are located outside Asia, many of the new hybrids being produced by these programmes may be of interest for production in Asia. However, the availability of these improved materials for wide distribution is limited by the capability of the INIBAP Transit Center (ITC) to respond to the many requests for materials worldwide. Hence, in the BAPNET (formerly ASPNET) meeting in Bangkok, Thailand in 2000, the Steering Committee adopted the recommendation that NRMDCs be established in each BAPNET member country to facilitate and enhance expanded evaluation and adoption trials. These centers maintain not only the introduced cultivars but also popular local cultivars. The NRMDCs, thus serve as repository of virus-free foundation stocks of improved varieties as well as popular and superior land races. Agustin B. Molina* *Regional Coordinator, INIBAP-AP, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. The NRMDCs: An instrument to enhance the distribution ... 16 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 The NRMDCs were established in almost all BAPNET member countries (Table 1) in 2002-2003. Twenty-one accessions (Table 2) were already turned over to Bangladesh, China, India, the Philippines (Figure 1), Indonesia (Figure 2), Sri Lanka, the South Pacific Commission and Vietnam, while Letters of Agreement (LOAs) were signed with Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and the Taiwan Banana Research Institute. The improved varieties and the local cultivars are maintained in vitro as well as in insect-proof screenhouses to keep them from infection from virus diseases, particularly the Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV), the most destructive virus disease in Asia Pacific. Figure 2. Signing of the MTA in Indonesia by Dr. Richard Markham, INIBAP Director, and Dr Sumarno, Director General of Horticulture Production of Indonesia. Table 1. National Repository, Multiplication and Dissemination Centers (NRMDCs). Country/Institution Participating Institution Bangladesh Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) Cambodia Cambodian Agricultural R&D Institute (Cambodia) Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences (China) China South China Agricultural University (China) India National Research Center for Banana Indonesia Indonesian Center for Horticultural R&D Malaysia Malaysian Agricultural R&D Institute Papua New Guinea National Agricultural Research Institute Bureau of Plant Industry Philippines Institute of Plant Breeding Sri Lanka Horticultural R&D Institute Vietnam Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute Pacific Island countries Secretariat of the Pacific Community Taiwan Taiwan Banana Research Institute Figure 1. Ceremonial turnover of banana germplasm in the Philippines by Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin, IPGRI DG, to Philippine Department of Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor. 17 Table 2. List of accessions maintained in the NRMDCs. Support has been provided to access the new, improved hybrids and superior varieties from INIBAP and to multiply them locally, in order to provide material to national programmes for more expanded evaluation activities and eventual adoption by farmers. The NRMDCs play a central point in the local multiplication and distribution of healthy planting materials. Local tissue-culture facilities in the region are being used for multiplying initial planting materials supplied by the NRMDCs. All germplasm movement, both into the region from The NRMDCs: An instrument to enhance the distribution ... Name of accession/ synonym ITC Code Type Stature Crop cycle Bunch weight Fruit weight Resistance/tolerance (R/T) Pisang Jari Buaya 0312 dessert tall Late low Low Reference clone for Radopholus similis FHIA-01, SH-3481, Goldfinger 0504 dessert/ cooking medium medium low medium R to black sigatoka and fusarium FHIA-02, SH-3486, Mona Lisa 0505 dessert/ cooking medium medium low R to black sigatoka FHIA-03, SH-3565 0506 dessert/ cooking medium medium low medium- high R to black sigatoka and fusarium Williams (Bell, S Johnstone) 0570 dessert dwarf late low low Reference clone for fusarium Cachaco 0643 Reference clone for fusarium AA Cv. Rose 0712 dessert medium medium very low very low Reference clone for fusarium Gros Michel 1122 dessert tall very late very low medium Reference clone for fusarium Yangambi Km 5 1123 dessert/ cooking medium medium -late low low Reference clone for sigatoka FHIA-17, SH-3649 1264 dessert/ cooking tall late medium medium T to black sigatoka, R to fusarium R1 FHIA-23, SH-3444 1265 dessert/ cooking tall late medium medium T to black sigatoka and fusarium GCTCV- 119 1282 dessert medium late very low low R to fusarium R1 SH-3436-9 1283 dessert medium medium medium medium T to black sigatoka BITA-2, TMBx1378 1296 cooking tall early- medium medium R to black sigatoka BITA3, TMBx5295-1 1297 cooking medium -tall medium medium R to black sigatoka SH-3640 1307 dessert/ cooking medium medium -late high R to black sigatoka FHIA-18, SH-3480 1319 dessert medium medium R to black sigatoka FHIA-21 (#68) 1332 plantain tall-very tall early low- medium high-very high R to black sigatoka CRBP-39 1344 plantain tall R to black sigatoka FHIA-25 1418 cooking medium -tall early high-very high R to black sigatoka Pisang Ceylan 1441 dessert tall medium low low Reference clone for sigatoka GCTCV-106 1442 dessert R to fusarium R1 GCTCV-247 1443 dessert R to fusarium R1 Height: dwarf(<2.0m), medium(2.1-3.0 m),tall(3.1-4.0m),very tall(>4.0m); Crop cycle: very early(<10 months),early(11-13 months),medium(14-16months),late(17-19 months),very late(>19 months); Bunch weight: very low(<10 kg),low(11-20kg),medium(21- 30kg),high(31-40kg),very high(>40kg); Fruit weight: very low(<50g), low(51-1oog),medium(101-150g),high(151-200g), very high(>200 g) 18 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 outside and between countries in the region, is carried out according to the FAO/IPGRI Guidelines for the Safe Movement of Musa Germplasm. Production and use of healthy planting materials The NRMDCs serve as a launching pad for the rehabilitation of the local banana industry through the use of clean planting materials to combat virus diseases ravaging the small-scale banana farms. The type of planting material is an important aspect in the battle against pests and diseases. It has been shown that yield losses due to pests and diseases, especially virus diseases, can be reduced substantially by starting crop cycles with clean plants. One of the most efficient ways of producing clean planting material of banana is through tissue culture. Nematodes, fungal and bacterial pathogens are not transmitted through tissue culture. Virus diseases may be transmitted through tissue culture, but a screening procedure can be used to exclude infected mother plants. Research has shown that tissue-cultured plants have many advantages over conventional sucker material, such as shorter harvest-to-harvest periods, higher bunch weight and increased annual yield - all these remain measurable up to the third year after planting. Another advantage of tissue culture is that new, improved banana varieties can be rapidly multiplied and quickly introduced in response to outbreaks of diseases to which traditional varieties are susceptible. The NMRDC as a national programme It is the implementing strategy of this programme to tap national supports to achieve sustainable activities and accomplishments. Evaluation and promotion of the improved varieties is a national activity and thus supported by national resources. However, to ensure the immediate establishment of the improved varieties received from ITC, INIBAP provided a small-fund support to participating BAPNET countries. In the Philippines and Sri Lanka, national funding support to their NRMDCs allowed them to carry out more expanded field trials. The Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) in the Philippines, provided a grant of $150 000.00 to support more activities to field evaluate the improved varieties together with the local cultivars using clean planting materials as a means to rehabilitate the BBTV-ravaged small-scale banana industry. The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) also plans to embark to fund this initiative. 19 Strategic partners A very critical and important component of the programme is the maintenance of virus-free foundation stocks and the mass production of healthy planting materials. In the BAPNET region, the Taiwanese certainly have the expertise in the field of mass production of virus- free tissue-cultured planting materials. INIBAP forged partnerships with Taiwanese institutions and scientists to provide capacity building to the BAPNET NRMDC banana development programme. A 3-year collaborative project between INIBAP and the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC) in Taiwan, the National Taiwan University (NTU), and the Taiwan Banana Research Institute (TBRI), through funding from the Council of Agriculture of Taiwan is currently in place to strengthen the capacity of some BAPNET-member countries in the area of mass production of healthy planting materials through tissue culture and virus-indexing. Two training programmes were carried out in 2002 in TBRI, Pingtung and NTU, Taipei. These were co- organized by INIBAP and FFTC. Participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia benefited from the training programmes. Follow-up in- country trainings will be done in 2003. The NRMDC as a platform for an improved production system The NRMDC may serve as the launching pad for a program to develop and adapt an improved production system using healthy seedlings. With tissue-cultured seedlings, an improved cropping system may be developed. Production practices such as fertilization, irrigation and drainage, population management, other IPM tactics, and even annual cropping may be evaluated and adapted for small scale growers in some Southeast Asian countries. Such system is already in place in Taiwan, China and India. Moreover, it is hoped that the introduced varieties will provide genetic variability and option in the management of banana diseases in the Asia Pacific region INIBAP will continue to assist and facilitate activities and collaboration to ensure the advancement of the programme. However, the success of this program may well depend on national initiatives and support, as well as the benefits and impacts to the small-scale banana farmers. The NRMDCs: An instrument to enhance the distribution ... 20 A 21 FFTC-INIBAP/BAPNET collaboration Torng-Chuang Wu Introduction The underlying motive for the creation of the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC) for the Asia and Pacific Region in 1970 was the concern about food shortages in the densely populated countries of the region. It was apparent at that time that a lack of technical information among farmers was the basis of the problem, compounded by an inadequate fertilizer supply and a shortage of improved seeds. Now, after more than three decades, the Center is faced with more daunting challenges, as well as vast opportunities, arising from recent globalization trends and the need to improve the quality and quantity of food production to meet the requirements of the growing population in the region. Although a deficit in food and fertilizer is not anymore as serious as it was in the 1970s, the farmers’ need for practical information about new technology remains the same. The key is to render Asian agriculture more and more productive, resilient, equitable and sustainable. The mission FFTC has a unique role among the world’s international agricultural centers. It is a regional information center which aims to collect and disseminate technical information on agricultural production, in order to achieve increased output and higher incomes for farmers in the region. The Center’s information programmes are far-reaching, reflecting the information needs of small-scale farmers. It is committed to maintain high standards of relevance and excellence in its information and dissemination work, which covers the full range of agricultural activities such as crop and livestock production, plant protection, soil and fertilizer management, and postharvest technology. The Center’s works aim at bridging the gap between scientists and farmers, and sharing new technologies developed in different countries. While the Center does not disseminate information directly to Asian farmers, it functions in partnership with policy makers and scientists, and with people working with national extension systems FFTC-INIBAP/BAPNET collaboration *Director, FFTC, Taipei, Taiwan. 22 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 who work directly with farmers and act as “multipliers of information”. Major activities of the Center The major function of FFTC is to collect and disseminate agricultural information throughout the Asia and Pacific Region, and its prime interest is the production of more food of better quality. The Center believes that this is the principal way of improving the living standards of the Asian people and of assuring higher standards of farming, thereby improving farm incomes and increasing farm stability. Purpose The Center ’s framework for managing agricultural information considers the scientists, the extension workers, and the farmers as major stakeholders in the information/technology generation and utilization continuum. Researchers and scientists are responsible in the generation and processing of information. Through extension workers, the Center facilitates the distribution and dissemination of matured technologies and information to the end-users. By promoting the sharing and exchange of agricultural information among countries, the Center helps close the technology gap between developed and developing countries. While each country has its own uniqueness and specialization, almost all operate under the dictum that development objectives can best be achieved through sharing and exchange of information. Where there is so much to be done and very little resource to do with, the need for exchange of technological information becomes vital, toward bringing the best of scientific advancement to each country. Major activities The Center ’s major activities revolve around the collection and dissemination of information on every aspect of agriculture which will be of importance to the present and future needs of Asian farmers. Over the years, the Center has also taken on the task of assessing future trends based on information collected, to meet the changing needs of the farmers. Seminars and workshops. The Center organizes seminars and workshops where prominent researchers and extension workers deliberate on topics of major regional importance. These seminars and workshops are the Center’s main sources of technical information. While seminars focus on results of scientific investigations, workshops 23 are more concerned with the practical application of new technology. Each year, the Center holds three to five seminars and workshops in different Asian countries. National and international agencies based in the country where these meetings are held serve as co-sponsors, providing the venue and other support. Over the years, the Center has built strong linkages with several agricultural organizations in the region through these international meetings. Training courses. The Center conducts training courses that cater to scientists, laboratory technicians, extension agents and farmer leaders who serve as multipliers of information. Training courses aim to equip the participants with practical techniques or management skills, intended to bring immediate benefit to the farmers they work with. Field demonstration projects. Educating farmers by conducting cooperative demonstration projects and agricultural extension programs is also one of the major activities of the Center. A practical field demonstration of a new technology can sometimes give more information to the farmers than any number or written words. These field demonstration projects are carried out in cooperation with national agricultural organizations in the country concerned. Publications. Publication is a major work programme of the Center. It includes technical and extension bulletins, a newsletter, leaflets on practical technologies and research highlights, annual report, books, proceedings and electronic media. The Center ’s publications disseminate applied agricultural research, and gives emphasis on practical technology for small farmers in the region. Regional field surveys. Surveys, carried out in several countries of the region, are conducted to make an in-depth assessment of a particular problem. The aim is to clarify the causes of a particular problem and gather pertinent benchmark data as the basis for designing future programs and activities of the Center. Enhanced cooperation with national and regional/ international organizations Through the years, FFTC has shared with other national and regional/ international organizations the common vision of promoting sustainable agricultural development for the benefit of the small-scale farmers. With the impacts of globalization, both positive and negative, trickling down to the developing nations, partnership among national agricultural research systems (NARS) as well as regional/ international organizations has now, more than ever, become a crucial element in advancing sustainable agricultural development. FFTC-INIBAP/BAPNET collaboration 24 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 The Center works in close partnership with the NARS and regional/ international agricultural organizations in the region in carrying out its mission to promote the sharing and exchange of agricultural information among countries. Most of its seminars, workshops, training and demonstrations are carried out in collaboration with co-sponsors, who support these programmes with funding, personnel or both. National research, educational, and extension institutes/organizations in the region also provide support on a project basis, and are actively involved in the Center’s various activities and work programmes. Some of FFTC’s activities are also funded by non-political foundations in the region. In 2000, the Center conducted a survey among national organizations in charge of extension in eight Asian countries, which led to the establishment of a regional extension network in 2001. With the cooperation of network coordinators from each member country, FFTC began publishing the Research Highlights and Practical Technology leaflets to contain practical technical information that will serve as useful information resource for extension systems in each country. FFTC also had the experience of carrying out joint projects with many regional/international organizations such as the Agricultural Productivity Organization (APO), Afro Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO), International Board for Soil Research and Management (IBSRAM, now International Water Management Institute or IWMI) and International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP). These partnerships were in the form of co-sponsorship in the conduct of international seminars/ workshops and training, or special projects aimed at ensuring that new agricultural technologies are shared and utilized to attain optimum economic and social benefits for the small-scale farmers. Establishment of national pathogen-free banana and plantain repositories The multi-faceted and interconnected nature of regional development issues, such as, food security, loss of biodiversity, widespread poverty and unsustainable extraction of resources – necessitates consolidation of efforts at the regional level of agricultural systems. Experiences in the past point to the weaknesses of independent and fragmented national R&D systems working on the challenges of agricultural productivity and sustainability. Many NARS had to contend with resource limitations to address R&D needs; yet, some of these concerns have already been attended to by the more advanced NARS. 25 Within the context of regional partnership and collaboration, vast opportunities are open to the NARS. The formation of commodity- based networks, such as INIBAP-BAPNET (Banana Asia and Pacific Network), now better harmonizes R&D activities within the region. FFTC’s partnership with INIBAP-BAPNET is premised on the need to enhance exchange of science-based knowledge, which has now become the yardstick of progress and development. Commodity-based networks now have a more crucial role in advancing technological interventions in agricultural production and distribution. From simply providing for the demands of each country’s local market, agricultural R&D goals have broadened to include meeting the standards of globalization. Harnessing regional partnership has now become vital, particularly among countries in the Asian and Pacific region, where there is ecological correlations and common R&D concerns. Primarily because of geographical advantages, countries in Asia and the Pacific have the competitive advantage of producing bananas for local and export markets. This edge has encouraged most countries in the region to strengthen their respective national banana R&D programs. Through the continuous conception of knowledge, germplasm, and technologies made available by INIBAP, banana R&D in the region is continuously enhanced. Rationale for a joint FFTC-INIBAP project Bananas (Musa spp.) are an extremely important crop in Asia and the Pacific, especially for millions of the region’s rural poor. Until recently, little research has been devoted to this crop. However in the last ten years, there have been some important research breakthroughs. New, high-yielding varieties with strong disease resistance have been developed, together with new integrated pest management strategies. The new varieties are now ready to be extended to farmers. Distributing high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties to farmers would contribute significantly to reducing malnutrition and improving incomes in many Asian countries. At the same time it would contribute to the environment, since these resistant varieties would not need as much pesticide. The INIBAP-BAPNET, in cooperation with various NARS in the region, has been making available these improved banana varieties to all participating centers. However, there is a need to upgrade the efficiency of these centers in properly maintaining pathogen-free foundation/seedling nurseries to serve as repositories for the germplasm and as centers for the multiplication and dissemination of FFTC-INIBAP/BAPNET collaboration 26 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 the planting materials. In response to this need, INIBAP, the Council of Agriculture (Taiwan ROC), and FFTC launched a three-year project in Y2002. The role of FFTC in particular is to help train the staff of the participating institutes in the use of tissue culture techniques, and the maintenance of virus- free stock nurseries. First year (2002) programme International training course on tissue culture techniques for banana. The first step in developing disease-free banana plantations is to plant disease-free seedlings. Tissue culture techniques can produce large numbers of high-quality uniform plants which are free from virus and other pathogens. A total of 11 trainees from 8 countries participated in the International Training Course on Tissue Culture Techniques for Banana. Trainees had lectures about the major problems in banana tissue culture, and their solutions. They also took part in a series of hands-on laboratory exercises. These covered all the major steps of producing tissue culture plantlets: culture initiation, bud multiplication, plantlet regeneration, acclimatization, subculturing and rooting. Likewise, they learned about the practical management of a plant nursery and a tissue culture laboratory. Participants also visited the stock foundation nursery of the Taiwan Banana Research Institute (TBRI), and a plant nursery run by a farmers’ cooperative which produces planting materials by tissue culture. Finally, they visited fields of both large and small farms where all the banana plants had been produced by tissue culture. International training course on indexing techniques for banana viruses, and health management of a virus-free repository. This training course was held at the National Taiwan University (NTU) with 12 participants from eight countries. The participants were given lectures on different banana virus diseases, and techniques in identifying and detecting them by molecular diagnostic probes. Also covered during the training was health management of banana repository and disease-free nursery system. Among the topics discussed were as follows: • Identification and detection of banana viruses by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) • Detection and identification of banana bunchy top virus and streak badnavirus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. This includes the identification of different strains of banana bunchy top virus 27 • Detection of banana bract mosaic potyvirus by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). These tests are used mainly to monitor banana foundation stock which provides the materials for tissue culture and plant breeding programs. Virus diseases may have few or no symptoms in their early stages, but to use a plant with a latent infection for planting materials would be disastrous. All the plantlets grown from the infected plant would probably be infected too. Laboratory exercises were carried out for each method and each virus disease. Each participant was trained in the complete procedure, and learned how to use all the related equipment. Disease symptoms were shown in slides and in live specimens taken from a greenhouse. There were also discussions on how the methods of virus identification and indexing could best be adapted to the different laboratory conditions of the participants. Second year (2003) programme Survey and technical assistance. In the second year of the three-year project to provide growers of banana and plantain (Musa spp.) with healthy planting materials of improved varieties, a technical team composed of staff from FFTC, TBRI and INIBAP-BAPNET made visits to Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam, to help set up repositories for pathogen-free important Musa spp., and a propagation system for healthy seedlings. During these visits, they helped local staff with a number of technical problems. They also carried out a survey of local economically important banana cultivars and their major diseases and insect pests. So far, the following important banana/plantain cultivars and their major diseases were commonly found in those countries. Ngu Tien (Amas, AA): Cucumber Mosaic Virus, Banana Bunchy-top Virus (BBTV); Lakatan (AAA): Banana Bract Mosaic Virus (BBrMV), BBTV, fusarium wilt (Foc) (race 1), black sigatoka (BS); Tieu Nho (AAA): BS, BBTV; Latundan (AAB): Foc (race 1), BSV; Raja (AAB):BBTV, BSV; Saba (ABB): BSV, Moko disease, BBrMV; Pisang Awak (ABB): BSV; Chuoi Xiem (ABB): BBTV, Foc (race 1). Distribution of disease-free foundation stock. Tissue culture combined with heat treatment was used to produce pathogen-free foundation stock of major banana cultivars. These were distributed free of charge to cooperating national institutes. The team also held training sessions on virus indexing, tissue-culture (TC) techniques, propagation of disease-free banana, and field management of healthy banana plants, for technicians and extension specialists in each country. FFTC-INIBAP/BAPNET collaboration 28 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Workshops on IPM: The Use of Disease-free Planting Materials and Banana Production System Using Disease-free TC-plantlets were given in each country in turn. Efforts have also been made to establish demonstration field plots with pathogen-free planting materials in the Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI) in southern Vietnam, and the Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute (VASI) in northern Vietnam. Technical improvements of repositories for foundation stock. The team found that the screenhouses used as repositories for foundation stock in the countries visited were suffering from a shortage of both pathogen-free banana cultivars and virus-indexing equipment. Equipment and laboratories for tissue culture (TC) were improved. Third year (2004) programme In 2004, continuous technical support will be provided for the establishment of pathogen-free banana repositories of important Musa cultivars and a seedling propagation system, while affiliated countries were supplied with improved diagnostic probes free of charge. Among the major activities for the third-year implementation of the program are as follows: • Continuation of field extension of IPM/health management of pathogen-free banana seedlings • Sustained technical assistance in disease-indexing techniques and supply of diagnostic probes to affiliated countries • Field trials of pathogen-free banana seedlings derived from the national banana/plantain repository • Development of a rapid diagnostic kit for banana streak virus (BSV) and banana bract mosaic virus (BBrMV). A final workshop will also be organized to assess the overall performance of the three-year project. Topics to be covered during the workshop include: • The current situation of the spread of banana viruses in Asian countries • Application of tissue culture for the production of healthy seedlings of banana, and indexing techniques for banana viruses • The effectiveness of health management of virus-free Musa repositories • The performance in field trials of pathogen-free banana seedlings derived from national banana/plantain repositories • Issues in banana/plantain production and the prospects for future development. 29 Concluding remarks Given the benefits and great potential of the banana industry in the Asia and Pacific region, national programmes on banana must be able to address common regional needs and interests. In these trying times, most developing countries in the region are faced with limited R&D resources. Thus, in the process of uplifting each country’s banana industry, complementation of activities toward a unified effort is the challenge that this FFTC-INIBAP project is committed to overcome. The Center ’s participation in this special project is aimed at complementing INIBAP-BAPNET’s goal to come up with focused programmes and initiatives to realize the full potential of the region’s banana industry. FFTC is hopeful that this special project becomes a venue toward coming up with specific programmes and serves as a direction that the banana and plantain industry will pursue in the coming years, for the benefit of the millions of marginalized banana farmers in the Asia and Pacific region. FFTC-INIBAP/BAPNET collaboration Country reports 33 *Director General, BARI, Joydebpur, Gazipur, Bangladesh. Status of banana production in Bangladesh Status of banana production in Bangladesh Md. Shahidul Islam* and Md. Abdul Hoque Introduction Bangladesh is an agro-based country lying between 20.340 and 26.380 N latitude and 88.510 and 92.410E longitude. The country has a total area of 147 570 square kilometers with the population of about 130 million. The land can be classified as 79% flood plain, 12.6% hilly areas and 8.3% terrace soils. The pH of soil ranges between 4.5 and 8.0. Bangladesh enjoys sub-tropical monsoon climate with temperature ranging from as low as 40C in winter to as high as 420C in summer with an average temperature of 270C. July is the hottest month while January is the coldest. Cold waves are frequent in winter. Low temperature for about two months causes injury to banana, particularly in the northern part of the country. Annual rainfall varies from 1200 in the west to 2500 mm in the southeast. About 90% of the total rainfall occurs in the hot and humid months of May to September. There are considerable variations with respect to temperature, rainfall and relative humidity in different regions of the country as shown in Tables 1, 2 and 3. Table 1. Monthly maximum and minimum temperatures of different regions (0C) (1999). Region Temp. Jan Mar May July Sep Nov Max 26.2 33.8 32.3 31.2 31.2 30.2 Dhaka Min 12.4 20.1 24.6 26.0 25.8 19.1 Max 27.3 33.5 31.8 32.2 32.2 30.5 Sylhet Min 11.7 18.4 23.3 25.3 24.7 18.1 Max 27.2 32.9 32.3 31.4 31.5 30.5 Chittagong Min 14.1 21.0 25.2 25.3 25.1 20.0 Max 24.7 32.2 32.5 31.8 31.2 29.9 Rajshahi Min 11.2 18.1 24.2 26.5 25.4 18.3 Max 26.3 34.8 34.6 32.1 31.9 30.6 Khulna Min 11.6 20.5 25.1 25.4 25.2 17.9 Max 26.5 34.2 32.9 30.9 31.1 30.7 Barisal Min 12.1 20.5 25.0 25.1 25.2 18.8 34 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Table 3. Monthly relative humidity of different regions (%) (1999). Region Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Dhaka 75 69 64 77 82 85 88 86 86 85 78 77 Sylhet 76 70 65 72 82 84 87 86 87 86 80 77 Chittagong 76 72 75 77 83 88 88 89 87 86 80 80 Rajshahi 78 73 62 76 82 85 88 89 88 87 80 79 Khulna 76 73 68 73 80 84 88 87 88 87 79 79 Barisal 82 78 74 79 86 88 91 91 89 89 82 82 Area and production Considering the year round availability, popularity and production, banana is considered to be the number one fruit in Bangladesh. This crop accounts for 40.7% of the total fruit production in the country with 22.1% share in area. The total production of banana is recorded to be 572 000 tonnes from an area of 40 500 hectares of land. The average yield of banana is 14 t/ha, which is lower compared to other banana-producing countries in the world. But in commercial orchard, yield is not less than 30 t/ha. Area and production of major fruit crops, excluding palm, are shown in Table 4. Table 4. Area and production of major fruits of Bangladesh (1999-2000). Uses Banana is a rich source of calorie, as well as most of the vitamins essential for human nutrition. Dessert bananas are eaten as fresh fruit Table 2. Monthly rainfall of different region (mm) (1999). Region Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Dhaka 0 0 0 050 322 302 442 360 233 422 9 0 Sylhet 0 0 49 207 731 472 775 503 253 344 0 0 Chittagong 0 0 4 006 438 797 713 776 367 262 13 55 Rajshahi 0 0 1 064 305 345 433 567 390 195 7 0 Khulna 0 0 0 018 157 215 388 311 338 155 8 0 Barisal 0 0 0 032 330 457 658 490 409 288 4 6 Name of crop Area (000 ha) Production (000 t) Banana 40.5 572 Mango 50.6 187 Jackfruit 26.7 267 Pineapple 14.2 148 Litchi 5.3 14 Papaya 2.0 12 Watermelon 9.7 79 Ber 4.5 16 Guava 10.1 48 Citrus fruits 10.2 32 Other fruits 9.3 29 Total 183.1 1404 35 while plantain is a good vegetable available throughout the year. Ripe banana mixed with rice and milk is the traditional dish for Bangladeshi. It is used in preparing cakes and other delicious foods. Banana is often the first solid food fed to infant. Plantain has a great demand in the urban areas during the lean period of vegetables from May to October. It is used in fish curry and also mashed with spices. Its green peel is also mashed and eaten. It has medicinal value too. The average food intake of a Bangladeshi is deficient in calorie, vitamins and minerals. Banana, the cheapest fruit of Bangladesh, can improve this situation to a great extent. Marketing Almost all bananas produced in the country are sold in the domestic market. The export markets have their standards and to achieve these, efforts have to be made to produce quality fruits. A small quantity of banana is exported to the Middle-East countries but statistical information is dearth on it. Usually, banana passes two or three hands before it reaches the consumer. Small farmers usually sell their produce to middlemen or collectors in the village, who subsequently sell the same to wholesalers. Retailers and hotels/restaurants will then obtain bananas from the wholesalers. Finally, fruits are sold or served to consumers. Sometimes, retailers collect banana directly from the farmers and sell them at the roadside fruit stalls or markets. As a result, farmers are deprived of their actual price. Banana cultivars Table bananas Among table cultivars, Amritsagar, Sabri, Champa, BARI Kola-01, Mehersagar and Kabri are the commercial cultivars. The other cultivars are Dudsagar, Agniswar, Genasundari, Kanaibashi, Basrai, Binisuta etc. The Horticulture Research Centre has 18 cultivars/landraces of table banana in its collection. Besides, there are different types of seeded cultivars growing in the homesteads, roadsides and forests all over the country. The inflorescence of this is a good vegetable. The description of the commercial cultivars is given below: Amritsagar (AAA). Amritsagar is the best table banana in Bangladesh. It fairly resembles the internationally reputed banana Gros Michel, which once occupied 63% of the world market. Plants are medium- sized, weak and cannot withstand strong wind. The ripe banana develops a bright yellow colour. The pulp has a good taste. The average bunch has 5-7 hands and 12-13 fingers in each hand. Status of banana production in Bangladesh 36 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Sabri (AAB). Syn: Malbhog, Onupam, Martaman. This is a favourite table variety. The plant is tall and can be identified by the yellowish green pseudostem with brownish blotches, reddish margins of the petiole and leaf sheath. The average bunch weight is about 10 kg. A bunch contains 85-120 fingers. Fruits are medium-sized with a thin peel, ivory yellow in colour, firm in texture, sweet and tasty. It is highly susceptible to fusarium wilt, which is a threat to its production and cannot be cultivated more than 2 to 3 times in a ratooning system. The other demerits are easy dropping of ripe fruits from the hand and formation of hard lumps in the pulp. This is widely grown in the north and western areas of Bangladesh. Champa (AAB). It is one of the hardiest tall cultivar grown all over the country. But its cultivation is widespread in Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Districts. It can be grown under rain-fed condition or with scanty irrigation. The plant is resistant to fusarium wilt and fairly resistant to bunchy top disease. Fruits are small in size with thin peel, creamy pulp and sub-acid taste. Fruits turn golden yellow when ripe and have excellent keeping quality. The bunch contains 150-250 fingers and weighs about 16 kg. Mehersagar (AAA). The plant is medium-dwarf. Fruits are large and have greenish to dull yellow colour when ripe. The flesh is very soft and sweet. The keeping quality of fruits is poor and the market price is less. The average bunch weight is about 15 kg. It is susceptible to leaf spot diseases. Kabri (AB). Kabri is known by different names such as Bangla, Shail, Thutae, Manua, etc. The plant is hardy and can be grown without much care. The fruits are very sweet, with a light yellow skin colour and contain a few seeds in most cases. BARI Kola-01 (AAA). Plants are semi-dwarf. Bunch weight is 23.7 kg with 9-11 hands. Fruits are medium to large (150g each), bright yellow and sweet in taste. Plantain. Nine distinct genotypes of plantain have been identified from different parts of the country. Field evaluation of these selected genotypes was done along with FHIA-03. In this trial, FHIA-03 has been found superior to all with respect to yield and disease tolerance. The local genotypes were found susceptible to fusarium wilt. Considering yield potential and disease tolerance, FHIA-03 was released for cultivation as plantain. But its multiplication is very difficult. 37 Production practices Banana production in Bangladesh can be categorized basically into three systems: backyard, mixed and commercial small-holder production. The most common production of banana is the backyard production; primarily for home consumption. Crop management is very shy in this system. But productivity and longevity is high. Bananas are grown as perennials in homestead areas. The production is not seasonal. Practically no fertilizer or pesticides are applied. Banana is intercropped with potato, onion, mustard, radish, spinach, amaranth, bitter gourd, cabbage, etc. to obtain additional income in mixed crop production system. In commercial cultivation, banana is grown as a mono-crop. Modern production practices are being followed by most of the growers. Planting materials Quality planting material is of prime importance for banana production. But most growers are not well aware to the sucker quality. The farmers collect suckers from old orchards without having known their disease status. As a result they fail to produce a good crop. Biotechnology division of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has developed the micro-propagation protocol of banana. It was observed that the performance of tissue-cultured plants was better with respect to yield and fruit quality. Training programmes were organized for NGO personnels on the technique of micro- propagation. Some NGOs are producing banana plantlets on commercial basis through tissue-culture. Major pests and diseases In Bangladesh, banana-scarring beetle is a serious problem which causes scar on the fruits by feeding on young flowers and fruits. The fruits affected by this pest have poor market acceptability. Yield reduction occurs due to severe incidence of this pest. Table banana varieties of ratoon crop were found to have a high incidence of scarring beetle. The growers used to apply DDT and other systemic insecticides directly on the bunch to protect fruits from beetle. But the most successful method to avoid this beetle is the bagging of the bunch before opening the first hand. Mites and thrips also cause considerable damage of the flowers and fruits but are not alarming with a few exceptional cases. Banana aphid is widespread and is responsible primarily for the transmission of Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) and thus causes damage to the crop to a considerable extent. Stem Status of banana production in Bangladesh 38 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 borer is another problem in some local cultivars. The exotic variety ITC 1265 (FHIA-23) is very much susceptible to this insect. Fusarium wilt and sigatoka leaf spot are the serious diseases of banana in Bangladesh. Sabri and plantain cultivars are seriously damaged by fusarium wilt with a threat to extinction. The use of disease-free planting materials and improved drainage system can prevent infection. Most of the table and plantain cultivars are susceptible to sigatoka. Tilt and Bavistin are found effective against the disease. But farmers rarely spray their plants. Recently, Banana Streak Virus (BSV) and Banana Bract Mosaic Virus (BBrMV) have been found to increase in the country but not much emphasis has been given yet in this regard. Only Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) is known to commercial growers and rouging is being done by them. Tissue-cultured plants can play a vital role in overcoming this serious disease. Nematode is also a problem in banana, but no research work was done in this area in the past. Environmental factors Cyclones, drought, flood, cold temperature, etc. are commonly experienced stresses in different banana-growing regions. The southern part of Bangladesh is cyclone-prone causing occasional heavy damage on banana plantation. The eastern part is subjected to monsoonal damage. In winter, vegetative growth of banana is reduced and bunches are underdeveloped because of low temperature lower than 200C for about two months. The northern part experiences drought for a long period. Most of the low-lying areas are affected by flood almost every year leading to heavy production loss. Research activities • Improvement of local cultivars. In hilly region the local cultivars Kabri (Banglakola) and Champa are being grown without much care. Variability also exists in those cultivars. Hence, research emphasis has been given to develop and improve varieties through clonal selection. • Evaluation of improved varieties/landraces. Eighteen germplasm of banana were received in 2000 from INIBAP Transit Centre (ITC), Belgium through BAPNET. Fifteen of them were planted in the field for sigatoka and performance evaluation under International Musa Testing Programme (IMTP) Phase III. The germplasm ITC 1271 (GCTCV-215), ITC 1319 (FHIA-18), ITC 1320 (Jamaica), ITC 1283 (Cuban origin) and one mutant from ITC 0570 (Williams) showed better performance in respect of yield. ITC 1283 produced 39 bigger bunch with 15 hands awaiting harvest. But problem is that it took longer period from planting to harvest. Performance of these varieties at different planting season is required before final evaluation. Three new banana germplasm ITC 1262, ITC 1442 (GCTCV-106) and ITC 1443 (GCTCV-247) were collected from Belgium in July 2003. These are in the tissue culture laboratory for multiplication. Next year, these three germplasm will be included in field trial. Collection is being continued. • The banana germplasm received from ITC, Belgium are being grown in earthen pots in insect protected net house to keep the plants in virus-free condition. The local commercial cultivars will also be conserved in net house for producing healthy suckers. The healthy suckers will be used to produce large number of healthy propagules for distribution to the progressive growers. • It is reported that FHIA-03 is performing well in the farmers’ field with respect to yield and cooking quality. But it is very slow in producing suckers in the field as well as in the tissue-culture laboratory. Mortality percentage is also high during establishment in the nursery. • Soil nutrient management. Banana is a quick growing and exhaustive crop for nutrient requirement for its growth. In hilly areas and homesteads, banana is being grown without any fertilizer. Though there is a recommendation of fertilizer application in banana, the farmers do not usually follow. Only the commercial- scale farmers use it. Most of the growers use high amount of phosphate and urea but low potash. Effects of macro-nutrients on banana were studied at some locations but not micro-nutrients. So, the requirement of micro-nutrients for banana cultivation in Bangladesh is yet to be standardized based on research findings. At present, deficiency of zinc and boron is exhibited in the field. In commercial area, farmers use urea after bunch opening to encourage growth of the fingers. Sometimes, banana is observed to ripe before proper maturation, causing yield reduction and quality deterioration. • Crop protection program. In-depth evaluation of Musa germplasm against sigatoka leaf spot diseases was initiated but the experiment failed due to the heavy hail storm in April 2003. Thirteen germplasm collected from Belgium were included in this study. The study is being continued in ratoon crop. Sigatoka is a common disease of Cavendish-type banana. There is a programme to identify the species of nematode in banana-growing areas. A plant pathologist is expecting training from BAPNET in this aspect. Status of banana production in Bangladesh 40 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 • Postharvest handling. Bananas are transported to the nearby markets usually by bicycles, tricycles, wheel barrow, boats and shoulder carrier. Trucks are used for distant city markets. Therefore, about 20-30% fruits are damaged due to heavy pressure of the bunches and rough handling during loading and unloading. Natural ripening of banana is done for home consumption only. Heat treatment is the common method for ripening banana in commercial scale. Heating is done either by a candle or stove or burning rice husk to banana covered with the polyethylene film or in a closed room for 6-20 hours, depending on the season and variety. In this system, the firmness or texture of banana is damaged partially due to high temperature created inside the polyethylene cover or closed room. Even the heating period is longer and no cooling system after heat treatment. Fans are occasionally used to cool down the temperature. About 10-15% bananas are damaged within a day due to overheating. Fruit colour also becomes fate. Some businessmen also use ethrel to hasten ripening but not in proper dose and in scientific way. They usually spray ethrel on the whole bunch before loading truck for shipment to distant market. Sometimes immature bunches were harvested especially during higher market price. No processing industry for banana is developed in the country. Development activities • Field days and training programmes were organized for the banana growers, NGOs and extension personnel with a view of promoting modern banana production technologies. There are training programmes for the businessmen on proper method of ripening through ethrel. It will help in reducing postharvest losses. • Last year a good number of tissue-cultured suckers of commercial cultivar BARI kola-01 were distributed to the growers. • The advantage of using organic fertilizer on banana was demonstrated in the farmers’ field by the Fertilizer Company in collaboration with BARI. Institutions involved on banana research • Horticultural Research Centre, BARI • Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) • Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) 41 Opportunities Banana is a popular fruit in the country. It is the only fruit which is within the buying capacity of poor people. Hence, it is of utmost importance to increase production to meet the demand of the country. The following are the opportunities to improve the present situation of banana industry in Bangladesh: • Utilization of hilly areas for banana cultivation • Intervention of modern varieties and technologies for both plain and hilly areas • Use of improved cultural practices • Reduction of postharvest losses. There is also a possibility to export fresh banana and its products. Thrusts Research thrusts have already been given on varietal improvement, production of disease-free planting materials, fertilizer management, disease management and postharvest management of banana. Further, alternative techniques to avoid beetle is also ongoing. Emphasis has been given on field days, demonstration and training programmes for quick dissemination of the technologies. Prime importance has also been given on the maintenance of disease-free mother plants of commercial cultivars and released varieties for large-scale multiplication and distribution to the growers. Proposed areas of collaboration Collaboration for banana research is needed in the following fields: • Variety improvement through germplasm exchange • Banana diseases (identification, yield loss assessment, indexing and management) • Banana sucker multiplication through tissue culture • Postharvest handling of banana • Human resources development with regards to training, visits, higher studies, etc. Status of banana production in Bangladesh 42 A 43 *Director, CARDI, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. An update on research and technology development of banana in Cambodia Men Sarom* Introduction Banana or Chek in Khmer, plays a very important role in the daily diet of the people of Cambodia. It is a healthy and high-value fruit crop that is used in preparing many dishes. Apart from the daily diet that it can provide, banana is used in all religious or traditional ceremonies of the country. In Cambodia, the date when banana was first cultivated is unknown. As the country is located within the centre of origin of banana, genetic diversity of the crop is very high. Many land races and wild species are found throughout the country. Banana is widely grown in the country by smallholding farmers for both market and home consumption. Nevertheless, a number of medium-size commercial production farms of the crops can also be found in the central region of the country in Chamcar Leu, Kampong Cham Province. Generally, the crop is planted close to the house where various types of banana can be planted mixed with one another and/ or mix with the other crops. Banana is cultivated in almost all types of soils, and in all agro-ecological regions ranging from lowland to upland or sloppy mountains of the country. More productive crops are, however, found when they are planted in alluvial soils at the riverbanks and/or on red soils of the northeast highland regions of the country. Due to the scale of its production, official statistics on the area, volume and yield, are not possible to collate. Despite its importance to the life of people, investment on the crop is still limited and no research has been conducted. Commercial cultivars There are several major commercial cultivars planted in the country. However, as no improvement has been taken, they have low yield and susceptible to many pest and diseases. They can be classified into: An update on research and technology development of banana in Cambodia 44 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Widely cultivated • Chek Namva. This is the most popular cultivar in the country. Its production exceeds all other types of banana and there are a lot of recipes for using this variety. The male bud is used as vegetable, fresh or cooked. Leaves are used for packing and wrapping. Several subtypes of Chek Namva are found such as Pluk, Preng and Phnom. • Chek Ambong. The production area covered by the cultivar is the largest in the country. It is obviously the sweetest banana with mild aroma. It has the biggest bunch, hands and fingers among others. There are several subtypes of Chek Ambong, like Kiev, Pluk, Voar, Toeu and Yuon. • Chek Pong Moan (chicken-egg banana). Chek Pong Moan is the most delicious and most expensive banana in the country. Two subtypes of Chek Pong Moan are listed; these are Krachak Andoek and Pluk. Locally cultivated • Chek Nuon. This is similar to Chek Pong Moan but not as delicious, and larger in size. The skin is thin, and the stem is similar to that of Chek Pong Moan. • Chek Meas Sgnuon. This is similar to Chek Nuon but has a different sweet-sour taste. • Chek Teuk (water banana). By its name, this banana is more tolerant to water logging, but its fruits have no commercial value. It is grown mainly in the low-lying areas where water logging is a problem and where no other types of banana can be grown. • Chek Snap Mouk (masked face banana). This banana can only be found in some areas. The fruits are big and are eaten boiled when they are ripe. • Chek Chvea. It is a seeded banana. It is grown on the farmers’ backyard but normally far away from the house. It is believed that this banana has the power to attract the spirit and so it is not advisable to grow it next to the house. Rarely cultivated • Chek Cham Pdei • Chek Muoy Roy Snit (one hundred hands). This type of banana has no commercial value but it can be a good genetic source for cultivar improvement. Many hands rise from the stalk but fruits are not fully developed. • Chek Reach Sei • Chek Leak 45 Ornamental • Chek Meas. This is a decorative banana and is grown mainly for its nice flowers. The flower can be red or yellow. • Chek Plet Banana uses • Rhizome used for cooking • Stem used for cooking or to feed animal • Male bud used for salad or cooking • Fruits o Green – cooked, fresh salad, pickles o Semi-ripe – slice sweetened, roasted, boiled, fresh salad, pickles o Ripe – fresh, boiled, dried, deep fried, steamed • Leaves used as packing materials Production constraints • Pests and diseases. Lately, a significant decrease in banana production caused by fusarium wilt has been widely reported. • Planting method. The use of suckers as seed stock is the main practice in Cambodia. To a lesser extent, for planting a new crop, the use of rhizome is also practised. Normally, for the new plantation, suckers separated from the main stem are planted in a prepared pit. Commonly, suckers with three to four leaves are used. Cow manure and/or compost is mixed with the soil for filling the pit. Distance between pits is 2.5 x 4 meters, or 3 x 4 meters. Two to three cycles of generation are kept before the new crop is established. Due to this practice, the spread of diseases such as fusarium wilt is difficult to control and/or eliminate and the yield becomes poorer from one cycle to the next. It is also possible that some pest population can build up over the years. • Marketing. Availability of the market and its low and variable price for the fruits are seriously affecting to the production of the crop in the country. • Postharvest handling. Lack of storage facility and transportation significantly affects the quality of fruits and their market price. Current banana R&D activities Presently, the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) is the only agricultural research institute in the country where a number of research areas and in particular in banana An update on research and technology development of banana in Cambodia 47 regarded as one of the major approaches to strengthen the banana industry. Areas for future collaboration • Varietal improvement programme • Support in tissue culture programme • Human resource development programme An update on research and technology development of banana in Cambodia Figure 1. Locations where collections have been taken place (Shaded place). 46 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 are conducted. However, because of resources constraint, public investment in agricultural research constitutes only a small portion of the total government budget. Lack of facilities, manpower and research budget are commonly observed. In collaboration with the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP), a project on research and technology development for banana in Cambodia has been established and was carried out by CARDI. The major objectives of this project are: 1. Collection, evaluation and conservation of cultivated and wild banana 2. Selection of mother plants in term of productivity and quality 3. Multiplication of mother plants using tissue culture technique for production 4. Training and capacity building. By the establishment of the project and in response to the capacity building program, a research officer of the institute has been sent for a two-week training course on tissue culture techniques of banana and indexing techniques of banana virus and health management of virus-free bananas in Taiwan Banana Research Institute (TBRI) and National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taiwan. Apart from that, a number of collecting trips have been organized to different locations and a considerable number of materials have been collected. In 2003, 89 samples of banana with all distinct characteristics were collected from three provinces located on the central plain of the country (Figure 1). The collected materials had been planted in nurseries at a field genebank of CARDI. From each sample, five suckers were planted. Each sucker was planted in pit with 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5m in size. The distance between pits was 2.8m x 2.5m. Since there is no expert in species identification within the institute, no effort has been done to identify the collected materials. Opportunities and thrust As mentioned earlier, Cambodia is part of the centre of origin of banana and its richness in genetic diversity of the Musa species is undebatable. In order to preserve these valuable materials for next generations, more collections in other locations and a better system for conserving all collected materials are extremely necessary. Along with that, increasing crop production and quality of the fruits are equally important to banana industry in the country. Production of new high yielding cultivars with high marketing quality can be 48 A 49 *Vice Director, Pomology Research Institute, GDAAS, Guangzhou, China. Production and R&D of banana in China Xu Linbing*, Yang Hu, Huang Bingzhi, Wei Yuerong Banana industry status Banana is one of the main fruits in China. The total planted area for banana is 244 980 hectares. In China, banana ranks seventh after apple, citrus, pear, grape, litchi and longgan in terms of hectarage. The main production areas are Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian, Yunnan, Taiwan, Sichuang and Chongqing Provinces (Table 1). Based on the worldwide statistics from FAO (2002), China places fifth in terms of banana production. In the last 20 years, banana production in China has developed steadily and contributed to China’s fast economic growth. In 2001, the volume of banana production reached 5 272 352 tonnes. Banana ranked fourth after apple (20 014 986 tonnes), citrus (11 606 915 tonnes) and pear (8 796 097 tonnes) (Qinglin 2003). Some commercial plantations get 60 000 kg/hectare yield. However, due to typhoon and chilling, the average yield is only 21 520 kg/ha (Qinglin 2003). Since the typhoons are more frequent this year, the expected yield decrease would be much more. Table 1. Area planted and volume of production of banana and their occupation rate (Qinglin 2003). The main consumption market is located at the northern part of China. In 2001, China exported 39 265 tonnes, export sum was $20 821 000; and imported 413 965 tonnes, which cost about $98 248 000 (FAO 2001). Major cultivars The major cultivars are as follows: Xiangjiao type (AAA, Cavendish), Production and R&D of banana in China Province Area (000 ha) Area (%) Production (t) Yield (%) Productivity (t/ha) Guangdong 98.60 40.25 2 287 362 43.38 23.20 Guanxi 58.80 24.00 1 129 564 21.42 19.21 Hainan 34.14 13.94 912 568 17.31 26.73 Fujian 31.82 12.99 797 385 15.12 25.06 Yunnan 17.80 7.27 124 075 2.35 6.97 Guizhou 2.70 1.10 10292 0.20 3.81 Sichuan 1.00 0.41 9 658 0.18 9.66 Chongqing 0.12 0.05 1 448 0.03 12.07 Total 244.98 100.00 5 272 352 100.00 21.52 50 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Fenjiao (ABB, Pisang Awak), Dajiao type (ABB, just like Bluggoe) and Gongjiao (AA, Pisang Mas). Among Xiangjiao type cultivars, Baxi Xiangjiao (a variety introduced from Brazil, like Valery) is the most popular. The others are Williams, Guangdong No.2, Zhangjiao No.8 and local cultivar Gaojiao Dundilei (Table 2). Table 2. Major cultivars, genotype and areas of production. Uses of banana Ninety-nine per cent of banana is used as a dessert fruit and less than one per cent for processing. Banana leaf and pseudostem are sometimes used as animal feed. Banana is also the main cash crop for many farmers in major banana planting areas. Below is an example of the cost of production of a commercial banana farm in China (Table 3). Genome/type Cultivar Area % Provinces AA Pisang Mas Gongjiao 1.0 Guangdong, Hainan Baxi,(Brazil) 45.0 Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian Williams 8.0 Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian Guangdong No.2 2.0 Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian Gaojiao Dundilei 4.0 Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Aijiao (Dwarf Cavendish) 2.0 Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan,Yunnan, Fujian Tianbao Gaojiao 10.0 Fujian, Hainan, Guangdong Zhangjiao No.8 0.3 Fujian AAA Cavendish Other Cavendish 17.0 Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Fujian, Sichuan AAA Green-red Hong Xiangjiao 0.2 Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Fujian AAB Silk Longyajiao 0.2 Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian Guangfen No. 1 0.3 Guangdong, Hainan ABB Fenjiao Fenjiao 4.0 Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian Zhongba Dajiao 4.0 Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian, Chongqing ABB Dajiao Gaojiao Dajiao 2.0 Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Fujian, Sichuan, Chongqing 51 Table 3. Cost of production for one hectare in the Pearl River Delta. Land rent $1000 ~ $1700 Land plough $400 Tissue-cultured plantlets $300 Tools and equipment $700 Fertilizer $2200 Chemical $300 Bamboo $400 Labour cost $1500 Total $6800-$7500 In general, without environmental disasters (typhoon and chilling), most bananas can yield approximately 30-40 tonnes/ha in spring and winter and 50-60 tonnes/ha in summer and fall. If typhoon and chilling occurs, the yield would decrease. In spring and winter, the purchase price in $0.25/kg will get profit. In summer and fall, the purchase price in $0.15/kg will also get profit. The price this year is higher than before. Major pests and diseases • Yellow sigatoka is the most common disease. Large quantities of chemicals are used to control it. Indar Propiconazole is used to control yellow sigatoka and freckle. Jiaobantuo fungicide emulsion produced by the Academy of Guangdong Agricultural Sciences can replace Tilt. Chen Liping (2001) noted that Yebanqing 25% emulsion, which is cheaper than Tilt, can be used as replacement. Black sigatoka has not been found in China. • Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) occurred in old plantation, especially in ratoon crop. Imidacloprid is used to control the aphid. Lu Yongyue (2002) studied the repellent effects and toxicity of the plant extracts on banana aphid (Pentalonia nigronervosa f. Caladii Van der Goot) in the laboratory. The results showed that the repellent effects of Ricinus communis L. and Nerium indicum Mill. were very high, and repellent indices of those two plant extracts were under 0.1. Toxicity of most plant extracts on banana aphid was also low. He Zifu and Xiao Huogen (2001) did the cloning and sequencing of DNA components of six BBTV NS strain. To find out whether Pisang Awak is infected or not, the BBTV was divided into NSP and NS strains. Xu Chunxiang (2001, 2002) did the cloning and sequencing of four DNA components and two components of BBTV NS strain. Zhou Lijuan (2001) detected an occurrence of BBTV by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Using the modified procedure, hexadecyl-trimethyl-ammonium bromide Production and R&D of banana in China 52 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 (CTAB) method, the DNA templates with high quality and quantity could be obtained. BBTV within 5g infected tissue could be detected successfully. • Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) has become more serious than BBTV in new plantation due to popular adoption of tissue-cultured plants. Imidacloprid is used to control the aphid. Du Dao-lin (2002) cloned and reconstructed the vector vector of the banana mosaic virus coat protein genes. Qin Bixia (2002) experimented on transferring CMV infected suckers in tissue culture and found that general propagation could not eliminate CMV. Every sucker should be subjected to ELISA test. Wang Haihe (2001) constructed cDNA clone and nucleotide sequence of RNA3 of a Cucumber Mosaic Virus to isolate Xb from banana. The nucleotide sequence of RNA3 of a cucumber mosaic virus strain from banana of subgroup (CMV Xb) was cloned and analyzed at nucleotide and protein level after amplification of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) with two pairs of primers. • The severe infection of Cavendish by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) (race 4) was first found in 1995 in some areas of Panyu district with the tendency of spreading fast. Its control measures are still being studied. Liu Shaoxing (2001) found the rule of Foc occurring. Now we are testing a biochemical called Kangdileide for 450 times with 3kg water/plant. The Foc race 4 infected plants (shown leaves narrow, edge yellow, some spited on pseudostem) are Baxi (AAA Cavendish) and Lonyajiao (AAB Silk). After 14 days, most plants emerged as two healthy leaves. After 52d, some severely infected Baxi plants died, but no new infected plant emerged, and all the Longyajiao grew better, with 7-10 healthy new leaves, and no symptom can be seen. But some of them would later wilt again. Further study would thus be done. In 2003, 34 varieties from INIBAP were introduced for testing for sigatoka and Foc race 4. • Banana anthracnose. He Hong (2002) studied the mycelium growth, conidia formation, and germination of Collectotrchum musae were strongly inhibited by endophytic bacteria, BS-2 and BS-1 (Bacillus subtilis), which were isolated from capsicum. A 34- 90% control was produced by the two strains in 16d after inoculating the pathogen, and the effect of BS-2 was better than that of BS-1. Weihong (2001) reported that banana anthracnose [Colletotrichum musae (Berk.&Curt) Arx.] not only damaged the fruit but also caused leaf collapses. It was called broken leaf anthracnose. 53 • In the last 2-3 years, the damage on banana leaves by insect leaf roller, Erionotatorus evans, is very common, especially in Fenjiao (Pisang Awak) and Longyajiao (Pisang Lilin). The damaged leaves are thinner than Cavendish. After 2 years of survey, Lu Yongyue (2002) found that many factors in banana plantation limited the population of leaf roller. Many parasite bees are the natural enemies of leaf roller, and also some spiders. • The pseudostem borer, Odoiporus longicollis Olivier, also happens in older plantation. Insect-free tissue-cultured plantlets and chemical were adopted to control the borer. Lu Yongyue applied the technology of Steinernema carpocapsae to control banana pseudostem weevil in plantations. He also used different ways to supply Metarhizium anisopliae var anisopliae to control banana pseudostem weevil in 2003 (Yongyue 2003). • Nematodes like banana root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne javanica (Treub) Chitwood and M. arenaria (Neal) Chitwood, as well as the Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford & Oliveira, occur in some sandy fields in Hainan and Fujian province. The burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, is not reported yet. • Rat damage. Huang Xiuqing (2002) studied rat damage in banana plantation. He found that rat eat banana in spring and winter due to lack of food and rat control in early December, input:output = 1: 5.4~45. • Pseudostem rot usually occurs in former rice fields. The infected plant becomes weak and grows slowly. Lime is used to paint the pseudostem to control infectedtrees. Production practices The commodity consciousness of farmers is not strong, which lead to bad fruit quality. But competing with imported banana, field de- handing and hand pruning are becoming popular. Seven to eight hands for each bunch are recommended. Flower relicts are left for they help the fingers grow longer. However, this leads to postharvest diseases of fruits. Sometimes, bunch protection is neglected which result to finger scars. Because of the big area of plantations in China, no exact fruit age identification is recommended. The grower harvests the bunch just by experience although the date of de-flowering was marked. • Weed control. Manual control; Black plastic sheet and rice straw cover; Chemical control: glyphosate and paraquat. It was found Production and R&D of banana in China 54 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 out that the one covered with black plastic sheet grew faster than the one treated with chemical, shooting 20 days earlier than chemical control. • De-suckering. Usually this involves digging up the excess suckers. Kerosene-control should be employed. First, cut the sucker, then dig a small hole in the center with the tip of knife, then pour 1-2 ml kerosene in the hole. The sucker will rot several days later. There are no side effects to the plant, the plant can produce suckers later. Results showed that the new method can save 36.7% time and labour. De-suckering has become an easy job. • Bagging. Non-woven bag are adapted for bagging in some plantation. It can prevent sun burn and freckle and could keep the fingers look fresh. Usually, newspapers are used to cover the bunch, and then covered with plastic bag. • IPM. There are some banana production companies that cooperate with Japanese company that began IPM production for export of organic banana to Japan in Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Hainan. • Environmental factors. Most of the plantations (Guangdong Pearl River Delta, southern Guangxi, Fujian and Yunnan) are suitable for banana growth. The best tasting fruit is harvested in December– May, during the warmer winter year. Chilling in winter is one of the main restraining factors of banana planting. In December 1999, the frost chilled 150 000 ha of plantation, which caused at least 1 million tonnes of banana loss in year 2000. The banana farmers in Guangdong Pearl River Delta put up a small plastic tent as a single plant green house to protect the plants from the cold wind during winter and early spring, so that the plants can shoot in August, and could be harvested before the end of December. Tao Zhonglian (2001) reported the relationship between weather and banana quality. He pointed out that the weather affects banana quality. Bunch bagging can also improve the fruit quality. Zhou Yupin (2002) reported that H2O2 and CaCl2, has an effect on banana leaves when subjected to low temperature. Her experiment showed that spraying 20-25mg/L ABA, 15-30 mg/L PP333 and Brassinolide on the leaves of banana plantlets can improve the peroxidase (POD) activity and reduce the relative electric conductivity (REC) at the period of chilling-stress and recovering (Yuping 2002). Typhoons usually occur from May to September and would destroy the sea coast plantation. Windbreak forest, bamboo support, wind break fence and cutting 1/3-1/2 of leaves are done to prevent 55 toppling after shooting. New bamboo is stronger than old one. After Typhoon Dujuan came on 2 September 2003 in Guangdong, a survey was conducted. Results showed that 80-100% of banana plants with no bamboo support were toppled while 50-70% of banana plants with old bamboo support (minimum of 2 years old) and only 10% of plants with new bamboo were affected. Dwarf cultivars are planted in the coast line as they are tolerant of the typhoon. The best time to plant is in April to June to avoid typhoon damage on the fruiting plant. Drought is another major limiting factor for banana production. Drought usually occurs in winter and early spring and most plantations do not have good irrigation system. This causes a delay in banana growth of more than 1 month and lower yield. Current banana R&D activities/programs and institutions involved Germplasm Pomology Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GDAAS) has collected 210 accessions at present, of these, 34 accessions were granted by INIBAP, and all of them have been conserved in field, with in vitro copy. The agronomic characters of most accessions have been appraised and recorded. Some of them are classified by isoperoxidase analysis. Recently, identification and classification of banana varieties were studied based on AFLP and RAPD analyses. Breeding and selection • Traditional breeding. A lot of cross work were done in 1970-1980s, one tetraploid got named Guangdong Sibeitijiao by Qitoudajiao (ABB) X balbisiana (BB). Two cultivars Guangdong No.1 from Gaozhou Aijiao (from Dwarf Cavendish), Guangdong No.2 (from Chuoi Tien) were selected. Fenjiao (Pisang Awak) was mutated to dwarf Fenjiao which is 2.3-.26 m in height. CO60 mutation breeding of banana in vitro buds got Fu 1, the plant become Dwarf Cavendish. In Fujian, 60CO-r mutation in breeding of banana in vitro buds was also used, and got Zhangzhou No.8. • Biotechnology breeding. In this field, researches were being developed in two aspects. One is to set up an efficient plant regeneration system suitable for gene transformation. Another is about gene transformation technology. At present, there are three Production and R&D of banana in China 56 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 gene transformation receptor that have been used in experiments, including meristems (Li Huaping et al. 2000), micro-cross sections (Huang Xia et al. 2003), and embryogenic cell suspension (Wei Yuerong et al. 2003. Xu Chunxiang, et al. 2002). Data showed that ECS was the best material for genetic manipulation of this crop. ECS was successfully established in some cultivars, such as Guangdong NO.2 (AAA), Gongjiao (AA), Zhongshan Longyajiao (AAB), and Yeshengjiao (AA). Based on this, gene transformation and protoplast culture are being studied. Particle bombardment and Agrobacterium-mediated were used to introduce the goal gene. Transient expression of GUS gene was used to optimize the biological conditions. Tissue culture Most banana plantations use tissue-cultured plants. About 200 million plantlets are made by more than 100 commercial laboratories every year. Some laboratories lack technology such that plant off-types are produced or plants contaminated with insects and diseases. The Guangdong Agriculture administration issued a new rule to strictly control the banana tissue-cultured plantlets production. This improved the quality of banana plantlets. The Laboratory of Pomology (GDAAS), began the production of tissue-cultured plantlets since 1986, and got a patent for a tissue-culture vessel that use plastic bag instead of glass bottle. By constant research and innovation, it has become the leading laboratory in China. Ten to twenty million TC plantlets can be produced a year. The NQA (National Quality Association) issued an ISO9001:2000 certification. TC plantlets are exported to the Philippines, Jordan and other countries. GAAS is seeking for more markets. Nutrition and water The banana specific fertilizer became more popular than ordinary compound fertilizer. According to the plant growth stage, NPK content is adjusted to produce virgin plant fertilizer, flower differentiation fertilizer and fruit growth fertilizer. Bio-fertilizer (organic) is adapted in many plantations. Foliar fertilizers are also popular. It can improve the fruit quality. Some botanical growth regulators (GA3, 6-BA, etc.) are sprayed after flowering to enlarge the finger so that the purchase price become higher, because the northern China market prefer bananas with longer finger now. At present, water management remains a problem in the banana production because water distribution is seasonal; summer and 57 autumn are the rainy season, while winter and spring are the dry season. Modern irrigation system is of little use in the banana plantations. Some farmers usually dig some deep wells and pump water for irrigation. A new irrigation belt system was adopted by GDAAS. It is cheaper ($600/ha and last more than 2 years), easy setting, effective for irrigation and fertilization (10-20 minutes/time/ ha). It is being promoted in Guangdong now. Production systems The current production system is important to smallholders. However, at present, there is no continuity between the production and marketing system of bananas in China. After harvest, farmers have no clear idea as to how and where to market their bananas. This then leads to high cost and poor quality. Thus, intensive and industrial production systems must be built, such as banana production cooperative groups with famous trademarks. These cooperatives would help farmers market their products at a reasonable price. From 2002 to 2003, there was a good price for banana, hence the banana industry was rising. In Hainan, Guangxi and Yunnan, some plantations covered 1000 ha of banana. The government further promotes ‘company- farmer ’ model to improve the banana industry. Many banana associations have been set up. This made the local banana more competitive. Postharvest Recently, many plantation packing houses are built by local government and farmers in Hainan province. The Hainan provincial government has made a great achievement on banana postharvest and marketing. The local banana can now compete with the imported banana from the tropics. The use of cartons was adopted to hold banana instead of bamboo basket. It was also found that the use of a vacuum bag can keep the banana fresher than usual. In 2003, new cable ways were built to transport banana in Zhongshan and Guangxi. The Horticulture College of South China Agriculture University and Plant Protection Research Institute of GDAAS did a lot of R&D on postharvest. Production and R&D of banana in China 58 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Institutions involved Table 4. Institutions involved in banana research. Opportunities and thrusts China became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2002, which provided new doors for China’s local and export market. In 18 June 2003, China signed a Free Trade Area Agreement with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) regarding zero taxes and opened the market to these countries. Thailand is the first country to benefit from this agreement. There are now a lot of imported fruits in the market especially from Thailand. This is a big challenge for the local tropical fruit producers. They have to improve their variety, quality and technology, in order to compete with other fruit growers. China has a big area good for banana production and there continues a big demand especially for the local market. Meanwhile, fruit security is also becoming a bigger problem for the producer. IPM is thus a priority project for the banana industry. Proposed areas of collaboration • Rapid propagation. Tissue-cultured plants (TCP) are the most popular planting material in China. Eighty to ninety per cent of TCP are used for new plantations. Generally speaking, less than 3% off-type plants can be found in the field. About 200 million TCP are planted every year. The price of TCP is low and can be exported to other countries. Area of expertise Name of institution Collection, characterization, conservation, evaluation, tissue culture, culture, selection Pomology Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences Fungus, postharvest, storage, rat control, IPM Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences Soil fertility management Soil and Fertilizer Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences Collection, characterization, conservation, culture, storage, tissue culture Horticulture College, South China Agricultural University Diseases and pest control, fertilizer, culture, gene clone, IPM Resource and Environment College, South China Agricultural University Gene clone and transformation Life Sciences College, Zhongshan University Gene clone, weather South China Tropical Agriculture University Gene clone, Fujiang Agriculture and Forestry University Chilling, gene clone, tissue culture Biology Department, Guangzhou University Tissue culture, atmospheric Agriculture College, Zhanjian Ocean University Guangxi Agriculture and Forestry University Diseases and pest control Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences Diseases and pest control Plant Protection Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences Gene clone, tissue culture Biology Technology Research Center, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences Chilling, tissue culture China Academy of Sciences, South China Botanical Institute 59 • Excellent germplasm exchange. Germplasm exchange can screen some excellent cultivars, breeding some disease-resistant cultivars. Already 34 cultivars from INIBAP Transit Center were introduced. • IPM • Harvest and postharvest management, technology and equipment. • Marketing management. References Chen Liping. 2001. Prevention of 3 kinds of bactericides on sigatoka. Subtropical Plant Science 30(1): 22-23. Chen Tingsu. 2002. Optimization of the condition for banana (Musa spp.) genetic transformation mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Southwest China Journal of Agricultural Science Vol 15(1). Du Daolin. 2002. Cloning and reconstruction of expression vector of the banana mosaic virus coat protein gene. Guihaia Vol 22(1):81- 84. Du Qinglin. 2003. Annual Statistics of Chinese Country. Chinese Agricultural publication. pp. 163-169. FAO. http://apps.fao.org/default.htm. He Hong. 2002. Biological control of banana anthracnose with endophytic Bacillus subtilis BS-2 and BS-1 isolated from capsicum . Journal of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (Natural Science Edition) Vol 31(4). He Zifu. 2001. Cloning and sequencing of DNA component 6 of BBTV NS strain. Journal of South China Agricultural University Vol 22(3). Huang Xiuqing. 2002. Research on the occurrence and prevention of mouse disserve. Guangdong Agricultural Science Vol 5. Liu Shaoqin. 2001. Research on the occur rule of Fusarium wilt of banana. Fujian Agricultural Science Vol 6. Lu Yongyue. 2002. Effect of plant extracts on banana aphid (Pentalonian groner vosaf. Caldii Vander Goot). Journal of Huazhong Agricultural University 21(4):334-337. Lu Yongyue. 2002. Research on the integral father of mainly pest of banana. Wuyi Science Journal Vol 18. Lu Yongyue. 2002. Study on the Life Table of natural population of the banana pseudostem weevil in spring. Journal of Huazhong Agricultural University 21(6):517-520. Production and R&D of banana in China 60 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Lu Yongyue. 2003. Control effect of different spraying methods of Metarhizium anisopliae on the banana pseudostem weevil Odoiporus longicollis Oliver. Journal of South China Agricultural University Vol 24(1). Qin Bixia. 2002. Transfer of banana heart rot mosaic virus (CMVB) in the tissue culture of banana. South China Fruit 31(6):35 39. Tao Zhongliang. 2001. Effect of weather condition on the quality of banana. Chinese Journal of Tropical Agriculture Vol 4. Wang Haihe. 2001. Construction of cDNA clone and nucleotide sequence of RNA3 of cucumber mosaic virus isolate (CMV Xb) from Banana 16(3:) 252-256. Xu Chunxiang. 2001. Cloning and sequencing of DNA component 4 of BBTV NS strain. Chinese Journal of Virology Vol 17(3). Xu Chunxiang. 2002. Cloning and sequencing of DNA component 2 of BBTV NS strain. Acta Phytopathologica Sinica Vol 32(2). Yan Weihong. 2001. Research on the occur rule of Fusarium wilt of banana. Guangxi plant protect Vol 14(3). Zhou Yuping. 2002. Effect of H2O2 and CaCL2 on cold-resistance abilities in banana plantlets. Journal of Guangzhou University Vol 1(2). Zhou Yuping. 2002. Effects of ABA, PP333 and BR on the POD activity and REC of leaves in banana plantlets. Guihaia Vol 22(5):444- 448. Zhou Lijuan. 2001. Detection of banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) by PCR. Fujian Journal of Agricultural Sciences Vol 16(4):45-48. 61 *Principal Scientist, NRCB, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. Current status of banana research in India M.M. Mustaffa* and S. Sathiamoorthy Introduction India is the largest producer of banana and plantain with an annual production of 16.91 tonnes from 490 700 hectares, and accounts to 19% of total world production. Predominantly, banana production in India is polyclonal and under small farming systems. The banana production in India is hampered by various biotic and abiotic stresses and also production has been seriously threatened by decreasing soil fertility and yield decline phenomena. To overcome these constraints, various efforts are in progress at National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), Trichy and also at state agricultural universities. India is one of the centers of origin of banana, and there exists a lot of diversity especially in ‘B rich genomes’ of northeastern India. B genome, being a source of resistance to different diseases, can also be used as a resistance source in banana breeding programmes. Genetic resource management Explorations are undertaken in northeastern India, covering the states Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur. Among 109 accession collected, 73 accessions were established at NRCB field gene bank under wetland cultivation system while 36 accessions have been lost due to acclimatization problems. For better establishment of northeast accessions, closer spacing is followed to create a microclimate (shade and high humidity), which could be similar to that prevalent in their natural habitat. Fifty four accessions were characterized for morphological traits using IPGRI banana descriptor. Sixty two accessions have already been deposited to NBPGR, New Delhi for onward submission to ITC, Belgium by NRCB. Efforts are being made to deposit the remaining 11 accessions to NBPGR, New Delhi. Molecular characterization Sixteen wild balbisiana accessions were subjected for morpho- taxonomic and RAPD analysis. Seven distinct groups were identified based on morpho-taxonomic characterization and clusters (Table 1). Current status of banana research in India 62 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Table 1. Distinct clusters of balbisiana based on morpho-taxonomic characterization. During molecular characterization, only three distinct clusters were identified (Table 2). Table 2. Distinct clusters identified during molecular characterization. In addition, 13 balbisiana accessions from Andaman and Nicobar islands were grouped into 2 major clusters using RAPD markers. Cluster analysis with RAPD markers of AAB Silk group accessions. Twenty five Silk group (AAB) accessions were subjected to RAPD analysis and found three basic clusters with primer OPB –04. Table 3. Distinct clusters identified during RAPD analysis using OPB-04 primer (GGACTGGAGT). IMTP against fusarium wilt Twenty one accessions were evaluated in wilt hot spot areas at the Agricultural Research Station, Kovvur, Andhra Pradesh and found that six cultivars Burro Cemsa, Saba, Pisang Lilin, Gros Michel, Bluggoe and local Amrithapani were susceptible to fusarium. The extent of severity for wilt was high in Amrithapani followed by Bluggoe and Cluster Members 1 Borkal Baista, Bhimkol and Manguthamng 2 Sasrabale, Musa balbisiana, Bhimkol-2, Bhimkol-3, Elavazhai- 2, Attikol-1, Bacharia Malbhog, Nendra Padathi, Manohar, Attikol-2, Elavazhai-1, Attikol-3 3 Athiakol Cluster Member 1 Saapkal, Sakkar Chayna, Malbhog, Dudhsagar, Rasthali, Hybrid Sawai, Sakkal Nagpur, Malbhog 2, Amrithapani 1, Honda, Digjowa, Nanjangud Rasbale. 2 Mutheli, Digjowa 2. 3 Soniyal, Malbhog 3, Nanjangud Rasbale 2, Pisang Raju Bulu, Madhuranga, Ayirankai Rasthali, Kozhikode, Sabri, Ambeli, Tera Kanchi, Amrithapani 2. Cluster Members 1 Borkal Baista, Bhimkol, Manguthamng 2 Sasra Bale, Bhimkol 3, Athiakol 1, Bhimkol 2 3 Elavazhai 2, Athiakol 2, Elavazhai 1, Athiakol 3 4 Nendrapadathi, Manohar 5 Bacharia Malbhog 6 Musa balbisiana 7 Attikol 63 Gros Michel at 12 months after planting while the least was in Pisang Lilin (1.05). The symptom for petiole buckling was high in Amrithapani followed by Gros Michel. Amirthapani scored high (6) followed by Bluggoe (4.75) while Pisang Lilin exhibited the lowest (1.10). The data on growth and yield parameters revealed that all the global hybrids were resistant to fusarium and produced bunches in fusarium sick plots. Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS) NRCB organized a training program on Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS) in collaboration with INIBAP, France last 21-24 May, 2001 for the benefit of Indian gene bank curators. Eleven banana germplasm curators participated as trainees from all over the country (Kerala-3, Karnataka-3, Andhra Pradesh-1, West Bengal-1, Andaman and Nicobar islands–1 and Tamil Nadu–2). A workshop on ‘Compilation of Names and Synonyms of Bananas and Plantains in India’ was also conducted in collaboration with INIBAP, France last 25-26 May 2001. There were three sessions of technical presentations by 12 resource persons from various ICAR and state agricultural universities (SAUs) representing different banana- growing regions in India. As a result of workshop, a book entitled ‘Names and Synonyms of Bananas and Plantains in India’ was released during the last BAPNET meeting. NRCB is actively participating in updating global banana database network (MGIS). So far, 809 accessions of passport data and 209 accessions of complete characterization data have been updated and 45 accessions of photographs are available in the MGIS database. Germplasm exchange One hundred ninety four accessions were received through NBPGR in New Delhi from ITC in Belgium. Fifty four accessions were maintained at NRCB gene bank while 33 accessions to BRS, Kannara, and 14 accessions to ARS, Kovvur were supplied, respectively, and 4 introductions were given to private firms. Evaluation of promising introductions in India Thirty three exotic introductions were evaluated at NRCB, Trichy, Banana Research Station, Kannara and Agricultural Research Station, Kovvur. Among these, 4 accessions namely FHIA-01, FHIA-03, Burro Cemsa and Saba were promising. FHIA-01 and Saba have exhibited better acceptance among growers and were distributed for multi- Current status of banana research in India 64 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 locational trials in state agricultural universities, state government and farmers’ fields. Four tetraploid introductions from ITC were evaluated at Banana Research Station (BRS), Kannara. FHIA-23 and SH-3336-9 exhibited tolerance to leaf spot diseases and excelled in bunch yield over local cv. Robusta (AAA). Screening • Resistant to banana stem weevil Bhimkol (BB), Athiakol (BB), Elavazhai (BB), Sapkal (AAB), Dudhsagar (AAA), Pisang Lilin (AA), Pisang Jari Buaya (AA), TCR–71-IC-84809, TCR-54, TCR-71-IC-84889, 0447, 0167, 0011 and 0007 were resistant. • Resistant to banana corm weevil Manohar (BB), Bhimkol (BB), Hatidat (AA), Kanaibansi (AA), Nadan (AB), 0047 and 0007 were highly resistant. • Resistant to burrowing nematode (Radopholus similis) Pisang Batuau, Ney Kunnan (AAB), Pisang Jari Buaya, Pisang Edor, Pisang Seribu (AA), Prata, Tongat (AA), Hybrid SH-3142 (PJBH- 15 x SH-1734), Yelakkibale, Kadali (AA), Ayiranka Poovan, Pedalimoongil (AAB), Karpuravalli Kunnan (AAB) and Palayankodan were highly resistant. • Resistant to root lesion nematode (Pratylenchus coffeae) Kunnan, Nattu Poovan, Karpuravalli, Tongat, Pidi Monthan, Pey Kunnan, Chirapunji, Then Kunnan, Hybrid 74 (Nalli x Pisang Lilin), 21, 55, 65, 84, 88, 109 and 110 were highly resistant. • Resistant to spiral nematode (Helicotylenchus multicinctus) Pisang Batuau, Pisang Jari Buaya, Pisang Edor, Prata, Kadali (AA), Padalimoongil (AAB), Kunnan (AAB), Ney Kunnan (AAB), Ayiranka Poovan (AB), Pisang Seribu (AA), Tongat (AA), Anaikomban, Elakkibale, Karpuravalli and Palayankodan were highly resistant. Crop production • Modified high density planting A spacing of 1.8 x 3.6m with 3 suckers per hill accommodating 4630 plants ha–1 produced 67% more yield than conventional planting with 1.8 x 1.8m spacing (3086 plants ha-1). The incidence of leaf spot disease was low in Robusta banana under the modified high-density planting system. • Organic farming 65 Inorganic fertilizer was completely substituted by different organic sources of nutrients along with different bio fertilizers viz., Azospirillum and phosphobacteria to enhance the nutrient use efficiency of native and applied fertilizers. The plant protection aspect was taken care of by bio-control means and thereby use of chemical pesticides was avoided. • Soil fertility management The cement kiln flue dust (CKFD) @ 0.5kg/plant with 60% recommended K recorded the highest bunch weight and TSS, in Karpuravalli banana. Application of CKFD 0.5kg/plant and distillery effluent (DE) 30 000 lit/ac, saved 40% K fertilizer and produced 25% more yield in Ney Poovan banana. Crop protection The minor pests namely banana fruit scarring beetle, small banana weevil, Oriental red mite and Cerambycid beetle were reported from India. Sex pheromones of banana stem weevil were isolated and identified. Plant extracts, entomo-pathogenic fungi and entomo- pathogenic nematodes were isolated and identified for the management of banana weevils. Pseudostem trapping technique had also been developed for banana weevil management. Nematode egg parasitic fungus, Paecilomyces lilacinus, was very effective in controlling root knot nematode eggs by producing antibodies like lilacin and leucinostatin. Sucker dip with Trichoderma viride kills the nematodes by producing toxic extra-cellular metabolites. Growing of Tagetes erecta as intercrop controlled the nematode population effectively in Nendran banana plantation. Cyst nematode Heterodera oryzicola, infecting the tender creamy roots of banana was first time reported in Tamil Nadu. Botanicals like Azadirachta indica, 96.5%, Vitex negundo, 90.5%, Crotalaria juncea, 84.5%, Crotalaria procera, 74.25% and Datura stramonium, 64.25% were highly effective against root lesion nematode, Pratylenchus coffeae, indicating antinemic activity. Other activities in India • The Global Conference on Banana and Plantain was organized during 28-31 October 2002 at Bangalore by the Association for the Improvement in Production and Utilization of Banana (AIPUB) in collaboration with INIBAP, France. Conference recommendations are as follows: Current status of banana research in India 66 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 - Recognition of a broad genetic base, utilizing regionally preferred cultivars through improvement with conventional and biotechnological breeding approach. - Indexing against viruses and establishment of mother nursery stock of disease-free plant material should be mandatory for all tissue culture laboratories, full package to be developed and brought out by National Agricultural Research System of the ICAR. - Development of agro-climatic specific package of practices along with improved varieties for making banana industry competitive and sustainable. - Improvement of input-use efficiency through standardization of drip and fertigation technology to save on energy, water and cost of production. - Efficient integrated modules to be developed for effective disease and pest management. - Development of pre-harvest bunch care standards for quality banana produce and post-harvest handling standards for small- scale farmers on group basis. - Providing due emphasis in research agenda on product diversification and value addition for better prices. - Development of standards for organic farming and organic produce along with registration and certification. - Due attention on demonstration of technologies at farmers’ field and refinement thereof involving instates industry and farmers in participating mode by developing effective linkages. • The 2nd Global PROMUSA Banana Breeders’ Meeting was organized by INIBAP and hosted by NRCB and TNAU during 23- 27 June 2003 at Coimbatore, India. 67 *Director, ICHORD/AARD, Jakarta, Indonesia. Progress report of pests and diseases research on banana in Indonesia Dr. Ahmad Dimyati* Introduction Banana is the most widely grown and produced fruit crop in Indonesia. In the world market, there is a shortage of banana supply, which, at present, is not yet fulfilled. Best quality bananas with the lowest cost of production can only be achieved when grown on suitable soil and appropriate climate. There is a good potential for commercial production of banana using the estate model. Over 3 million hectares of land with high to medium potency are found in West Kalimantan and Irian Jaya. Meanwhile, over 1 million hectare of land with similar potentials is available in the 5 provinces of Sumatra. If good accessibility condition is considered, there are 5 provinces, i.e. South Sumatra, Jambi, North Sumatra, Lampung and West Sumatra that can be prioritized for development. For Eastern Indonesia, provinces of South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi, can be chosen as first priority. To drive export of banana commodity, selection of appropriate variety is important, despite quality improvement through pre-harvest pest and disease control, packing and transportation to the country of destination (Johar et al. 1999). Although banana production has increased over the years, from 1997 to 2001, the production area of banana has declined from 1997 to 1999 (Figure 1), particularly in the central areas of banana production such as Sumatera, Sulawesi, Central and East Java. The decreasing areas were caused by the outbreak of several pests and diseases such as Panama disease, blood disease, Moko, sigatoka, BBTV, CMV, borer and nematodes. The major diseases in the central area of banana production are the Panama disease (fusarium wilt), blood disease and Moko (bacterial wilt). Pisang Kepok is a commercial cooking banana and almost exists in all of parts of Indonesia. Since people knew that Pisang Kepok is very susceptible to bacterial wilt disease, the farmers substituted Pisang Kepok to Pisang Ketan. Pisang Ketan is also a cooking banana and found in West Java (Pisang Oli), Lampung, West Sumatera (Pisang Jantan), North Sumatera (Pisang Sililit) and Jambi (Pisang Lilin). This Progress report of pests and diseases research on banana in Indonesia 68 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 caused the increase in banana production from 1997 to 2001. In Lampung, people have been using Pisang Ketan for making banana chips. Banana is a priority for fruit crop research under the Indonesian Center for Horticultural Research and Development (ICHORD), consequently beside a national program for research. ICHORD collaborates with INIBAP for banana diseases research, namely International Musa Testing Program (IMTP II and IMTP III). 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500 5,000 199 2 199 3 199 4 199 5 199 6 199 7 199 8 199 9 200 0 200 1 Pr od uc tio n (X 1 00 0 to n) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 A re a (X 1 00 0 ha .) Production (ton) Area (ha.) Figure 1. Area and production of banana in Indonesia (1992-2001). Source: Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (2000) and Directorate General Production of Horticulture and Various Plants (2002) IMTP III Under the coordination of the ICHORD, IMTP III in Indonesia is carried out at Aripan Experimental Station, West Sumatera and Berastagi Experimental Station, North Sumatera (Indonesian Fruit Research Institure or IFRURI). The performances of those sites are described in Table 1. Site 1: Aripan Experimental Station, West Sumatera From 21 accessions sent by ITC, only 14 accessions are used for IMTP in Aripan Experimental Station. This is because of the limited planting materials when the project started. Besides the accessions from ITC, 10 local cultivars were also tested. The progress data until May 2003 is described in Table 2. 69 Table 1. Performance of experimental sites for IMTP III in Indonesia. Table 2. The percentage of disease incidence (DI) and disease severity (DS) of fusarium wilt and sigatoka leaf spot in the accessions at Aripan Experimental Station. Progress report of pests and diseases research on banana in Indonesia Location Particulars Aripan, West Sumatera Berastagi, North Sumatera Site manager Dr I. Djatnika Dr I. Djatnika Latitude 0.7412o S 3.1994o S Longitude 100.6251o E 98.5434o E Altitude (masl) 414 1.430 Topography Plain level Drainage line Soil texture Loamy clay Loam Water availability Rainfed Rainfed Slope (%) 0.0 2.00 Soil taxonomy Alfisol Inceptisol Soil pH 6.36 5.5 Soil drainage Good Good Number of days rain (d) 10.49 17.2 Rainfall (mm) 237.4 274 Highest temperature (oC) 34 23.42 Lowest temperature (oC) 28 17.14 Average temperature (oC) 31 19.32 Highest humidity (%) 95 NA Lowest humidity (%) 70 NA Average humidity (%) 85 NA Number of repetition 12 6 Experimental design CRD CRD Plant spacing (m) 3 x 2 3 x 2 Planting date (dd/mm/yy) February 1, 2003 April 15, 2003 Banana wilt Leaf spot Accessions DI (%) DS (%) Symptom DI (%) DS (%) Remark ITC 1282 11.11 1.11 PB 0 0 - ITC 0506 50.00 7.14 PB 0 0 - ITC 1283 100.00 8.73 PB 0 0 - ITC 1265 58.33 7.53 PB 0 0 - ITC 1297 75.00 15.95 PB; YF 0 0 - ITC 1344 66.66 7.93 PB 0 0 - ITC 0249 30.00 5.15 PB 0 0 - ITC 1441 41.66 7.53 PB 8.33 0.83 Sigatoka ITC 1307 50.00 7.14 PB 0 0 - ITC 1122 54.54 7.53 PB 9.09 0.41 Sigatoka ITC 1418 25.00 5.95 PB 0 0 - ITC 0712 0 0 - 0 0 - ITC 1296 83.33 8.73 PB 0 0 - ITC 1264 66.66 13.49 PB; CHN 0 0 - RIFPIS-002 5.55 6.74 PB; YF 0 0 - RIFPIS-005 9.09 2.38 PB; YF 0 0 - RIFPIS-012 25.00 5.95 PB 0 0 - RIFPIS-018 25.00 4.76 PB 0 0 - RIFPIS-019 11.11 16.66 PB 0 0 - RIFPIS-020 75.00 5.95 PB 8.33 0.83 Sigatoka RIFPIS-021 58.33 9.92 PB 0 0 - RIFPIS-022 16.66 2.77 PB; CHN 0 0 - RIFPIS-023 11.11 3.57 PB 0 0 - RIFPIS-024 66.66 4.76 PB 0 0 - Note: DI = Disease incidence CHN = Change in new leaves DS = Disease severity W = Wilting YF = Yellowing foliage PB = Petiole buckling 70 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 The symptom of wilting at various levels was shown by all accessions, except ITC 0712 which showed no symptom. Disease severity was categorized at low level, therefore the plants were still growing well. The major symptom of wilting was petiole buckling. The change of new leaves was shown by ITC 1264 and RIFPIS-022. Besides petiole buckling and the change of new leaves, no other symptoms were visible. The symptoms increased in June and July and decreased in August. The symptom of leaf spot has been decreasing in August. At the 3- month observation after planting (March–May), almost all of the accession produced leaf spot on the fifth leaves, but at month 4th to 7th, the symptom decreased. Only 3 accessions have been showing leaf spot; ITC 1441, ITC 1122 and RIFPIS-020 with the score symptom 1 (< 5% of leaf area). Black-coloured spot may indicate black sigatoka. Some accessions have produced flower in August such as ITC 1282, ITC 1307, RIFPIS-022 and RIFPIS-002. Site 2: Berastagi Experimental Station, North Sumatera IMTP in North Sumatera started in April 2003. Until August 2003, the symptom of fusarium wilt was not visible yet. The symptoms of leaf spots were present in almost all of the accessions. Through laboratory analysis, the presence of sigatoka leaf spot was indicated (Table 3). Table 3. Disease symptoms of the accessions at Berastagi Experimental Station. Symptoms of leaf spot Accessions Leaf spot Disease severity (%) ITC 1307 Sigatoka 2.5 ITC 1123 Sigatoka 1.5 ITC 1301 Sigatoka 0.5 ITC 1282 Sigatoka 1.0 ITC 1441 Sigatoka 0.5 ITC 1264 Sigatoka 1.0 ITC 0643 Sigatoka 5.0 ITC 0506 Sigatoka 2.0 ITC 1283 Sigatoka 2.5 ITC 0570 Sigatoka 1.5 ITC 1296 Sigatoka 1.5 ITC 1265 Sigatoka 1.0 ITC 1319 Sigatoka 4.5 ITC 1297 Sigatoka 2.0 ITC 0505 Sigatoka 2.0 M022 Sigatoka 0.5 ITC 1122 - - ITC 1332 Sigatoka 2.0 M07 Sigatoka 5.0 ITC 1418 Sigatoka 2.0 M023 Sigatoka 3.0 ITC 1256 Sigatoka 0.5 ITC 1344 Sigatoka 0.7 ITC 0312 - - 71 Leaf spot symptom on ITC 1122 and ITC 0312 was not sigatoka but drying leaf due to environmental response. Early selection for Fusarium resistance The assessment of Fusarium resistance via in vitro selection had been done for some crops. Resistant cultivar of wheat to F. graminiarum and F. culmorum has been attained through in vitro screening of somaclonal variation via double layer culture (Ahmed et al. 1991) and callus culture onto medium with toxin filtrate of Fusarium (Ahmed et al. 1996). In banana, the addition of toxin of Foc race 1 into the culture medium was not only as a resistant selection, but also to increase its resistance to its pathogen (Matsumoto et al. 1995). IFRURI was isolated from Fusarium toxin (fusaric acid) from F. oxysporum f.sp. cubense that cultured onto three types of medium (Czapex dox, Richard medium and nutrient agar). The highest fusaric acid concentration was obtained when Foc was cultured onto Czapex dox medium (9.56 ppm) followed by Richard medium (7.29 ppm) and nutrient agar (5.41 ppm) (Djatnika et al. 2001). Resistance assessment of callus was carried out using Pisang Ambon as a source of callus. The callus was dipped into the toxin and cultured onto in vitro culture medium. Fusaric acid with the concentration 0.01 ppm produced necrotic symptom with 44.7% disease severity, while the toxin extract of Foc with 10-1, 10-3, 10-5 dilution caused necrotic with disease severity 51.64%, 31.82% and 35.25%, respectively (Djatnika et al. 2001). Biological control of weevil borer One of the components of integrated pest management is biological control using the natural enemy of the pests. It is relatively safe for human beings as well as for the environment and it is also cheap. Therefore, one of the basic elements in biological control is controlling the natural enemy such as parasitoids, predators and pathogens. Naturally, some organisms associate with corm and pseudostem of banana. These can be parasitoids, predators or pathogens. The existence of those natural enemies is important to be investigated and utilized for controlling weevil borer (Hasyim and Gold 1999). Ahsol and Yasir (2003a) have collected and identified parasitoids of banana weevil borer. Only the family Eulophidae (Pediobius sp.) was the parasitoid that attacked egg of weevil borer. Parasitoid that attacked larva has one family namely Tachinidae (Palexorista sp.), while parasitoid that attacked pupa is Phoridae (Megaselia sp.). The Phorids are a diverse group, including both saprophages and parasitoid but flies in the genus Megaselia tend to be parasitoid. Progress report of pests and diseases research on banana in Indonesia 72 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Beauveria bassiana is an entomopathogen that can be used for controlling weevil borer (Cosmopolites sordidus Germar). Nankinga et al. (1999) mentioned that the application of B. bassiana formulated with maize and soil produced highest efficacy to C. sordidus. On the other hand, results of the experiment of Ahsol and Yasir (2003b) showed that substrate carrier could affect the percentage of mortality of adult C. sordidus. The highest mortality of C. sordidus was found on rice powder substrate then stalk, maize substrate, maize powder, oil and water, whereas rice substrate can affect 100% mortality of C. sordidus at 21 days after B. bassiana application. Collaboration and trust Pests and diseases is a national problem on banana in Indonesia. For solving this problem, the collaboration of research institutes, universities, government, farmers and private sectors are required. For that reason, Indonesian Fruit Research Institute collaborates with INIBAP, universities, local government and farmers on the researches on controlling banana diseases such as fusarial and bacterial wilt diseases through breeding programmes, the utilization of banana germplasm and bio-control. References Ahmed K.Z., A. Mesterhazy, T. Bartok and F. Sagi. 1996. In vitro techniques for selecting wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for Fusarium resistance. II. Culture filtrate technique and inheritance of Fusarium resistance, in the somaclonal. Euphytica 80:341-349. Ahmed K.Z., A. Mesterhazy and F. Sagi. 1991. In vitro techniques for selecting wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for Fusarium resistance. I. Double layer culture technique. Euphytica 57:251-257. Djatnika I., I. Sukmayadi and Eliza, 2001. Early selection of banana cv. Ambon Hijau resistant to Fusarium wilt using fusaric acid toxin. Indonesian Fruit Research Institute. 6p. (in Indonesian) Djohar H.H., Wahyunto, V. Suwandi, dan H. Subagjo. 1999. Peluang pengembangan lahan untuk komoditas pisang di Indonesia. Indonesian Agricultural Research and Development Journal. Vol. 18 No. 2. Hasyim A. and C.S. Gold. 1999. Potential and classical biological control for banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus Germar., with natural enemies from Asia (with emphasis on Indonesia). Proceedings 73 of workshop on banana IPM held in Nelspruit, South Africa, 23-28 November, 1998. Edited by E.A. Frison, C.S. Gold, E.B. Karamura and R.A. Siroka. IPGRI. Rome, Italy. pp. 59-71. Hasyim A. and H. Yasir. 2003a. Collection and identification of parasitoid of banana weevil borer, Cosmopolites sordidus Germar. Indonesian Fruit Research Institute. 10p. (in Indonesian). Hasyim A. and H. Yasir. 2003b. Evaluation entomopathogen fungi, Beauvaria bassiana (Bals.) for controlling banana weevil borer, Cosmopolites sordidus Germar. Indonesian Fruit Research Institute. 24p. (in Indonesian). Matsumoto K., M.L. Barbosa, L.A.C. Souza and J.B. Teixeira. 1995. Race 1 Fusarial wilt tolerance on banana plants selected by fusaric acid. Euphytica 84:67-71. Nankinga C.M., D. Moore, P. Bridge and S. Gowen. 1999. Result advance in microbial control of banana weevil borer. Proceedings of workshop on banana IPM held in Nelspruit, South Africa 23-28 November, 1998. Edited by E.A. Frison, C.S. Gold, E.B. Karamura and R.A. Siroka. IPGRI. Rome, Italy. pp. 73-85. Progress report of pests and diseases research on banana in Indonesia 74 A 75 Nik Mohd. Masdek bin Nik Hassan* *Research Officer, Horticulture Research Centre, MARDI, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. Banana R&D in Malaysia: Updates and highlights Introduction Banana remains the second most important fruit crop (after durian) in Malaysia, amounting to about 15% of the total acreage under fruits. Traditionally, it is planted as a cash crop or temporarily intercropped with oil palm, rubber and other perennial crops. There are only a few large banana plantations in Malaysia. The popular dessert cultivars are Pisang Mas, P. Berangan, P. Rastali, P. Embun and Cavendish; while the popular cooking cultivars are P. Nangka, P. Raja, P. Awak, P. Abu and P. Tanduk (plantain). Most of the bananas produced were consumed locally and about 10% are exported, mainly to Singapore, Brunei, Hong Kong and the Middle East. Production constraints Banana production by smallholders involving small farm sizes are not well organized and with low inputs and poor quality planting materials, thus resulting to lower yield and fruit quality. The large- scale growers uses better quality planting materials (disease-free tissue- cultured plantlets) and higher inputs; and adopt more modern technologies, good agricultural practices and better pest and disease management, thus, higher yield and better quality fruits. Diseases are the most important and major constraint to the production of bananas, resulting to loss of yield and areas rendered unsuitable for production. The most devastating disease is fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense. Most of the common cultivars are susceptible to the disease. Foliar diseases are also important in reducing the potential yield. Research and development activities in Malaysia In order to address the various constraints on the production of bananas, several R&D activities were conducted to help the industry, including collaborations with INIBAP-BAPNET. Some of the activities Banana R&D in Malaysia: Updates and highlights 77 Status of Musa germplasm management The banana germplasm collection at MARDI has about 200 banana accessions. However, more than 50% are duplicates or triple entries due to synonymy. The main banana groups are as summarized below: Table 2. Banana germplasm collection at MARDI. These accessions were collected mainly from Peninsular Malaysia with several introductions from the neighbouring countries of Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. About 80% of the accessions from the local collection have been characterized and documented using the recommended IBPGR Descriptors for Banana (1986). The germplasm collection is under the care of Dr Siti Hawa Jamaluddin. In collaboration with the regional curators, efforts at identifying the synonyms of the banana cultivars in the region have been carried out. Nevertheless, banana collection is an on-going and continuous exercise. The banana collection located at MARDI is made available to other research institutions, universities and private sectors, to assist and support them in their respective areas of research. Trials of germplasm materials • Bananas hybrids and somaclones’ performance and reaction to fusarium wilt (Jamaluddin 2002). The evaluation was carried out on 8 hybrids and somaclones (FHIA- 01, FHIA-03, FHIA-17, FHIA-23, PV-03.44, PA03-22, GCTCV-119 and GCTCV-215), which were obtained through INIBAP, and compared with local clones (Pisang Mas, P. Berangan and P. Nangka), as well as the reference clones for fusarium wilt (Gros Michel, Bluggoe, Williams, Cv Rose and P. Jari Buaya). Gros Michel, P. Mas and P. Berangan were completely wiped out by 15 months. For P. Jari Buaya and Cv Rose, the resistant checks showed that they remain resistant. The FHIA hybrids showed resistance with 5-20% infection and high yield, except for FHIA-17, which is susceptible to fusarium wilt. The somaclones (GCTCV-119 and Banana R&D in Malaysia: Updates and highlights Banana group No. of accessions/species Ornamental Banana 6 AA Group (seeded) 7 AA Group (edible) 16 AAA Group 16 AAB Group 12 AABB Group 3 AABBB Group 2 BB Group 1 78 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 GCTCV-215) showed good tolerance to fusarium wilt but poor vigour and yield. • Performance of FHIA-02, FHIA-03 and Novaria under different growth conditions The performance of these banana cultivars was evaluated in two locations, Serdang Station and Kluang Station. FHIA-23 produced high yield in Serdang compared to Kluang. However, the yield of FHIA-02 and Novaria were better in Kluang. Mutation breeding Mutation breeding has become another approach towards banana improvement. Chemical mutagens and physical mutagen have been used to generate variations. Induction of variants using gamma rays at various dosages has been attempted on P. Rastali, Cavendish and P. Berangan. Variants from P. Rastali have showed good tolerance to fusarium wilt but has poor agronomic traits. Variants from Cavendish have showed good agronomic traits (good yield, earliness to shooting, short stature) but showed no increased tolerance to fusarium wilt. Attempts to improve P. Berangan have not produced any potential variants. Somaclonal variation Somaclonal variation is another useful and potential approach towards banana improvement. This is a term referring to the genetic variability generated from tissue-cultured materials. Producers of tissue-cultured plantlets are normally concerned about these variants. But the Taiwan Banana Research Institute had used somaclonal variation to their advantage in selecting superior clones with good agronomic traits and more importantly, with resistance to fusarium wilt. With the success in Taiwan, Malaysian researchers are also attempting this approach. The somaclonal variants were selected from Fusarium ‘hot spots’. Variants were also developed from meristem cultures. These plants are now being screened at the nursery stage using the double tray method. RAPD analysis was also being carried out using random primers, which have been selected to be potential markers for fusarium wilt resistance. Biotechnological research Applications of biotechnological methods are gaining momentum in banana research. The use of random fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), polymerase 79 chain reaction (PCR) and other method have been used to determine or evaluate genetic diversity or genetic relationship. Long primer random amplified polymorphic DNA (LP-RAPD) analysis was carried out to evaluate the genetic relationship of several fresh-eating and cooking varieties from various locations. As fusarium wilt is the biggest threat in the banana industry, most of the biotechnological researches are concentrated towards developing resistance to fusarium wilt. Some of the research topics are as follows: • Identification of resistant genes from the wild banana species • Transformation of resistant genes • Development of regenerable cell suspension as target tissues for transformation • Whole genome analysis, marker studies and gene isolation studies Biological control of fusarium wilt Another attempt towards the management of fusarium wilt of banana is to look for antagonists. Initial search for potential bio-control agents have identified Actinomycetes sp., which showed in vitro inhibition of Fusarium and has great potential for in vivo controls. Another bio-control agent showing good potential has been identified as Bacillus sphaerius, which has showed complete inhibition of Foc in vitro. These bio-control agents required further tests in potted or field experiments. Seminar/Training programmes • The 3rd National Banana Seminar entitled: ‘Positioning the Malaysian Banana Industry for the 21st Century’ was held in Avillion Village Resort, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia on 29-30 August 2002. This event was attended by about 100 participants mainly researchers, agriculturists and those involved in the banana industry. • Tissue culture training course held in Taiwan. One participant of the training course was from Malaysia. • Banana virus indexing course, Taiwan. A scientist from Malaysia had also participated in this virus indexing course. • MGIS Workshop. This workshop will be conducted in MARDI, Malaysia from 8-12 December 2003. • International Congress of Banana. Malaysia will be hosting an International Congress of Musa: Towards a Sustainable Production which will be held on 6–9 July 2004 in Penang, Malaysia. This will be the first congress that will address various aspects of banana. Banana R&D in Malaysia: Updates and highlights 80 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 81 *Executive Director, PCARRD, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. Banana R&D in the Philippines: Updates and highlights Introduction The Philippines is one of the major players in the world market for banana. In fact, it ranked 5th in global production in CY 2002 with India, Ecuador, Brazil and China on top of the list (Figure 1). This makes banana a consistent dollar-earner with export revenues of more than US$ 200M annually. Banana also accounted for 3.3% (P 6.6 billion at constant price) of the total value of production in agriculture in CY 2001. Banana remains to be the number one fruit in the country in both area and volume of production (Table 1). 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 18,000 Ind ia Ec ua do r Br az il Ch ina Ph ilip pin es Ind on es ia Co sta R ica Me xic o Th ail an d Co lom bia Country Vo lu m e (0 00 t) Figure 1. Top ten banana producing countries in the world, in terms of volume of production, CY 2002 (FAO). Banana R&D in the Philippines: Updates and highlights Patricio S. Faylon*, Jocelyn E. Eusebio and Edna A. Anit 82 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Table 1. Area and production of top ten major fruits in the Philippines, CY 2000 (BAS). The strength of the Philippine banana industry lies on the big hectarage, which is a little more than half (53.8%) of the total land area planted to fruits. The country is blessed with favorable climate well suited for growing bananas all year-round and there are cultivars accepted in domestic and export markets. The major cultivars are Cavendish for fresh export market; Saba and Cardaba for processed products (chips and crackers); Lakatan, Bungulan, Latundan and Señorita for fresh and local market. Moreover, we have a sufficient germplasm collection being used for crop improvement and a strong support from INIBAP since the late 1980s. Over the years, several technologies have been developed addressing the major concerns of the banana industry, namely: production of quality fruits, availability of disease-free planting materials, control of insect pests and diseases, and reduction of postharvest losses. There exists a very remarkable difference in the production, post- production technologies, and management systems between the corporate and the smallhold banana farms. The exportable cultivar, Cavendish, is grown under the corporate farming scheme where established technologies are employed and strict quality control is maintained. The area devoted to this cultivar is only 10% of the total area (382 490 ha) planted to bananas in CY 2000. The main bulk of production areas are mostly for the smallhold producers growing other varieties such as Saba, Lakatan and Latundan where low levels of technology are practised. These varieties are likewise susceptible to some of the major diseases and insect pests. Considering this situation, the Philippine R&D for banana intends to Commodity Area (ha) Production (t) Banana 382 491 4 929 570 Mango 133 815 848 328 Pineapple 42 968 1 559 563 Citrus (calamansi & pummelo) 24 066 227 169 Jackfruit 11 999 51 163 Papaya 8 440 121 304 Durian 7 010 25 764 Avocado 5 124 38 086 Atis 3 041 5 340 Mangosteen 1 354 4 692 83 focus more on the following technological interventions in maintaining quality banana products (fresh and processed) to sustain the Philippine position in the existing export and domestic markets: • Maintenance of superior strains of Saba, Lakatan and Latundan • Introduction of new superior cultivar/accessions with disease resistance/tolerance to major pests of banana • Environment-friendly technologies that will effectively control banana bunchy top, sigatoka, bugtok, fusarium wilt, and moko diseases • Postharvest technologies on handling and storage • Improvement (to international standards) of processed products and packaging techniques • Technologies on cultural management (nutrient, water, number of suckers/mat, cropping systems, etc.) • Upgrading and expansion of laboratories for the production of disease-free planting materials. Current banana R&D activities in the Philippines National banana repository centre LOA 2001/65. Bureau of Plant Industry - Davao National Crops Research and Development Center (BPI-DNCRDC)/OC Pascua Field genebank • A total of 219 accessions of bananas and plantains are being maintained at the Southeast Asian Banana and Plantain Genebank (SABPG) at BPI-DNCRDC, Bago Oshiro, Davao City as of November 2002. • Accessions were composed of 89 from the Philippines; 43 from Papua New Guinea (PNG); 23 from Malaysia; 6 from Indonesia; 16 from Thailand; 35 from ITC accessions; 4 reference material and 3 other accessions. • Rehabilitation of SABPG was undertaken last May 2002, where suckers of different banana accessions were collected as sources of planting materials. • Incidence of different diseases in all banana accessions were assessed and monitored. The following were important observations made as to disease occurrence: Banana R&D in the Philippines: Updates and highlights 84 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Table 2. Incidence of diseases at the Southeast Asian field germplasm collection (as of November 2002). Origin BBrMV BBTV BSV Fusarium wilt Moko disease Bugtok Philippines 49 17 2 8 2 8 PNG 23 12 7 1 1 - Malaysia 6 11 2 - - - Indonesia 5 1 - - - - Thailand 3 3 - - - 1 ITC Accessions - - - 2 1 3 Total 86 44 12 11 4 12 In vitro genebank • A total of 198 accessions of banana and plantain are maintained in-vitro consisting of 79 accessions from Philippines; 47 from PNG; 16 from Thailand; 6 from Indonesia; 22 from Malaysia; 4 IMTP accessions for sigatoka Trial Phase II; 15 IMTP accessions for sigatoka and fusarium trial Phase III; 2 new accessions from ITC and 7 other accessions • Due to widespread occurrence of virus diseases especially the Banana Bract Mosaic Virus in the field genebank, meristem culture will be undertaken on all accessions. Presently, 15 meristem- cultured accessions are already in cycle 1. LOA 2002/54. Institute of Plant Breeding-National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory (IPB-NPGRL): Evaluation and promotion of improved varieties and superior landraces of banana/ FS dela Cruz Field genebank • Twenty-two varieties of banana from Musa Germplasm Transit Centre were introduced through INIBAP in September 2001. These varieties were micropropagated using half-strength MS culture supplemented with 5ppm BAP. Shoots were transferred to rooting media composed of half strength MS medium supplemented with 30 g/L sugar. • Six local varieties were micropropagated to serve as control or check varieties. • The demonstration trial was established in two batches: the 1st batch was planted in October 2002 with 19 varieties while the 2nd batch was planted in January with 8 varieties. 85 • The 1st batch of planting was already in the fruiting stage and the early fruiting varieties (AA cv Rose and Quarenta Dias) have been evaluated. The FHIA-01, Williams and AA cv Rose are being evaluated for their morphological characteristics since last week of September 2003. • Another set composed of 93 varieties of banana are being conserved as living collections at the field genebank of the IPB-NPGRL, Los Baños, Laguna. • These include 54 from Philippines, 16 from Malaysia, 12 from Thailand, 7 from PNG and 4 from Indonesia. In addition, 102 accessions of Musa balbisiana, 2 of Musa acuminata and 1 of Musa ornata are also being maintained. • Continuous morphological and biochemical evaluation of these varieties/accessions are being done. In vitro genebank • A total of 136 banana accessions are being maintained in vitro in an air-conditioned culture with 16 h photoperiod. • The accessions are from the Philippines (96), Thailand (5), Indonesia (3), Malaysia (10) and from the INIBAP Transit Center (22). • Four newly introduced FHIA collections were included (FHIA-03, GCTCV-106, GCTCV-247 and FHIA-21). • The accessions are maintained either as single shoot cultures in MS basal medium or proliferated cultures in MS+BAP medium. Banana RDE collaborative projects in Luzon area (PCARRD-INIBAP) The project was conceived due to the alarming spread of banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) and fusarium wilt, which is devastating the small-scale banana farms in the country. In the northern part of Luzon, there exists an epidemic, which causes a lot of losses on the part of the growers. Hence, research and development efforts to alleviate this problem shifted towards management of the diseases and rehabilitating the industry. This project is in line with the major thrust of the Philippine banana industry to introduce new and improved banana cultivars with resistance to major pests and diseases. Taking advantage of the presence of INIBAP in Los Baños which can supply the INIBAP-improved Musa varieties and landraces, the project was conceptualized and implemented. The introduction of the use of tissue-cultured plantlets to the small-scale farmers is one of the major features of this project. The different FHIA varieties (FHIA-03, FHIA-18, FHIA-21, FHIA-23 Banana R&D in the Philippines: Updates and highlights 86 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 and FHIA-25), together with the local varieties (Lakatan, Cardaba and Bungulan) were introduced to the different implementing institutions (both government and private). Figure 2 presents the framework of the project implementation. Six government institutions (DMMMSU, CvSU, QSC, ISPSC, MinSCAT and SLPC) and three private institutions (Virlanie Foundation Inc., Rotary Club, Garcia Farm) were the partners of INIBAP and PCARRD in the implementation of the programme. The different project components include nursery management, adaptability trial, capability building and information dissemination and extension services. In terms of capability and human resource development, the management staff of the program has conducted several hands-on training and seminar on the nursery and field management of tissue- cultured banana plantlets prior to the implementation of the program where project staff and farmer cooperators participated in (Table 3). Project site assessment and field visits were done prior to the project implementation. The INIBAP associate scientist and technical staff, together with PCARRD technical staff, did the hands-on training and field assessment activities for the smooth implementation of the program. Furthermore, publications/reference materials on banana production were distributed to the stakeholders. The program details and updates were also published in newspaper and aired in several radio programmes as part of the information dissemination activities. Project Components • Nursery Management • Adaptation Trial • Capability Building • Information Development and Extension Banana RDE Collaborative Project Banana Technoguide Increased Productivity INIBAP PCARRD DMMMSU QSC CvSU ISPSC SLPC MinSCAT VFI Rotary Clubs • Project Team/Staff • Farmer Cooperator Figure 2. Framework for the implementation of the Banana RDE Collaborative Project in Luzon areas in the Philippines. 87 Table 3. Capability building activities done prior to the implementation of the Banana RDE Collaborative Project in Luzon, Philippines sponsored by INIBAP, VVOB & PCARRD. The following are the highlights of accomplishment of the different projects as of September 2003: LOA 2002/21. Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU)/F Neri/November 2002 • A total of 6248 plantlets of the five cultivars were distributed to farmer’s cooperators. Out of this amount, 2055 plantlets were established at the DMMMSU Demo Farm. • In one of the cooperator’s farm where irrigation facilities are sufficient, plants are already at the late vegetative and early reproductive stage. • In most of the farms, the different cultivars are still in the vegetative stage. • So far no major pests were observed in most farms. LOA 2003/03. Cavite State University (CvSU)/S Crucido/January 2003. • About 3280 plantlets of the five cultivars were given to CvSU. Of this amount, 2260 plantlets were distributed to four farmer cooperators of different agro-ecological sites; currently the plants were at late vegetative stage. The rest were planted at the CvSU Demo Farm. • Another set composed of 1720 plantlets given last May 2003 are being established at the nursery for distribution to other cooperators. • Generally, plants grown in the upland have better stand than those in the lowland. In this locality, bananas are intercropped with pineapple, coffee or vegetables. Banana R&D in the Philippines: Updates and highlights Title of Activity Date Venue Number of participants Participants Training on nursery management of in vitro propagated bananas May 4, 2003 Garcia Farms 9 Agricultural Technicians Project staff Training on field management of in vitro propagated bananas July 8, 2003 PCARRD, Los Baños, Laguna 13 Project staff Training on nursery and field management of in- vitro propagated bananas October 1-2, 2003 PCARRD, Los Baños, Laguna 15 Project staff Agricultural Technicians Farmer Cooperators Seminar on Disease management of banana August 5, 2003 DMMMSU, Bacnotan, La Union 60 Project staff Farmer Cooperators Students 88 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 LOA 2003/09. Quirino State College (QSC)/B Temanel/May 2003. • About 5100 plantlets were released to QSC, most of them are still in the nursery; it was reported that some of the plants were damaged by the recent typhoon that struck the area; extent of damaged is yet to be determined. • Field planting started in August until first week of September 2003. LOA 2003/21. Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College (ISPSC)/ A Directo/August 2003. • LOA will still be sent to INIBAP Headquarters for clearance. • About 1744 plantlets were released. • Another 3256 plantlets will be released by March 2004. LOA 2004/07. Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology (MinSCAT)/Dr. Bacudo and LOA 2004/04. Southern Luzon Polytechnic College (SLPC)/CD Esquieres. • LOA is still being processed. • About 2500 plantletswere released. • Another set composed of 7500 plantlets will be released in March 2004. LOA 2003/08. Virlanie Foundation Incorporated (VFI)/T Caminsi/ May 2003. • A total of 1750 plantlets of the five cultivars were released to the VFI. • Most of these plantlets were already established in the field with good plant stand and about 0.7m in height. LOA 2003. Rotary Club District 3820/R Huelgas/January 2003. • A total of 4399 plantlets of six cultivars were distributed to 8 club members which in turn distributed to different households. • One of the eight clubs created a banana seedling farm; they intend to distribute the suckers, which will come out of the tissue-cultured plantlets. • This project aims to promote the propagation of bananas on backyard level, both as nutritious food as well as a source of income. • Another set composed of 2346 plantlets of the different cultivars will be released in September 2003. LOA 2003. Los Baños Community Food Augmentation Program/ Couples for Christ Central 2, Los Baños Local Government Unit/ B Padre. • LOA is being processed. • About 2000 planting materials will be released in September 2003. 89 DOST-PCARRD-funded banana R & D programmes Biotechnology assisted development of bunchy top virus resistance in banana by mutation breeding/OP Damasco, TO Dizon, FC dela Cruz, R Rabara, JB Estrella/ IPB-UPLB. • A total of 3674 plants generated from gamma radiation treatments were screened for resistance to BBTV using artificial inoculation of the virus by aphid transmission. Of these, 155 plants did not show bunchy top virus (BTV) symptoms after nine months of evaluation. These were planted in the field for further evaluation and confirmation of resistance • Selected a total of 52 putative BTV resistant plants in the field. Of these, 27 plants showed no BTV symptom expression in both R0 (irradiated plant) and R1 (first generation sucker plant). Meanwhile, 25 plants were without BTV symptom expression in R0 plants but with BTV symptoms in some R1 plants. Assessment of BBTV was done by symptomatology and ELISA technique. All R1 suckers from the putative lines were harvested and are being multiplied in vitro and will be planted in the field for the second cycle confirmation of BTV resistance. • Almost 90% of the putative resistant lines have produced fruits. The yield and horticultural characteristics of some of the putative lines were comparable to non-irradiated control plants. Development of banana bunchy top virus resistant banana by genetic engineering/ VM Aquino, OP Damasco, TO Dizon and GR Canama/ IPB-UPLB. • Embryonic calli and somatic embryos totaling to 3286 cultures are being maintained by regular sub-culture for transformation studies. • In transformation of embryonic calli using the optimized bombardment parameters, 546 embryonic calli were bombarded. There are 65 bombarded calli in selection 1 (C6 medium with 50 mg/L geneticin) and 206 in selection II (C6 medium with 100 mg/ L geneticin). • The coat protein gene was integrated into the banana genome using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. • From 484 transformed embryonic calli via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, 24 are now in regeneration medium and the rest are still in selection. Banana R&D in the Philippines: Updates and highlights 90 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Integrated regional banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) control and rehabilitation programme in Region 2/CVARRD/MD Masipiquena/ October 2002-September 2002. The banana bunchy top disease (BBTV) was first reported to occur in Quirino province in 1994 but there was no conscientious effort on the part of the farmers to remove infected plants on the belief that the banana plants can recover from the disease. This led to the spread of the inoculum and spread of the disease. Initial survey in 1999 revealed that out of 12 950 ha planted with bananas in Quirino alone, about 7175 ha (55%) were already infected with the BBTV. Because of the continuous spread of the disease, a thorough disease survey and mapping not only in Quirino but also in adjoining towns of Nueva Viscaya and Isabela was addressed. Efforts were focused towards the: 1) control of the spread of BBTV in Cagayan Valley; 2) rehabilitation of the affected areas and protection of other banana-producing areas; and 3) improvement of the productivity of the banana farmers in Region 02. The project components include: 1) epidemiology and aphid vector dynamics; 2) disease distribution and mapping; 3) production and protection of virus-free planting materials; 4) eradication, control and rehabilitation of BBTV infected areas; and 5) extension support thru Techno-Gabay strategies. The following were the initial findings/accomplishments: • In BBTV initial hotspots at Cabarronguis, Quirino, the BBTV quickly moved southward and northward. • The virus occurs in at least 28 municipalities: 6 towns in Quirino, 16 towns in northeast of Nueva Viscaya and 6 towns in southern Isabela and that adjacent areas are under BBTV threat. • The average infection in Quirino is 81.5%; severe in towns of Nueva Viscaya, and moderate in 4 towns of Isabela. • 38% of banana farms were found in undulating to moderately steep areas with 83% growing Saba; and 31% of the farmers do not practice desuckering. • Enhanced capability of NVSIT to produce disease-free planting materials through tissue culture. • Demonstration farms were established at strategic locality to showcase the different technologies in banana. • Sourced out and established mother stocks of disease-free plants in a screenhouse: BPI Davao, and BPI Baguio. 91 S&T Anchor Programme for Banana (Saba, Lakatan and Latundan)/ January 2004-2007/NARS This program aims to enhance the competitiveness of the Philippine banana sub-industry (fresh and processed) for domestic and export markets by improving the productivity of the small-scale farmers under a community-based farming operation. The banana sub-industry includes the quality production of Saba for chips and other new products for export market and the production of Lakatan and Latundan for fresh local market. The program will be composed of three major components, namely: a) R&D interventions; b) R&D utilization; and 3) Socio-economic studies. The R&D intervention will generate basic information on technologies to ensure improved productivity and competitive quality banana products. The R&D utilization aims to accelerate the promotion and adoption of technologies. The socio-economic component aims to provide an understanding of the prevailing conditions relative to production, marketing, processing, and environment surrounding the small-hold banana sub-industry and enable the development of appropriate strategies to improve system efficiency. DA-BAR-funded R&D programmes on banana Enhancement of the productivity of banana farms through the management of banana bunchy top (BBTV) and bugtok diseases/ November 1999-December 2003/RRC Espino, TM Espino, LM Magnaye, RT Calendacion The major components of the program and the latest findings/ highlights are as follows: Community-based piloting of control strategies for BBTV and bugtok diseases and rehabilitation of affected areas • More than 31 pilot/demo sites nationwide were established and maintained. • Information on the prevalence of the affected areas were obtained. • Information on the prevalence of BBTV and bugtok were gathered from almost 31 municipalities all over the country (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) that were growing bananas under a small-scale. Mass production of disease-free planting materials and improvement of production efficiency • 204 314 plantlets were produced and distributed to farmer- cooperators by the end of 2002. • Private tissue culture laboratories have increased their production due to the increasing demand for in vitro plantlets. Banana R&D in the Philippines: Updates and highlights 92 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 • The use of tissue-cultured planting materials resulted in better crop growth and an increase in yield by 10-20%. Production and validation of diagnostic kits for indexing BBTD and training on its use • 2412 BIOTECH diagnostic kits were produced; the kit is 3-4x cheaper than the commercially imported kits. Development of information materials and capability building • 9000 leaflets, 4000 posters, 1 training manual and 2000 technoguides were developed and printed; these were used by farmers as reference materials in employing management strategies for the control of the disease. • 28 training sessions over 2-year period were conducted. Development of diagnostic kits for detection of banana bract mosaic virus and banana mosaic virus through monoclonal antibody technology/ November 1999-December 2002/ TM Espino, J Abad and F Tambalo • 89-100% transmission are recorded. • Protocols on the purification of banana bract mosaic virus (BBrMV) that can be used by other researchers working on monoclonal antibody technology were developed at UPLB-BIOTECH. • 4965 diagnostic kits for BBrMV and 3977 diagnostic kits for banana mosaic virus (BMV) were produced. The kits were used for indexing banana samples prior to micropropagation and as a tool for monitoring the diseases. • 9857 samples indexed for BBrMV (32% tested positive) and 5643 samples indexed for BMV (35% were found positive). • 14 training courses were conducted for 87 participants from the government and private agencies. Improved transport shipment of different varieties of bananas/ November 1999-December 2003/PA Nuevo and MV Maunahan. • Postharvest techniques on transport shipment of different varieties of bananas were developed. Cooperator reported the reduction of mechanical damage on the fruits from 20 to 10% with the use of recommended packinghouse procedures and the use of plastic crates for hauling for inter-island shipment of bananas. • Improved packinghouse procedures and equipment were recommended to a Bungulan exporter. The exporter modified his packinghouse operations according to project recommendations. His operation has led to better quality bananas and a decrease in rejects by 10% in the Japanese market that translated to a 10% 93 increase in exportable Bungulan bananas. • A Quality Assurance (QA) plan for Bungulan was developed. Introduction, evaluation and adoption of improved and superior land races of banana for food and income alleviation/2003-2005/ BAR-INIBAP. The project aims to develop a protocol for the introduction and dissemination of developed technologies from INIBAP. The following are the specific objectives of the project: • Introduce improved varieties that are high yielding and proven to be resistant to pests and diseases. • Strengthen local institution which will serve as a National Germplasm Repository, Multiplication and Dissemination Center. • Conduct farmer-participatory evaluation trials to determine local adaptability, yield and quality characteristics of the introduced varieties. • Train farmers with the use of clean planting materials for control of pests and diseases. • Multiplication of selected varieties for wider distribution to interested farmers. • Develop capabilities of Filipino researchers/scientists in the conduct of basic, advanced and strategic researchers in banana improvement and production. Since the project is still at a very early phase, no accomplishment can be presented to the group yet. Information dissemination activities for banana The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) formulated the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SET-UP) to promote countryside development by raising the productivity of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through technology application and upgrading. The Philippine horticulture industry is one of the SET-UP’s five major sectors. They make use of the web to facilitate information exchange among stakeholders, thereby promoting horticulture development starting in Mindanao. This project is simply called HORTINET, which is a one-stop-information-site for stakeholders in the Philippine horticulture industry. One of the major crops included in the web is banana. The information services being offered by this project include technological information, market information, directory information, research and development, bazaar information, communication media, and policy information. One can access this information through the Internet using the HORTINET website: Banana R&D in the Philippines: Updates and highlights 94 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 http:///www.hortinet.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph. The Regional Information System for Banana and Plantain (RISBAP), which is the regional mechanism of improving the dissemination, utilization and access of information on banana and plantain in the Asia Pacific region is also one of the venues by which the country can share relevant information about banana in the region. Other activities for the year • The country will conduct a Seminar-Workshop on the Assessment of the Tissue Culture Facilities on 13-14 October at the PCARRD Headquarters to be participated in by some 20-25 tissue culturists working on banana from selected SUCs all over the country. The Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC) and the INIBAP will sponsor this activity. The activity will consist of a seminar by FFTC consultant, information exchange among participants, and visit to banana genebanks and tissue culture laboratory. A workshop will be done to come up with a general listing of capability enhancement program for the tissue culture labs and to discuss current problems and explore future collaborations. • The country will also a send participant to the 2nd Musa Germplasm Information System Training to be held in Malaysia on 8-12 December 2003. 95 Rosa Naipo Kambuou* *Principal Scientist- Plant Genetic Resources, NARI, Laloki, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Current situation in banana R&D in PNG Current situation in banana R&D in Papua New Guinea Introduction In the last BAPNET Steering Committee meeting, a workshop was conducted to discuss specific regional programmes and activities based on the needs and priorities of the national agricultural systems of the member countries. The priority research programmes identified below were discussed during the workshop and recommendations were made for member countries to take the lead role in implementing these programmes. This report discusses the banana research and development activities being carried out in Papua New Guinea (PNG) since the last BAPNET Steering Committee meeting. Priority research programmes identified The priority research and development programmes that were identified during the workshop were: • Sustainable crop management systems • Genetic diversity management, development and utilization • Supply chain management • Human resources development • Information management and exchange • Extension. The main research and development activities undertaken currently in PNG are the conservation and maintenance of the national germplasm collection (297 accessions in field genebank); multiplication of high-yielding, drought-tolerant and sigatoka-resistant planting materials for distribution purposes; and writing up of the leaf scab research studies. Some monitoring is done on the outbreak of leaf roller in the banana-growing areas of the country and where incidents occurred, egg and larva parasites of Oencyrdus erionotae and Apandeleis erionotae are collected from the sites where they are established in the field and introduced to the affected areas. The research and development activities carried out in the country are discussed under the headings below: 96 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Sustainable crop management systems Three main research and development areas and 11 activities were identified and discussed under the sustainable crop management systems programme during the BAPNET workshop. The main areas are the integrated pest management, integrated farming systems and integrated nutrient and water management. Integrated pest management Under the integrated pest management activity, the main pests and diseases of bananas in PNG are the banana leaf roller (Erionota thrax), leaf scab (Nacoleia octasema), fruit flies (Bactrocera musae) and the banana leaf spot complex. The leaf spot complex comprised of sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis), cordana (Cordana musae), black cross (Phyllachora musicola) and freckle (Ramichloridium musae). Scientists from the PNG National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) have in the past introduced parasites of banana leaf roller namely Oencyrdus erionotae and Apandeleis erionotae to control the outbreak of leaf rollers in certain areas of the country. These parasites have established well in the field and are available for collecting and introducing to other areas, should leaf roller outbreak occur. NARI entomologists used the bell injection technique with bio-control agents in the control of leaf scab of banana, a serious problem in the East New Britain Province of PNG. The study has shown promising results and information on the control measures, which are being appropriately documented for dissemination to service providers and farmers. For the banana fruit flies, the research scientists in PNG are conducting studies on the bagging of fruits and the use of protein baits in the control of fruit flies. Integrated farming systems Bananas in PNG are grown largely by small farmers in subsistence gardens in a mixed cropping manner. There are farming communities in the country who follow the banana-based cropping system, where banana is the main staple crop in the system, planted with other staples like yam, cassava, taro, sweet potato and leafy vegetables. Distribution of planting materials of drought-tolerant and sigatoka- resistant varieties has been the main activity under the integrated farming systems area. Plans are underway to develop project proposals for testing sigatoka-resistant FHIA materials on multi-location sites in the banana-growing areas of the country. These studies will be executed once the FHIA materials are received from ITC in Leuven. 97Current situation in banana R&D in PNG Genetic diversity management, development and utilization The BAPNET workshop identified four main research and development areas and 13 activities under the genetic diversity management, development and utilization programme. The research and development areas include collection and conservation, characterization and evaluation, germplasm improvement and germplasm multiplication and exchange. Collection and conservation Strategies for establishing regional conservation for banana germplasm have been discussed in the Pacific Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Network (PAPGREN). PNG will be maintaining its national banana germplasm collection in a field genebank in the country and later when the ‘core collection’ is identified, it will be deposited as a duplicate collection with the Regional Germplasm Centre (RGC) at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Fiji under in-vitro storage. The national banana germplasm collection is currently being used for selection of drought- tolerant and high-yielding materials that are distributed to farmers, especially in areas that were affected by the El Niño in 1996-1997. Characterization and evaluation About 90% of the 297 banana accessions in the national germplasm collection have been fully characterized and preliminary assessed. Missing data exist in descriptions of flowers and fruits for the remaining 10% of the material. The genebank curator is using MGIS in the collation of characterization and evaluation data, and is working closely with the INIBAP MGIS Activity Manager in Montpellier in this area. The preliminary evaluation data contains information on the useful and promising materials, including the accessions’ tolerance and resistance to drought, pests and diseases, and high-yielding capacity. Four (4) drought-tolerant materials have been identified and materials are multiplied and distributed to farmers. Germplasm multiplication and exchange The exchange of banana germplasm is taking place only within the country, between the national genebank and the farmers. Promising landraces from one area of the country is exchanged with landraces or farmer cultivars from other areas. No germplasm is exchanged between PNG and other countries in the region. The improved sigatoka-resistant FHIA hybrids and other materials from INIBAP are being multiplied by NARI and distributed to service providers and some directly to farmers for production. 98 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Bananas in PNG are propagated through suckers and young, matured plants. Seeds are found in some cultivars of diploids and triploids, but they are inviable. Banana is still being produced in smallholder scale and therefore, research has not looked at developing improved propagation techniques through tissue culture. The technique that is currently being used for multiplying bulk planting materials at the same time is the ‘banana bit’ technique. This technique is commonly used by NARI for multiplying bulk materials for farmers. Farmers throughout the country are also using the technique. The policy framework on the overall germplasm exchange and access is not yet in place. The Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL), responsible for the policy formulation of the agricultural sector in PNG, is currently working on developing such policy. Human resources development NARI is developing an in-house training programme on the technologies and skills of conserving and managing genetic resources collections for PGR staff and workers. A PGR technical staff working on banana collection attended a training organized by INIBAP on MGIS in 1998 in Cairns, Australia. Information management and exchange Information on passport, characterization and preliminary evaluation data are stored in Excel spreadsheet files held at Laloki and in MGIS database that is then sent to INIBAP for inclusion in the global database for bananas. The recent update of MGIS Version 2.1 is not compatible with our computers, thus the process of updating data and sending it to INIBAP was slowed down. Extension NARI is in the process of officially releasing four high-yielding and sigatoka-resistant FHIA hybrids (FHIA-02, FHIA-17 and FHIA-23) and other promising materials (Pisang Ceylan and SH-3436) to the farmers in PNG. A catalogue on the varieties that will be released is being produced. INIBAP-improved banana materials Arrangements were made through the office of the INIBAP Regional Coordinator for PNG to take part in the global testing of the improved banana materials. A Letter of Agreement (LOA) was developed, discussed and signed by both parties for PNG to receive the materials and test in PNG. 99Current situation in banana R&D in PNG The necessary documents of the Plant Import Permit and the Phytosanitory Certificate have been sent to ITC for the smooth transfer of the improved materials. NARI has gone ahead to prepare the tissue culture facility at Keravat where materials will be received. The materials have not been received from ITC at the time of writing this report. Conclusion PNG membership to the BAPNET Steering Committee is very recent, but there are already signs of good collaboration with other member countries in the Network and the INIBAP Regional Office. PNG’s access to the INIBAP-improved banana materials, particularly the sigatoka-resistant materials for testing in varied environmental conditions in the country is of great benefit to the country. Banana ranks second only to sweet potato in terms of staple food crop for the country and over 85% of the rural populace depend on the crop for their livelihood sustenance. The new improved materials when released to farmers would greatly enhance banana production, thus contributing to food security and income earning opportunities of the rural households. 100 A 101Current status of banana R&D in Sri Lanka Chandrasiri Kudagamage* *Director, HORDI, Gannoruwa, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Current status of banana R&D in Sri Lanka Introduction Banana plays a very important role among the fruit crops in Sri Lanka in terms of extent of production and consumption. Extent production and productivity The extent and production of bananas have shown an upward trend until 1994 and slightly declined thereafter. The productivity also showed a similar trend and the current average annual yield is about 8 t/ha (Figure 1). The potential average yield under good management is around 25 t/ha. 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Extent (ha) Production (Mt) Mean-yield (Ha/Mt) Ex te nt (' 00 0 H a) a nd P ro du ct io n ('0 00 M t) M ea n yi el d/ H a Figure 1. Extent, Production and Mean yield of Banana in different years Banana is grown all over the island except in higher elevation. Kurunegala is the major producing district which contributes to 20% to the national production. The other important districts in terms of their production are Ratnapura, Kegalle, Moneragala and Gampaha (Table 1). The area in Hambantota and Udawalwa has declined due to the prevalent drought in the early part of 2002. Recent trends in research and technology development Characterization, evaluation and utilization of genetic resources Germplasm collection missions undertaken by the Plant Genetic 102 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Resources Centre (PGRC) were able to collect more than 100 accessions representing the two wild species Unel (Musa acuminata, AA) and Etikehel (Musa balbisiana, BB), 26 cultivars and two unidentified accessions. The collections included very rare cultivars Navari (AA), Ranel (AB), Rathkehel (AAB) and Nethranpalam (AAB). Occasionally, cultivars such as Suwandel (Pisang Kelat) (AAB) and Marthamaru (AAA), Etamuru (ABB) and Morpho types and possible ecotypes of the commonly grown Seeni kesel (Pisang Awak, ABB), Embul (Mysore AAB) Alu Kesel (ABB) and Puwalu (Pome AAB) possessing various plant and bunch characteristic were also collected. Promising genotypes of Puwalu, Seenikesel, Kolikuttu (Silk) and Ash plantain were selected for further evaluation. Promising varieties are being multiplied before recommendation to farmers by varietal release committee. Unidentified accession collected was found to be of French plantain type. Observation revealed that the rachis or male axis of this cultivar is clothed with the persistent relicts of the flowers and Table 1. Extent and production of banana in 2002. Production District Area (000 Bschs) (t) % Production Colombo 902 490 5 880 1.54 Gampaha 3 630 3 009 36 108 9.49 Kalutara 1 440 1 344 16 128 4.24 Kandy 2 603 1 168 14 016 3.68 Matale 2 092 1 293 15 516 4.08 Nuwara eliy 1 027 729 8 748 2.30 Galle 1 263 706 8 472 2.23 Matara 1 280 1 196 14 352 3.77 Hambantota 2 210 1 674 20 088 5.28 Jaffna 536 551 6 612 1.74 Kilinochchi 182 135 1 620 0.43 Mannar 140 74 888 0.23 Vavuniya 67 47 564 0.15 Mullativu 196 146 1 752 0.46 Batticaloa 443 235 2 820 0.74 Ampara 1 475 1 063 12 756 3.35 Trincomalee 265 126 1 512 0.40 Kurunegala 9 185 5 968 71 616 18.82 Puttalam 1 578 572 6 864 1.80 Anuradhapu 1 657 847 10 164 2.67 Polonnaruw 1 076 551 6 612 1.74 Badulla 1 753 1 047 12 564 3.30 Moneragala 4 134 2 448 29 376 7.72 Ratnapura 4 568 3 699 44 388 11.66 Kegalle 3690 2 452 29 424 7.73 Mahaweli”H” 454 149 1 788 0.47 Total 47 846 31 719 380 628 100.00 Source: Department of Census and Statistics 103Current status of banana R&D in Sri Lanka bracts while the male bud degenerate at maturity (Ekanayake et al. 2001). Molecular characterization was carried out using DNA extracts from 14 AA, AAA, ABB cultivars and one wild species of M. acuminata. Multivariate analysis of molecular data allowed the clustering of germplasm into 7 major groups. The cultivars in 4 clusters were in agreement with morphological classification, whereas other clusters consisted of several genomic groups. Wild diploid M. acuminata, Rathambala, and diploid cultivar, Navari, showed distinct molecular differences in contrast to all other cultivars. These results supported the view that diploid Unel and Navari are distinct genotypes (Ekanayake et al. 2002). Germplasm of 20 varieties to be established in repository centers were received from INIBAP. All rooted plantlets were kept in net house condition at Angunakolapellessa, RARDC and a fraction of proliferating media was handed over to PGRC for in-vitro conservation. The other fraction was used for in-vitro multiplication. Rooted plants of 11 varieties survived after establishment in the field. Five varieties did not survive in the field and these were obtained again from INIBAP and plants received were maintained in the net houses. Out of the varieties established in the field well performing varieties were issued to other research centers. Water requirement and methods of irrigation Banana requires 2002–2500 mm of evenly distributed rainfall for healthy growth. Supplementary irrigation has to be provided when cultivated in the dry zone in order to obtain economic yields. Banana has a shallow root system where majority of the roots is found at the top 15 cm layers. Generally, the rooting depth of banana rarely exceeds 75 cm and it was found that 100% of the water is obtained from the first 50-80 cm of the soil profile. The water requirement of Embul banana was determined using four drainage type lysimeters. The annual ETcrop (water consumption) for Embul banana in Angunakolapellessa (low country dry zone) is 1654 mm of water for the first crop and 1975 mm of water for the second crop (2nd year) when irrigated at 20% depletion level. Pan factor for Embul banana ranges from 0.68 to 1.24 with an average of 1.01. The first year (main crop) and second year ranges from 1.11 to 1.35 with an average of 1.17. The modified Penmans method can be used to estimate ETcrop for banana with high accuracy (Karunathilaka 1999). Majority of farmers particularly in Udawalawe area use surface 104 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 irrigation methods compared to pressure irrigation methods which require high capital investment. Also, since the farmers cultivate banana in paddy fields, they are reluctant to disturb existing binds and channels for laying out irrigation structures. Effect of surface irrigation methods such as ring, bedded basin and basin irrigation on growth parameters like plant height, girth, number of leaves at bunch emergence and yield was studied. The effect of surface irrigation methods on plant height, number of leaves per plant and plant girth was minimum and not statistically significant. However, there was a yield response for different surface irrigation methods. Basin and ring irrigation gave a significantly higher yield over bedded basin irrigation method in Yala (dry season) and this could be attributed to differences in soil-wetting patterns in the different surface irrigation methods. However, the crop yield differences among treatments were low in Maha (major rainy season) and relationship between disease spreading and surface irrigation methods could not be observed with present results. Both ring and basin irrigation method can be recommended for Embul banana cultivated in well drained soils (Karunatilake 2003). Pests and diseases Virus diseases such as Banana Bract Mosaic Virus (BBrMV), Banana Streak Virus (BSV) and Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) continue its importance in most of the banana-growing districts. There was an epidemic of fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporium f.sp. cubense in Hambantota and Udawalawe areas. In a survey carried out to study the incidence of panama disease, it was revealed that the main contributory factor related to this epidemic is the cultivation of susceptible cultivars like silk banana. The surface irrigation methods adopted by farmers also contributed to the spread of the disease. The non-availability of disease-free planting material is the other limiting factor in the disease management. The development of virus-free foundation stocks received high priority in the research programme. Four plants at 6 leaves stage infected with BBrMV were subjected to heat treatment at 350C for 6 weeks. The mean ELISA absorption of the 4 plants declined after 2 weeks heat treatment (Anon. 2003). The characteristics of bract mosaic symptoms caused by Banana Bract Mosaic Virus (BBrMV) are observed only during flowering on the lower bract. Due to this, it is not recognized during young stages of growth. The disease is widespread and its early identification is important to prevent economic losses and further spread. Banana bract mosaic virus was purified from infected Embul banana plant leaves. A polyclonal 105Current status of banana R&D in Sri Lanka antiserum was produced to Sri Lankan strain of BBrMV. One step reverse transcriptase (RT-PCR) and imunocapture (IC-PCR) were developed to detect BBrMV. Primers were designed within coat protein coating region and gave an amplification product of 320 bp. IC–RTPCR was more labour-efficient and less costly than the one step-RT-PCR (Dassanayake 2001). Nutrient management Banana removes more potassium (K) than any other nutrients from the soil. This amount is nearly thrice that of nitrogen. In an experiment conducted to study the response of banana cv Mysore (AAB group) to the addition of potassium, it was revealed that potassium affected fruit characteristics (fruit length, diameter and weight) as well as the fruit yield of Mysore banana. Addition of potassium up to 240 g K2O/ clump increased the yield significantly. The mother crop yield plateau has attained beyond 120 kg K2O/clump whereas the yield increase showed significant linear relationship with the 1st and 2nd ratoon. The total yield increase over a three crop cycle was from 36.5 kg/clump to 52.5 kg/clump. Under low K level, depletion of K in the first 20 cm of the soil was observed. However, no such depletion could be observed at 20-40 cm depth with the same treatment. The build-up of K in the deep layer may indicate the movement of K fertilizer due to leaching (Weerasinghe and Premalal 2002). Consumption and trade The private sector plays a dominant role in banana marketing while the government’s role is negligible. Collectors visit the producing areas and buy directly from farmers or through an agent. There are a few wholesale markets for banana established in recent years. The collectors sell their products to wholesalers who in turn sell them to retailers. Mainly, there are five varieties of banana in the market such as Ambul (Mysore), Ambun (Cavendish), Kolikuttu (Silk), Seeni and Anamalu. Ambul variety constitutes more than 50% of the total available stocks in Colombo and suburban market. Ambul and Seeni are cheaper than other varieties. The real prices of all the varieties of banana have increased during the last 20 years. However, the nominal prices after adjusting for inflation have remained stagnant (Figures 2-6). The consumption of banana is higher than other fruits and Embul banana is consumed more than other varieties due to its low price. The consumption of highly-priced varieties like Kolikuttu and Anamalu is lower than other varieties (Table 2). 108 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Research thrusts 1. Media optimization protocol for the production of planting material of recently released varieties. 2. Management of panama disease using bio-control agents. 3. Disease management package for sigatoka disease in low country wet zone. 4. Development of virus-free planting material through heat therapy. 5. Selection and evaluation of introduced and local varieties. 6. Nutrient management package for mid country wet zone. Extension and training programmes Banana was given high priority in the curriculum of training programmes in the conventional pre-seasonal training courses in the In–Service Training Institutes located at different parts of the country. Agriculture instructors and other field officers were the main participants of these programmes. The major disciplines covered during the year were pests and disease management, conventional methods of planting material production and production of value added products. References Anonymous. 2003. Bi-annual report of Horticulture Research and Development Institute, Sri Lanka. Dassanayake E.M. 2001. Detection of banana bract mosaic potyvirus in imuno capture polymarase chain reaction. (IC-PCR). Annals of Sri Lanka Department of Agriculture 3:19-26. Ekanayake E.M.D.S.N., W.L.G. Samarasinghe, and R.A.V.K. Randeni. 2001. An unrecorded banana cultivar from Sri Lanka. Annals of Sri Lanka Department of Agriculture 3:37-43. Ekanayake E.M.D.S.N., W.L.G. Samarasinghe and I. Ariyaratne. 2003. Global Conference in Banana and Plantain, 28 –31 October 2003, Bangalore, India. Karunathilaka W.A.K. 1999. Crop water requirement of Embul banana (Mysore, AAB) for the southern dry zone. Pp. 317-326 in Proceedings of the Annual Symposium of the Department of Agriculture Vol I. Karunathilaka W.A.K. 2003. Effect of three irrigation methods on growth and yield of “Embul” (AAB) banana. Annals of the Sri Lanka Department of Agriculture 5:111-119. 109 Weerasinghe P. and N.H.R. Premalal. 2002. Potassium fertilization on growth and yield of embul banana (Musa spp. AAB group) grown in Rhodudalfs under irrigated conditions. Annals of Sri Lanka Department of Agriculture 4:109-118. Current status of banana R&D in Sri Lanka 110 A 111Current status and prospects of banana R&D in Thailand Current status and prospects of banana R&D in Thailand Korbkiati Bansiddhi* Introduction Banana plays a major role in food security and income generation for millions of the region’s rural poor. It is an important source of energy and in addition, it is high in a number of important vitamins and minerals, providing a nutritious staple food. Apart from fresh consumption and various processing product uses, the other parts of banana including pseudostem and leaf are also utilized in many Thai cultural and traditional activities. Mostly, the fruit produce is served for domestic consumption. A number of fresh fruits and processed products are also exported to various countries with the value of approximately 100 million Thai bahts (approximately US$2.5 million) each year. Meanwhile, the crop has developed into a major Thai industry. Industry status Planting area and production volume Bananas are cultivated widely by smallholders in many parts of Thailand ranging from a small number of plants to orchards of ten hectares. The total planted area in 2002 is approximately 169 612 hectares. Interesting banana varieties in Thailand There are more than 50 varieties of banana in Thailand. Four of them are cited as economic fruits for their distinctive features and taste. Kluai Namwa (ABB group), Kluai Hom (AAA group) and Kluai Khai (AA group). The potential production areas of each of them are different. Kluai Namwa (AAB group ; Pisang Awak). There are many clones, namely: K. Namwa, K. Namwa Daeng, K. Namwa Lueng, K. Namwa Khao and K. Namwa Khom. It is themost popular variety in Thailand. The production of K. Namwa is spread from the upper southern region to the central plain and to the lower northern region. *Deputy Director, Horticulture Research Institute, Department of Agriculture Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900 Thailand. 112 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Kluai Hom (AAA group ; Gros Michel). The fruit size is rather bigger and longer than K. Namwa. Aside from K. Hom Thong, the other clones, which are commercially important include K. Hom Khieo (Lacatan) and K. Hom Khom (Dwarf Cavendish), among others. Kluai Khai (AA group; Pisang Mas). The cropgrowing areas are restricted in the lower northern and the upper-southern regions. Kluai Lep Meu Nang. This is a delicacy of the South. It has become widely popular for its miniature size, fine shape and sweet taste. It acquired its name from its peculiar shape, resembling a lady’s manicured finger nails. Current banana R&D activities, programmes and institutions involved Banana research is mostly undertaken by government agencies. There are many institutes involved such as Department of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Extension, colleges, universities and other government organizations. Maintenance and distribution of Musa germplasm in Thailand This project was carried at Phichit Horticultural Research Center (PHRC), Department of Agriculture. In- vitro proliferating tissue of 23 banana accessions, ITC codes 0312, 0504, 0505, 0506, 0570, 0643, 0712, 1122, 1123, 1264, 1265, 1282, 1283, 1296, 1297, 1307, 1319, 1332, 1344, 1418, 1441, 1442 and 1443, which were received from INIBAP on 21 February 2003, were cultured for plant multiplication in the medium of Murashige and Skoog (MS). Of the 23 accessions, ITC 1319 became contaminated and then died. The rest were transferred to grow in the green house at PHRC. Later, the healthy young plants of the first 19 accessions were selected and planted in the field at PHRC on 18 September 2003. All accessions were planted in three plots with 16 plants per plot. Spacing between plants is 3 meters. Before transplanting, chemical fertilizer (15-15-15, 250 g/plant) combined with cow manure (10 kg/plant) was applied. Currently, the planted 19 accessions are growing well. The other 3 accessions will be planted in October 2003. The growth rate and yield of all accessions will be recorded. Botanical and agricultural characteristics will also be recorded following the IPGRI descriptor. All banana plants will be distributed to colleges, universities and other government organizations for further study. 113 The Processed Banana Project His Majesty, the King of Thailand has expressed his wish to see Thailand turn into one of the world’s food centers. The prospect is bright, as Thailand has always been an agrarian land, with a tradition of accumulated expertise and constant development. The Processed Banana Project has spun off from the Chulabhorn Institute, thanks to the achievements it made. It is now under the supervision of General Pichit Kullavanija, a Privy Councillor. The project not only aims at the effective marketing of the products, but also aims to develop and improve the livelihood of agriculturists through technology transfer; and to produce processing and food conservation, adding value to the produce and lifting the people’s income. Farm wives groups are the producers, with finished products placed on sale at the shops, opened for the purpose by the Project, including the Royal Project Pavilions, the SUPPORT Arts and Craft Center at Bang Sai, the Doi Kham Food Products Company Limited and the Lemon Farm Cooperatives. In the two years since the establishment of the Processed Banana Project in 1999, success can clearly be seen and it all started with the small farm wives group at Ratcha-at District in Chachoengsao Province. At present, the well-known words OTOP (One Tumbol One Product). Banana chips are made and sent to Japan, with a turnover of several hundred thousand baht a month. The Project plans to expand its markets to China and India, and to process bananas in other forms so to diversify the products. Today, the products include banana chips, banana jam, banana sambal, three-taste banana, banana paste and banana jelly, all marketed under the name Nam Wa. Also, the sterilized, sun-dried banana, an improved version of Kluay Tak, is available. Canned banana in syrup can also be made into various traditional Thai sweetmeats. For hair care, there is a shampoo and conditioner made of Hom Thong bananas by the Oriental Princess Company. Such products are examples of the new use of banana, based on the modern concept, ‘back to basics’. Germplasm collection and conservation About 175 accessions have been collected and conserved under care of Department of Agriculture. Most of these have been characterized on morphology and taxonomy. Some have been used for breeding programmes. Current status and prospects of banana R&D in Thailand 114 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Production system R&D on production systems not only aims to improve yield and qualities for effective marketing of the product, but also improve the livelihood of agriculturist, through technology transfer; and produce processing and food conservation. Investigation so far, has been carried out on variety improvement and cultural practices such as: - Development of production technology for improving growth, yield and qualities of K. Hom and K. Khai - Study on tissue-culture media for K. Khai. Organic bananas In 1991, a project came into being at Tha Yang District in Phetchaburi Province, known as the Organic Hom Thong Banana Project. It grew out of cooperation between the Trading Cooperatives of Thailand and the Tohto Tokyo Consumer Cooperatives Society, with close supervision provided from the beginning by the Phytopathological Group of the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The brand name ‘Hom Thong Banana’ was created with the objective of producing toxin-free golden bananas for export to Japan, targeting the health-conscious Japanese consumers who insist on natural agricultural practices and chemical-free products. The production process starts with the selection of healthy young banana plants. The replanted trees are then given extra special care. After the flowering period of 25 to 30 days, the bunches are cut and wrapped in blue plastic for protection from pest and insects. They are then cleaned and inspected, and packed for export to Japan. No chemicals are used in any stage of the process. At present, about 1,500 rai, or 600 acres of land, is devoted to the project, and the export volume is about 50 to 60 tonnes a month. The expansion of markets and production area is likely in the near future, as more and more people have shown a real interest in natural agriculture. Also, Tohto officials, who have inspected banana quality around the world, affirmed that Thai golden bananas are the best in taste and quality. In Thailand, the bananas are offered to the guests at the Oriental, Sofitel Central Plaza and J.W. Marriot hotels, and on board Thai Airways International. Source: Thailand Illustrated Magazine, August 2003. 115 Postharvest As oversupply of production is a serious problem for growers every year, most research on postharvest has been emphasized on processing and utilizing banana in various forms. Integrated pest management (IPM ) There is no immense research on IPM of banana. Nevertheless, there is a corporation between Japan and Thai cooperatives in producing either organic or chemical residue-free banana. Opportunities and thrusts Today, now that banana has spread around the world, it has come to the end of its journey proper, but the reinvention of the banana to suit the tastes of human beings has no limit. The story of the banana is a never-ending one, but it’s as simple as kluai, naturally. Thailand is fortunate for not having serious natural disasters and disease problems. Due to the localization and climate, bananas can be grown throughout the country. In addition, some Thai bananas, such as K. Hom Thong and K. Khai have a unique flavor. Proposed areas of collaboration Although Thailand has no serious problems of viral, bacterial and fungal infection, other fields of work and problems related to improve banana production still await for development and solution. Following are the areas where research collaboration and training are needed; - Production technology - Germplasm conservation both in vivo and in vitro - Exchange of germplasm - Tissue-culture and disease-free planting material propagation - Postharvest technology - Technology transfer. Current status and prospects of banana R&D in Thailand 116 A 117 Current R&D of banana in Vietnam Ho Huu Nhi* Banana production status Banana can be adapted widely to different climatic conditions. It is planted throughout the country and has been a traditional crop for the millennium. There are many clones and varieties including domestic and wild species. Vietnam is considered to be a global centre of diversity of banana genetic resources. In recent years, Vietnam’s banana cultivated area and total banana production increase slowly compared with other fruit trees. Table 1. Growing area and total production of main fruit trees (1995-1998). Vietnam takes the 12th place in the group of major banana producer worldwide (FAO 1999). In Vietnam, banana is mostly grown in small garden, often in mixed cropping system. The banana growers do not pay much attention to the use of new improved techniques. Most of the plant management operation is being done by hand, and depends largely on the local custom including fertilizer, pest control, irrigation and so on. In many places, people use only homes. While in various other places, growers use lots of fertilizers for they have not gotten used to using in vitro plantlets as planting materials. Suckers, taken from mother plant, are still used most and replanting is done every 4-5 years. So the yield loss is caused by many pests and diseases (stemborer, moth-scab, BBTV, etc.). *Head, Agro-biotechnology Department, VASI, Hanoi, Vietnam. Current R&D of banana in Vietnam 1995 1996 1997 1998 Fruit trees Area (ha) Prod’n (t) Area (ha) Prod’n (t) Area (ha) Prod’n (t) Area (ha) Prod’n (t) Banana 91 750 1 272 490 95 020 1 316 740 92 427 1 316 110 96 132 1 315 189 Orange, Mandarin 59 561 379 405 74 406 419 504 70 562 404 853 67 465 378 957 Lychee, longan 37 645 233 237 70 661 289 949 90 663 405 225 92 975 397 097 General Statistics Office (1999) 118 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Table 2. Description of banana farms found in Vietnam. Corporative activities in banana research work Corporative project: Identification of nematode resistance/tolerance in Vietnamese Musa germplasm for the improvement of banana production. General information of project Project duration is for four years (1998-2002). It is funded by Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Flemish Inter-University Council (VLIR) and the Flemish Association for Cooperation and Technical Assistance (VVOB). Project implementation involved many foreign organizations and research institutions like: Department of Primary Industry from Australia, Catholic University of Leuven. Local institutes consisted of Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute (VASI), Phu Ho Research Center, Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR) and Central Plant Quarantine Laboratory. The overall objective of the project is to gain more insight on the different aspect of association between nematodes and bananas in Vietnam. This knowledge may be used in the banana improvement program in the country and worldwide. The specific objective is to identify sources of resistance/tolerance to root nematode in the Vietnamese Musa germplasm. The participants involved in carrying out the cooperative project are the following: Prof Dr. Dirk de Waele, Coordinator, KU Leuven. Dr Inge Van den Bergh, Associate Expert, INIBAP Assoc Prof Ho Huu Nhi, Coordinator,VASI Dr Nguyen Ngoc Chau, Nematologist, IEBR Criteria Small farm Large farm Cultivated area 0.5-1 ha > 2 ha Yield 8-10 t/ha 10-15 t/ ha Consumption Domestic Domestic and export Variety Unselected Selected Plant density Variable Fixed Fertilizer Minimal Medium Irrigation None Present Weed control Manual Manual Desuckering None Minimal Pest control None Minimal Postharvest handing None Minimal 119 Mr Le Dinh Danh, Director of Phu Ho Fruit Research Center Dr Doan Thi Thanh, Plant Pathologist, VASI MSc Nguyen Thi Tuyet, Plant Pathologist, VASI MSc Duong Thi Minh Nguyet, Plant Pathologist, VASI Bcl Vu Thi Tam, Nematode Researcher, IEBR MSc Vu Thi Thuy, Plant Quarantine Laboratory MSc Pham Quang Tu, Curator of Banana Collection - Phu Ho Fruit Research Center. Undertaken activities and output of project Upgrading facilities of banana research conditions Establishment of greenhouse and nursery with good conditions to control humidity, allow in vitro banana planting materials to grow well, prevented pests, diseases and rat attacks. Its surface is 180m2 and equipped by a mist irrigation system, ventilation system and sun protecting canvas for control temperature. Besides this greenhouse, there is a shade-house and nursery for preparing the soil compost and peat pots used in banana multiplication. During project implementation, new equipment for tissue-culture and molecular research works was purchased (Table 3). Table 3. List of equipment provided by the project. Current R&D of banana in Vietnam Equipment Number Country made Stereo- microscope 2 Japan Laminar flow 2 Spain Balance 2 Germany Centrifuge 2 Germany Spectrophotometer 1 America PCR- apparatus 1 America Electrophoresis 1 America Autoclave 1 France 120 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Research activities and results • Assessment of the occurrence and distribution of nematode on wild and cultivated banana in natural habitat in Vietnam. To implement this objective, many survey trips have been conducted. They covered different locations and provinces like: Phu Tho, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Thua Thien Hue, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Lai Chau and Bac Can. Samples were taken of three commonly cultivated banana genotypes: C. Tieu (AAA), C. Tay (AAB) and C. Hot (BB). Three wild banana species were found during the survey: C. Rung (VN1- 026), C. Rung Hoa Do (VN1- 049) and C. Tay Rung (VN1- 051). The main nematode species found were: Meloidogyne spp, Pratylenchus coffeae, Helicotylenchus multicinctus and Heterodera spp. In general, wild species less susceptible to these nematodes were found (about 67 nematode/ 10 g fresh root) while a much higher number of nematodes (600- 700) was found in 10g of fresh root of cultivated banana. C. Tay (ABB) and C. Tieu (AAA) seemed to be susceptible to Pratylenchus coffeae and Helicotylenchus multicinctus. C. Hot showed the least susceptibility to these nematode species. • Establishment and maintenance of nematode culture Eleven P. coffeae populations collected from different areas in Vietnam are being maintained in-vitro on carrot discs to provide for morphological and biological studies. A population of Meloidogyne spp., collected from Habac province, is being propagated in the roots of tomato in the greenhouse of VASI. • Screening of Vietnamese Musa germplasm for resistance and/ or tolerance to P. coffeae and Meloidogyne spp. Nineteen banana accessions from Vietnamese banana germplasm collection belonging to AA, AAA, AAB and ABB groups were selected for field trials. The results indicated that C. Ngu Thoc (AA) showed partial resistance to Meloidogyne spp, while C. Tieu Vua (AAA), C. Ben Tre (AAA) and C. Com Chua (ABB) were very susceptible. C. Ngop Lun (ABB), C. Voi (AAB) and C. Ngop Cao (ABB) presented a high susceptibility to P. coffeae. Yangambi Km5 and C. Tieu Xanh were considered resistant to P. coffeae. • Population dynamic of P. coffeae in the field and greenhouse conditions. C. Voi (AAB) and C. Ngop Dui Duc (ABB) were infected by P. coffeae. The number of nematodes recorded was varied depending on the season, temperature, stage of plant development, planting time and irrigation. • Assessment of damage and yield loss potential of P. coffeae and Meloidogyne spp. on banana. 121 An experiment was established including 5 popular cultivated banana cultivars on Vietnam. One-third of the plants were inoculated with P. coffeae and Meloidogyne spp. The results showed that the occurrence of nematodes affected the growth and development of plants. The control plants were significantly taller and have a higher number of standing leaves compared to the infected plants. • Assessment of the occurrence of Radopholus similis on banana and other crops in Vietnam Three surveys were carried out in Western Highland region (Taynguyen, Gialai and Kontum provinces). Roots of coffee, black pepper, durian, banana, etc. were collected. One R. similis population is now being maintained on the carrot disc for morphology and biology studies. LOA project and IMTP LOA project In June 2001, Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute agreed to sign a Cooperative project with INIBAP. The objective of this project is to establish a national repository, multiplication and dissemination center which would provide hybrid-clones for testing programs in Vietnam. To implement the project, we created a contact with the INIBAP Transit Center so that VASI could order and receive in vitro banana accessions. From 2001-2002, VASI received from ITC a total of 34 banana accessions, which they have been maintaining and multiplying in the in vitro lab. Some of them have been deposited in vitro under room temperature of 18-24oC and light intensity of 1200 lux with the photo period of 14h/day. Under this, they have grown well and vigorously. Table 4. Number of accessions received from ITC and its status. Status upon receipt Date received Number of accessions Healthy Contaminated 02/08/01 17 15 2 04/11/01 15 13 2 02/06/02 2 2 0 Total 34 30 4 These banana accessions introduced from ITC have been multiplied and disseminated to different locations for testing. Some of them have been planted on the fields while others are being maintained in vitro. Current R&D of banana in Vietnam 122 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Table 5. Maintenance and propagation of ITC accessions. International Musa Testing Programme (IMTP) This programme is considered as one of the effective ways to varietal improvement. The multi-location test of the introduced and local germplasms allows us to quickly identify new variety with high yield, good quality and ability to adapt to local climatic conditions. Realizing the importance of IMTP, there were two field experiments conducted at two locations last year: Hung Yen for fusarium and Ha Tay for leaf spot. Ten banana accessions from ITC were evaluated for tolerance– resistance to Fusarium at Hung Yen province. Primary investigation of data indicated the existence of major differences in growing and tolerance capacity. These differences are shown in the following table. Accession No. of in-vitro plantlets Growing status Field test In vitro Honduras 13 Good X Paka None Dead Cachaco 11 Good X X TMB3 x 15108-6 12 Good X Pisang Mas 15 Good X TMB2 x 9128-3 12 Good X Tani 14 Good X Kunnan 10 Good X Pisang Lemak Manis 14 Good X Saba 14 Good Pisang Jari Buaya 15 Good X Foconah 12 Good X Calcutta 4 10 Good X Selangor 15 Good X Pisang Ceylan 4 Slow growth X FHIA-17 14 Good X FHIA-21 16 Good X FHIA-18 15 Good X FHIA-25 13 Good X SH-3436-9 14 Good X SH-3640 14 Good X TMBx 1378 13 Good X TMBx 5295-1 None Dead X GCTCV-119 12 Good X CRBP-39 14 Good X Cultivar Rose 10 Good X Williams 14 Good X GCTCV-106 15 Good X GCTCV-147 16 Good X 123 Table 6. Results of performance trials on fusarium 14 months after planting in Hung Yen province. There are two accessions, GCTCV-119 and Cultivar Rose, that are susceptible to Fusarium. The best variety is Williams because it is tolerant to the disease and has good fruit quality. Table 7. Results of performance trials of leaf spot 12 months after planting in Ha Tay province. Among the accessions resistant to leaf spot disease, three accessions are growing well (P. Ceylan, SH-3640, CRBP-39). They look better than the local check (C. Tieu) but we still cannot conclude anything because they are not yet flowering. Study programme and training course activities These activities have been considered as one of the most important aspects of banana research and development. They have given us many good opportunities to improve the quality of human resource. In recent Current R&D of banana in Vietnam Cultivar name Plant height (m) Stem girth (cm) Number of suckers Fruit Presence of fusarium Cachaco 3.0 68 4 Uniform No Pisang Mas 2.5 65 8 No No FHIA-17 2.6 70 2 No No FHIA-21 1.8 55 3 No No FHIA-18 1.8 60 4 Small Short No FHIA-25 3.2 87 3 No No TMB-1378 2.0 58 2 No No GCTCV-119 0.9 25 2 No Infected Cultivar Rose 0.8 22 9 No Infected Williams 1.8 68 5 Good No Chuoi Tay 2.2 72 4 Good Slightly infected Variety Number of leaves Plant height (cm) Stem girth (cm) Disease status Yangambi Km5 6.5 76.0 22.4 Infected TMB3 x 15708-6 7.2 103.8 36.2 No TMB2x9128-3 8.4 92.8 32.5 Infected Pisang Lemak Manis 8.8 89.5 45.6 Infected Foconal 7.7 166.9 50.4 Infected Selangor 8.5 112.6 49.8 Infected Pisang Ceylan 9.0 171.7 51.0 No SH-3640 9.5 157.9 53.6 No TMB 5295-1 6.8 131.4 38.2 No CRBP-39 8.2 155.1 50.7 No Williams 8.7 82.6 44.5 Infected Tieu Lun 8.7 120.3 44.8 No 124 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 years, the Vietnamese banana research network has been facilitating many people to participate in different study programs and training courses, as well as workshops concerning banana researches. - Inge Van Den Bergh. During the implementation of the cooperative project, she carried out her PhD program at VASI. Her PhD thesis is titled ‘Occurrence and Distribution of Nematode on the Musa- germplasm in Vietnam’. At end of year 2002, she fulfilled and successfully defended her PhD thesis at K.U. Leuven. - Duong Thi Minh Nguyet. After finishing the PINC course, she started a PhD program. It is a sandwich program, in a close collaboration between VASI and K.U. Leuven. Her PhD research program focuses on the occurrence of Radopholus similis in Vietnam and its morphological and biological aspects. The project duration is 4 years (2002-2005). - Nguyen Thi Tuyet. She has finished the PINC course also, and now she is carrying the PhD program. It is titled ‘The Biodiversity of Pratylenchus coffeae in Vietnam and Genetic Identification of Vietnamese Musa Nematode’. The study program has lasted from 2002 to 2005. - Nguyen Khac Anh. He is carrying out his PhD program on ‘Mutant induced by Gamma radiation and selecting banana somaclonal variant tolerance to Fusarium Wilt’. His PhD will be finished in year 2003. - Nguyen Xuan Thu. He is following a PhD program entitled, ‘Developing method for detecting BBTV by PCR technique and use it in evaluation and selecting banana variety resistance to this virus’. His thesis will be defended at the end of the year 2003. - Ha Tiet Cung. He finished his MSc course. The course focused on maintaining and evaluating field banana collection (2001). - Pham Quang Tu. He got the MSc course in year 2001. He is working on selecting and improving banana variety with high-yield and good quality for export market. - In 2003, Pham Minh Loan, Vu Thi Chuc and Nguyen Thi Hien have participated in a short training course for two weeks on in- vitro mass propagation and virus indexing, which was held in Taiwan. Main weaknesses and constraints of banana production • Variety and seedling propagation In production older and unselected varieties are being used and there is not really a seedling propagation system. The farmers are 125 used to cultivating seedlings through tuber cutting and taking suckers from mother banana plants. Hence, almost all planting materials are heavily infected with fusarium wilt (such is the case of C. Tay (ABB)) and BBTV, which is most cab for Cavendish. • Improper management Almost all plant management operation are done by hand and dependent on the local customs including: use of fertilizers, pest control and irrigation. Hence, banana yield is very low (13.5 t/ha) • Low consumption capacity Most bananas in Vietnam are consumed in fresh form. A big amount of banana (90%) is consumed in the country and a small amount of Cavendish group is exported unofficially to China. • Processing banana is very limited, processed banana products are not accepted by consumers. • Low investment for research activities and banana production. Research plan and proposed cooperation - Strengthen research activities, apply the achievement of molecular technique and genetic transformation to create and select new variety which is high yielding, of good quality and resistant to abiotic and biotic factors. - Develop suitable postharvest and processing technology for banana. - Continue looking for new markets to consume banana. - Most especially, we try to set up a project on selecting good variety, producing and providing diseases-free planting material to farmers. • Project goals - To increase the productivity of banana cultivars and enhance its market competitiveness in both domestic and export markets - To preserve and enrich genetic diversity - To strengthen and sustain capacity of institutions involved in banana research activities. • Project objectives - To select and identify good suitable banana cultivars with high yield, of best quality and adaptable to different ecological conditions - To develop packages of technology for producing disease-free planting materials for selected banana varieties - To establish a system of multiplication and supply healthy planting materials to farmers - To set up demonstration plot trial with high productivity by using high quality planting materials and practising proper management Current R&D of banana in Vietnam 126 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 - To strengthen the capacity of institutions involved in banana research work. • Project activities - Activities for objective 1 o Multi-location testing of available clones and variety for yield and other characters: quality, pest and disease o Studying the prospect of using local banana germplasm and introduced material in varietal improvement. - Activities for objective 2 o Meristem culture for eliminating pathogen o Using molecular techniques in detection and identification of banana virus (ELISa, PCR, RAPD, etc.) o Developing integrated control measures for the management of healthy banana seedling. - Activities for objective 3 o Conducting in-vitro rapid propagation of disease-free banana seedling in a big amount o Transferring techniques of planting and managing in-vitro produced plantlets to the farmers. - Activities for objective 4 o Conducting multi-location on-farms demonstration trials of newly selected banana variety o Establishing pilot banana production by using banana disease- free plantlets and applying proper cultivation management technique (including soil preparation, planting, irrigation, pest control, etc.) - Activities for objective 5 o Organizing a training course on using molecular technique in virus detection o Upgrading infrastructure and building facilities of laboratory. • Implementation 128 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 • Expected impacts - Outputs: o Identify 1 or 2 suitable varieties with high-yielding capacity possessing resistance to major pest and diseases. o Efficient packages of technologies to produce disease-free uniform planting materials. o Having demonstration of banana production with high yield (25-30 t/ha). - Target beneficiaries: In the long run, small banana producers of target areas would benefit through increased farm income due to yield advantages of new technologies and banana varieties. Other beneficiaries are the rural labourers by having more jobs and opportunities created by banana production. Banana consumers also benefit from reduced price resulting from the increased number of banana suppliers. • Funding source - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development - Food and Fertilizer Technology Center References Anh N.K. 2000. Initial production of plant material aimed at releasing fusarium wilt resistance Musa variety by selection of somaclonal variants and gamma-radiation in Highlights of Musa research and development in Vietnam. FAO. 1998. Yearbook Production. Vol. 52. FAO, Rome, Italy. General Statistics Office. 1999. Nhi H.H. 2002. Update on banana research and development in Vietnam in Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific Vol. 10. 158p. Thu N.X. and L. T. L. Oanh. 2000. Use of RAPD in identification of banana genotypes in Vietnam. Van den Bergh I. 2002. Study of the Association between Nematodes and Banana in Vietnam in Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific Vol. 10. 158p. 129 *Regional Germplasm Centre Adviser, SPC, Suva, Fiji. Status of banana R&D in the Pacific Status of banana R&D in the Pacific Mary Taylor* Banana industry status Bananas rank as one of the most widely grown and consumed crops in the Pacific. They are produced in all Pacific Island countries, from the large volcanic islands to the small coral atolls. Bananas are significant for the nutrition of Pacific Islanders as green cooking bananas, half-ripe and ripe cooking bananas, dessert bananas and also as when mixed with other foods. Bananas are grown for household consumption and on small commercial farms for the local markets. There is also a deep cultural significance associated with bananas for traditional rituals in many countries. Different parts of the banana plants, including the leaves, stems, and fruits are used for medicine, fibre, livestock feed and for cooking. There is a wide diversity of banana lines in the Pacific, with Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu having the greatest diversity. Most indigenous Pacific bananas are Eumusa section hybrids, some of which are plantains, while others have a thinner, sweeter fruit, which can be eaten raw. Separate from the Eumusa complex are the Fe’i bananas of the Australimusa Section, also known as Musa troglodytarum and sometimes called mountain plantains. The Fe’i banana was introduced to the Marquesas and may be a New Guinean or New Caledonian domesticate. The Fe’i bananas are characterized by their erect bunches and purple sap and also have a very orange or yellow/orange-colored edible flesh. For example, the Karat variety of the Fe’i bananas found in Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia has short, plump fruits with orange-yellow flesh and the Utin Iap variety of Fe’i has an orange flesh. There are also different types of Karat bananas, Karat Pako, Karat Pwehu, and Karat Kole, having different sizes and shapes. All these are very high in beta-carotene, the provitamin A carotenoid which is converted into vitamin A in the body. Karat bananas have been traditionally used as a weaning food in Pohnpei and other parts of Micronesia. FAO production data in 2002 states production figures of 53 402 tonnes on 9885 hectares, suggesting an average production of 5 tonnes per hectare for the Pacific, excluding Papua New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea, 725 000 tonnes were produced on 52 000 hectares, suggesting 130 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 an average production of 14 tonnes per hectare. However, when reading individual country reports and consulting with the individual countries, it is likely that these figures are higher. Despite their nutritional importance, bananas are not a priority crop for national agricultural research and extension programmes in most Pacific Island countries, largely because it is currently not an important cash crop. Consequently, funding for banana research and development is limited. Production constraints There are a variety of constraints to banana production in the Pacific Island countries. Normally, bananas are used in the traditional multi- cropping system of the Pacific Islands that can include some or all of the following crops: coconuts, taro, sweet potatoes, kava, yams, cassava, cacao, breadfruit and many other crops. There are also small single crop plantations of bananas in some countries. Pests and diseases • Black leaf streak (Mycosphaerella fijiensis) is probably the most destructive pathogen of bananas in the Pacific. Farmers seldom spray for this disease and therefore there is a substantial reduction in yield. • Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV), spread by the banana aphid (Pentalonia nigronervosa), is prevalent, creating problems for producers. Since 2001, New Caledonia has been conducting a campaign to eradicate BBTV. Eradication has been completed in the Northern Province, however, new incidence of BBTV has been found in the north, which was thought to be due to the illegal transport of infected banana plants. Eradication continues in the Southern Province where the destruction of trees is difficult in a more traditional environment. To date, 200 000 plants have been destroyed. The supply of in vitro plantlets has been good but it is not used for cooking bananas, due to the possibility of activating the BSV virus. Vegetative multiplication has been used and as this is slow, people have been tempted to transport planting material without any sanitary measures. • Banana burrowing nematode (Radopholus similis) is destructive in many locations and the spiral nematode (Helicotylenchus multicinctus) is found in Vanuatu, American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga and Niue. • Banana weevils (Cosmopolites sordidus) cause damage (larvae and 131Status of banana R&D in the Pacific adults bore into corms causing ‘toppling’ of plants) in some countries. • Banana scab moth (Nacoleia octasema) is widespread and causes poor quality of bananas and reduced yields in some cases. There has been a recent report of a problem in Palau, which has apparently disrupted the banana market there. The damage is similar to that caused by the banana scab moth, but the symptoms tend to be darker. It is possible that this response is specific to that variety. Alternatively it has been suggested that the reddish-brown, scabby coloration seen on the skin looks like corky scab is caused by banana flower thrips (Thrip hawaiiensis). • Banana skipper moth. There have been reports of this pest causing concern amongst farmers in Choiseul in the Solomon Islands. It is a new pest, probably coming from Bougainville. • Fruit fly species (Bactrocera musae and B. bryoniae) are seen in PNG only. Environmental stresses • Cyclones and winds are damaging to bananas, particularly the taller varieties • Drought, especially on atolls, greatly reduces banana production • Salt spray on the smaller islands damages bananas • Poor soil fertility reduces yield, fruit size and quality. Fertilizer is seldom used on bananas while traditionally, animal manure and organic matter can be used. Markets Until the 1970s, bananas were a major export product for the Pacific Islands, with New Zealand and other developed countries as the market. However, the large transnational banana producers captured these markets hence the Pacific countries’ profitable export markets quickly disappeared. There remain a few small banana exporters in the region, based on niche markets. Organic bananas were being exported from Samoa to New Zealand, but this market failed because mealy bugs were found in one consignment. Currently plantain-type green cooking bananas are being exported from Samoa. Accessing the export market is difficult, unless it is a niche market. But even then, as shown with the organic bananas, this market is relatively fragile because of quarantine regulations and the need for high quality. Farmers are therefore limited to the small local market, or production for home consumption. They lack the incentive to invest in increased production and improving the quality of bananas. This also means 132 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 that NARES do not target bananas as a priority crop for research and extension. Current banana research and development The SPC Regional Germplasm Centre distributes accessions of bananas, taro and sweet potatoes to 22 SPC member countries and territories. INIBAP has provided FHIA lines and modest funding for the multiplication and distribution of new banana lines in the region. FHIA -01, -02, -03, -17, -18, -23, and -25 have been distributed to American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna. In 2003, 127 tubes of FHIA bananas have been distributed, containing plantlets and proliferating tissues. In most countries, these would have been planted out rather than further multiplied in a tissue culture lab. The banana accessions maintained in the SPC RGC are shown in Annex 1. The RGC has recently launched its website and a banana database was compiled using the format of the Musalogue and information from Banana Varieties, The ACIAR Years 1987-1996 (2001). Kiribati FHIA-02, FHIA-25, Yangambi and SH -3640 were distributed to Kiribati in 2003. They have already been planted in the nursery and some samples have been given to interested farmers on South Tarawa. Marshall Islands Marshall Islands received in-vitro plantlets of FHIA-01, FHIA-02, FHIA-03, FHIA-17, FHIA-18, FHIA-23, FHIA-25, Saba and SH-3640. Some of these were maintained in tissue culture, but losses occurred due to power outage and an associated rise in temperature. The plants that were transferred to the nursery established well in soil, and some of the FHIA cultivars, namely FHIA-01, FHIA-17 and FHIA-23 are in the fruiting stage. Field trials are continuing, and data one plant growth, sucker production and quality performance were recorded. They will shortly be receiving proliferating cultures of more FHIA cultivars from the RGC for further bulking in their tissue culture laboratory. A recent development in the Marshall Islands is the implementation of a FAO TCP project. This project is aimed at improving food security and inter-island exchange/trade, through providing assistance to small-scale farmers. This will be achieved through the availability of disease-free planting material, new cultivar evaluation and banana 133Status of banana R&D in the Pacific agronomy training. The project hopes to assist in generating income for the outer atolls through sales of bananas grown there to the commercial centres of Majuro and Ebeye (Kwajalein). Tissue culture is being used to produce the planting material for this project, and there will be propagation of a local cultivar, Jilubuki (Mysore type), and other introduced cultivars, such as FHIA bananas. Yap, Federated States of Micronesia Yap received cultures of FHIA-03, FHIA-17, FHIA-18, FHIA-23 and FHIA-25. Some of these plants were transplanted at the Yap Agricultural Station, and others were given to farmers. A number of different composts have been used, but all have sustained healthy growth in the bananas. New Caledonia Although the annual production of bananas has reached 1000 tonnes, and approximately 260 tonnes for plantains, imports are still required in the cooler months of June to August. New Caledonia received FHIA- 17, FHIA-18, FHIA-23 and FHIA-25 in the late 1990s, and these are being evaluated for their sensitivity to diseases and viruses. Solomon Islands Plant researchers in the Solomon Islands have discovered an unexpected diversity of banana varieties on the island of Maleita. A total of 81 different varieties have been collected and planted in a large garden, which functions as a field genebank at a rural training centre. When the collection is further developed, there are plans for a ‘banana diversity fair’ to be held in 2004. During the fair, farmers will visit the training centre and take part in a ‘festival of bananas’ to share varieties, recipes, stories and knowledge about growing and using bananas. The collection is the result of a partnership between the Solomon Islands Planting Material Network (PMN) and the Manivovo Rural Training Centre. In 2004, there are plans to use morphological descriptors developed by INIBAP to describe the physical features of the bananas and their fruit. Students from the training centre will compare banana varieties and take home different banana suckers to plant. Interested farmers, including members of PMN, will be able to come and get suckers from the collection. In 2004, morphological descriptors developed by INIBAP will be used to describe the collection. 134 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Cook Islands Cook Islands have received plants of FHIA-02, FHIA-03, FHIA-17, FHIA-18, FHIA-23, FHIA-25, Grande Naine and Yangambi. All plants are doing well in the nursery with FHIA-03 being the earliest to fruit compared to FHIA-17, FHIA-18 and FHIA-23, having all been planted for ten months. Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei received the same varieties as Cooks have, with the addition of FHIA-01 about 28 months ago. FHIA-03, FHIA-01, FHIA-18, FHIA- 02 and FHIA-17 are vigorously growing with big stems and resistance to BLS. Plantings have been done on two sites and the performance is better on the drier site, although the initial establishment of the bananas was delayed on the drier site. FHIA-03 and FHIA-01 were the first to flower and bear fruit, with FHIA-02 fruiting about five months later. Immature ripening of the fingers in the bunch was observed in both sites, but was more severe in the wet site. For Pohnpeians, the taste of the FHIA bananas was evaluated as good to excellent, with FHIA-17 being preferred overall. However, in the wet Pohnpei conditions, FHIA- 17 gave problems with a softening of the upper portion of the stem. Kosrae and Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia Health research relating to banana has been conducted by nutritionist Dr Lois Englberger in Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Chuuk, three of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia. The overall aim of her research is related to the identification of foods with high provitamin A carotenoid content, as vitamin A deficiency has been identified as a serious health problem in the country, affecting not only eye health, but also increasing morbidity and mortality. In all, seventeen banana cultivars from Kosrae and Pohnpei were analyzed and characterized. 13 cultivars were identified as having sufficient beta-carotene content to provide from 50% to 100% of the estimated vitamin A requirements, within normal eating patterns. Karat was found to contain over 25 times the beta-carotene content of Cavendish, and Utin Iap contained 250 times the beta-carotene content of Cavendish. In addition, Karat has a relatively high content of calcium, and has been found to have resistance to fungal diseases, including BLS. Another variety, Taiwang, is now being marketed in Pohnpei. It is traditionally used for making pounded banana dishes, but its mottled skin appearance, common availability and the ease of growing this banana and association with being poor, has thwarted the development of this banana as a marketed product for human 135Status of banana R&D in the Pacific consumption. Many people grow the banana only for feeding pigs. However, people are now starting to eat this banana banana and the success is due to people having information about its high carotenoid content. Using the Micronesia Plant Propagation facility in Kosrae, these varieties are being propagated and distributed to farmers. A workshop on banana and giant swamp taro was recently held in Pohnpei, during which Dr Englberger reported on new findings of nutritional analyses. Colour photographs of banana bunches, hands, fingers and flesh colour of the varieties documented and analyzed up to this time were also shown. Participants prepared listings of all bananas grown in Pohnpei, and 42 banana names were documented. A germplasm collection of 25 Pohnpei banana varieties was established at the Pilot Farm, Pohlangas. Fiji Fiji has received some of the FHIA lines (FHIA-03, FHIA-17, FHIA-23 and FHIA-25) and is currently evaluating them at the research station. At a recent agricultural show, where the theme was ‘Enhancing food and income security for all in the 21st century’, the banana industry was mentioned as one of Fiji’s neglected industries. The point was made that at one time Fiji used to export bananas to New Zealand, and now New Zealand receives all of its bananas from Ecuador. Future directions for bananas in the Pacific with INIBAP Multiplication and distribution of improved banana lines The SPC Regional Germplasm Centre will continue to multiply and distribute improved banana lines to the Pacific countries. At present, this includes mostly FHIA lines, but this can be extended to include other lines, should they be relevant for the Pacific. • SPC will work with member countries and determine their needs for Musa germplasm. • SPC will multiply accessions from INIBAP and distribute to the member countries. Where possible, for each line 10 tubes of either rooted plantlets, or proliferating tissue will be made available. • SPC will look at different multiplication techniques for FHIA-25, as multiplication of this accession requires optimizing. • SPC will implement a survey so that the evaluation information on the FHIA lines, which have been distributed so far can be compiled and made available throughout the region. 136 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Establishment of a regional collection of Pacific bananas There is a need to collect and conserve the unique banana germplasm of the Pacific such as the Fe’i, Pacific plantains and Iholena varieties. These bananas show great diversity. Dr Englberger ’s work has demonstrated the nutritional advantages to be gained through the use of some of the Micronesian bananas. Other advantages could be agronomic and scope-of-utilization over other banana accessions. However, they are relatively rare in many locations, with the availability of planting material often limited. Having such a collection and subjecting it to already developed virus-indexing procedures would enable access to these valuable genetic resources. Such a project would involve collecting, diversity analysis and evaluation. Any diversity analysis would be carried out in close collaboration with IPGRI/ INIBAP, using a variety of tools. The newer techniques will complement the more traditional indicators of diversity, such as morpho-agronomic and ethno-botanical studies. In vitro would be required to facilitate virus indexing and dissemination of the material. References Daniells J.W. and N.J. Bryde. 2001. Banana Varieties. The ACIAR Years, 1987-1996. Information Series Q101013, DPI, Queensland. Englberger L., I. Darnton-Hill, T. Coyne, M.H. Fitzgerald and G.C. Marks. 2003. Carotenoid-rich bananas: a potential food source for alleviating vitamin A deficiency. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 24(4):303-317. FAO. 2002. Banana Production. Kagy V. 2003. Banana Bunchy Top Virus in New Caledonia Situation 2003 - from the report of J Thomas, QDPI. (unpublished). Kagy V. and J.F Buchy. 2001. The banana in New Caledonia. (unpublished). Acknowledgement All the country information has been kindly provided by the staff working in those countries for their respective governments. 137 Advances in the deployment of the new variety, Formosana, for improving banana production in Taiwan Over the last two decades, banana production in Taiwan has been handicapped seriously by the epidemic of fusarium wilt (race 4). The survey in 2002 revealed that about 4000 of the total 4908 ha of banana growing area were affected. With a production system involving a large number of peasant farmers, the increasingly high cost of production is another important problem, making banana production uneconomical in many small farms based on the major variety Giant Cavendish, whose productivity is only mediocre. More and more farmers recently lost interest in banana planting and are now looking eagerly for a new crop to make a living. As a result, the acreage of banana planting was reduced from over 10 000 ha two decades ago to 4908 ha in 2002.The amount of export per annum was decreased from over 8 million boxes (12 kg/box) to 2 million during this period. The development of a new, superior, wilt-resistant variety Formosana from TBRI’s breeding programme offers a new hope to the banana industry. The new variety was released for combating fusarium wilt in 2002. As a result, the amount of export as of July this year reached 2.64 million boxes, up by more than half a million from the previous year. The higher income obtained from growing the new variety intrigued many farmers to resume banana planting on their farms. Ongoing research at TBRI has centered on this new variety since 2002, and the goals of the research are: (1) to propagate disease-free seedlings of Formosana needed for the variety replacement program; (2) to promote marketing of bananas produced from Formosana in both domestic and Japanese markets; (3) to further improve the new variety, on fruit quality especially; and (4) to establish a new, corporate farming system for production of Formosana. A summary of the findings and progress from research is given below. Shin-Chuan Hwang* *Director, TBRI, Chiuju, Pingtung, Taiwan. Advances in the deployment of the new variety, Formosana ... 138 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 An evaluation of the performance of the new variety, Formosana, which was released for commercial planting in 2002. For controlling the fusarium wilt, the new resistant variety, Formosana, was released for commercial planting in over 1300 ha in 2002. Harvest for export began in February 2003. As of July, a total of 2.64 million boxes were exported to the Japanese market, up by 540,000 boxes from the previous year, with an export value of US$24.3 million, up by US$490 000 from the previous year. Of the 2.64 million boxes that entered into the export market, 1.07 million came from Formosana, accounting for 40.4%. The statistics indicates that commercial planting of the new variety has made a great deal of contribution to the increase in both export volume and earnings this year. Factors attributing to the increased volume for export this year, resulting from planting Formosana are: (1) the incidence of fusarium wilt in Formosana averaged 4.7% only as compared to 23.5% in Giant Cavendish, a significant 18.8% loss to the disease; and (2) Formosana produced a bunch with an average weight 29.4 kg, about 7.9 kg heavier than that produced by Giant Cavendish (21.5 kg/bunch) (Table 1a). Because of better income, most farmers have continued to grow this new variety in 2003. However, a few farmers have stopped growing Formosana because of its poor fruit quality, which could be due to inadequate farm management. For the production of Formosana bananas in the first cropping period, the complaints from the farmers and also from the market are: (1) the level of wilt resistance in some farms did not reach to the expectation, making production uneconomical; (2) incidence of corky scab on the peel caused by the flower thrips was serious seasonally; (3) the fruit maturity for harvest was not controlled adequately; (4) a high percentage of larger hands (over 4 kg/hand) appeared during the period of May to July, making the whole-hand packing a problem; and (5) both uneven ripening and hardcore pulp problems caused by physiological disorder occurred seasonally, though at a minimum level. These problems needed to be solved urgently. The acceptability of Formosana bananas by both the domestic and Japanese market is increasing as the farmers and Fruit Cooperative paid greater attention to strengthen the fruit quality control during the harvest season. Most Japanese banana importers agreed that bananas from the new variety have better hand shape, more brilliant color after ripening, longer shelf life and lower percentages of spoilage loss during ripening, as compared to the fruits from the traditional 139 variety Giant Cavendish. On the other hand, some felt that Formosana is inferior to Giant Cavendish in eating quality, in terms of sweetness and aroma, thus requesting for improvement. To improve the fruit quality of this new variety, which is now being grown in many farms in the second year, TBRI is urging the banana growers to manage their farms properly based on the guidelines given in a pamphlet TBRI has prepared for the Fruit Cooperative to distribute to the growers. Establishment of corporate farming system for commercial production of the new banana variety, Formosana The banana industry in Taiwan involves a large number of small producers. Extremely high cost of production, uneven fruit quality and unstable supply of fruits to the market have been the major problems, making it difficult for Taiwan bananas to compete with the Philippine bananas in the Japanese market. The best way to solve these problems is to convert the current banana production system based on small-scale producers to the corporate farming system. In the pilot study, two corporate farms, 30 ha each, were established for banana planting in 2002 in Pingtung and Changhua, respectively, through the collaboration between the TBRI and Taiwan Sugar Company (TSC). The former was planted with both new variety Formosana (21.8 ha) and old variety Giant Cavendish (9.6 ha) for comparison, with the target of producing bananas for export in the spring season; while the latter was planted with Formosana only, with the aim of producing bananas for export in the autumn/winter season of 2003. As of July 2003, the farm in Pingtung has completed harvest and revealed the economic statistics as follows: cost of production averaged NT$448 357/ha, income from banana production NT$292 005/ha, and a net profit of -NT$156 352/ha. The deficit occurred primarily Advances in the deployment of the new variety, Formosana ... Table 1a. Economic statistics of planting Giant Cavendish (GC) vs Formosana on farmers’ farms. Variety Area (ha) Fusarium wilt Bunch weight (kg) Yield (t/ha) Exported volume (0000 boxes) GC 3608 23.5 21.5 28.6 157 Formosana 1300 4.7 29.4 50.2 107 Table 1b. Economic statistics of planting Giant Cavendish (GC) vs Formosana on TSC’s corporate farms. Variety Area (ha) Fusarium wilt Bunch weight (kg) Yield (t/ha) Exported volume (0000 boxes) GC 9.6 3.0 16.6 29.8 214 472 Formosana 21.8 0.3 21.0 35.5 325 939 140 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 because of the very low productivity obtained from this farm. Results showed that the bunch weight was only 16.3 and 21.0 kg, respectively, for Giant Cavendish and Formosana (Table 1b), about 5.4 kg is below the projected productivity level. According to TSC’s analysis, other factors responsible for the deficit include: (1) quite a few plants were lost to diseases, insects and falling over etc., and only 87% of the total planting were harvested; (2) the timing of production was out of control, owing to the unusual climate in 2002, and some bananas were harvested earlier against expectation and coincidently in the overproduction period were sold at low prices; and (3) the Fruit Cooperative was able to accept 54% only of the fruits produced from this farm for export, and the remaining 46% that had to enter into the local market usually were sold at low prices. By comparison, the new variety Formosana outyielded Giant Cavendish 5.7 tonnes/ha and offered an extra income of about NT$111 467/ha (Table1b), indicating that it is more profitable to grow Formosana than Giant Cavendish on the corporate farm. By comparison, the corporate farm in Changhua is managed better than the one in Pingtung. The banana plants seen on this farm are growing more vigorously and producing bunches much larger than those seen in Pingtung, to be harvested during the period from September to November this year. Mechanization of farming is the key to the success of banana production based on corporate farm. In the first phase of this project, several kinds of labour-saving machines considered to be suitable for use in banana cultivation were procured, including a 4-wheel sprayer, a bagging machine, a harvest vehicle, and a new advanced packing shed. Efforts to train the field workers to manipulate these machines on farm dexterously and to run the new packing shed efficiently are being undertaken. Although the TSC’s operation of the banana corporate farm in Pingtung has ended up with a deficit in the first crop and needs to be improved technically, it has demonstrated that the bananas produced from this farm are far more uniform in fruit maturity and rate of ripening, especially, than those produced from the small farms, thus, it is more favored by the Japanese market. Through this demonstration, many new corporate farms adding up to a total of 236 ha were established recently on the sugarcane land for banana production in 2004, managed either by the individual farmer or by farmers’ association. Based on the results of this study, most of them chose the new variety Formosana for growing on the corporate farm. 141 Somaclonal variation among Formosana plants derived from meristem culture and selection for improved variants Among the 42 315 plants of the new variety Formosana derived from meristem culture surveyed, 2513 were found to be not true-to-type of Formosana. The mutation rate is 5.94%. Based on the salient mutated traits, these mutants were grouped into 8 types with mutation frequency in order, which is as follows: (1) Slender pseudostem type, 3.16%; (2) Giant Cavendish-like type, 2.02%; (3) Extreme dwarf type, 0.33%; (4) Mosaic-spotted leaf type, 0.27%; (5) Slender and taller type, 0.02%; (6) High-yielding and early flowering type, 0.12%; (7) Short fingers type, 0.01%; and (8) Blackened pseudostem type, 0.01%. The most interesting and probably also useful is the selection of the high-yielding and early flowering type which not only shoots an extra- large bunch about one month earlier than normal, but the fruit is more tolerant to the thrip’s damage and tends to delay the appearance of maturity stains on the peel, which otherwise are the two main defects of fruit quality inherent in Formosana. Field planting to confirm these useful traits of this variant is being undertaken. The short fingers type which produces smaller hands with very short fingers is peculiar and interesting to consumers and also deserves further exploration. Advances in the deployment of the new variety, Formosana ... 142 A 143 Sein Hla Bo* Banana R&D in Myanmar Introduction Myanmar has a wide range of agro-climatic zones comprising of the delta region, coastal region, hilly region and central dry zone. By virtue of varying agro-ecological zones and diverse horticultural fruits, a total area of 434 752 hectares is allotted for tropical and subtropical fruits. Among tropical fruits, banana plays the second most vital role next to mango. The total banana production area is 50 594 hectares in Myanmar. It accounts for 11.64% of total fruit sown area in this country. All states and divisions of Myanmar produce banana. The productivity of banana is 15.02 t/ha. Bananas are harvested at their full maturity for home use and bananas in their ripe state are used as a dessert. It is a fairly good source of vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. Bananas are available all year round in Myanmar. Table 1. Production situation of banana in states and division of Myanmar , 2002- 2003. Production and uses of banana Banana is one of most important and common fruits in Myanmar. The crop can be grown throughout the country. According to the 2002 statistics, the banana-cultivated area was about 54 210 hectares and Banana R&D in Myanmar *Deputy General Manager - Horticultural Crops, Myanma Agricultural Service, Ministry of Agruiclture and Irrigation, Yangon, Union of Myanmar. State / Division Area planted (ha) Harvested area (ha) Yield (t/ha) Total yield (t) Kachin 1 940 1 873 9.21 17 246 Kayah 575 490 6.89 3 376 Kayin 1 204 1 204 9.43 11 350 Chin 1 141 1 106 4.19 4 636 Sagaing 7 036 6 165 9.39 57 866 Tanintharyi 2 221 2 168 5.25 11 385 Bago 4 515 4 492 10.62 47 696 Magway 1 008 1 008 9.82 9 895 Mandalay 3 092 3 073 11.04 33 919 Mon 1 963 1 953 8.01 15 646 Rakhine 1 847 1 847 7.26 13 412 Yangon 2 525 2 525 7.58 19 133 Shan 4 087 3 631 6.13 22 258 Ayeyarwady 21 056 21 037 11.28 237 332 Total 54 210 52 572 9.61 505 150 144 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 production was 101 million bunches (505 150 tonnes). All bananas produced are consumed locally. In Myanmar, banana is used in many ways such as dessert, dehydrated banana, banana chips, banana steamed with sugar, sticky rice and coconut, fried banana and baked banana. The tip of inflorescence cut after fruit set (mostly male flower) is also used as a salad. In some areas, green banana is used as a traditional dish. Banana stem pit of two varieties is used in soup for rice noodle, Myanmar’s traditional food. Banana is also used customarily in religious ceremonies. Almost every household spends on at least six hands of banana in a year for ceremonial purposes. Hence, there is great demand of bananas in Myanmar. According to the record in 1961, 13 Musa species including wild species are widely grown throughout the country. Among these species, Musa acuminata, M. cavendishii and four varieties under M. sapientum are the most common varieties in Myanmar. The common cultivation practice of banana in Myanmar is home or backyard gardening. However, commercial plantation can be observed in seven states and division. Although pest and disease problems can be observed in some areas, banana-growers are not aware of these pests and diseases. Hence, no control measures are being practised. To get virus-free clones of important banana varieties, Myanma Agriculture Service, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation produce and distribute tissue-cultured plantlets to the growers at reasonable price. A total of 400 000 plantlets have already been distributed. Current situation of banana R&D In Myanmar, the R&D programmes of banana are carried out based on the following steps: - Germplasm collection of local cultivars and introduction of exotic cultivars - Varietal trials on exotic cultivars - Cultural practices (eg. fertilizer trials, planting density, water requirement, etc.) - Multiplication methods (suckers, eye-bud and tissue culture) - Postharvest handling technology. The germplasm collection of local cultivars and the introduction of exotic cultivars were already conducted at the Vegetable and Fruit Research and Development Center, and coordinated with other 145 horticultural farms. The exotic tissue-cultured cultivars were introduced from LK-Bio Research, Singapore, Israel and India. The propagation of these varieties through tissue culture was carried out mainly at the Vegetable and Fruit Research and Development Center (VFRDC), the Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) and Yezin Agriculture University (YAU) in Myanmar. Germplasm collection of banana Banana germplasm collection is mainly conducted by VFRDC. Thirty two (32) local cultivars and five (5) exotic cultivars were collected, and varietal trial and adaptability tests were completed to obtain a quality evaluation on each cultivar. The list of germplasm collection of banana is described in Tables 2 and 3. The objectives for germplasm collection of bananas are (1) to maintain their genetic characters; and (2) to select the variety with tolerance from pest and disease incidences. Varietal trial and adaptability test The banana is essentially a crop of the tropical lowland. The varietal trial on local cultivars was carried out to compare the quality of fruits, yield and resistance to pests and diseases. The adaptability tests for exotic cultivars were mainly conducted in lowland Myanmar to compare their performance and assess their quality. The varietal selections were made based on yield, fruit quality and shelflife; and according to multi-location tests, local demand and customer preference. The genetic characteristics of local and exotic banana cultivars are stated in Tables 2 and 3. Cultural practices comparison For the crop improvement strategy, different planting systems and cultural practices, current fertilizer application rate and water requirement analysis all play a vital role in yielding good quality banana. The old plant population density of 5m x 5m was substituted by 2.55 x 2.55. High-density planting system was adopted by growers from major banana production areas. The correct dose of fertilizer had an effect on the tolerance of lodging of banana especially in Giant cultivars, ABB and AAB group. Banana R&D in Myanmar Multiplication methods After selection of high-demand banana cultivars based on varietal trial, adaptability and multi-location test, the Cavendish banana was the first priority of growers and consumers, owing to their high-yield, fruit quality and resistance to pests and diseases. To supply the growers’ 147Banana R&D in Myanmar Tissue-culture (TC) technology on banana rapid multiplication The main theme of banana rapid multiplication essentially depends on the improvement of tissue culture technology. The microprogation technique on banana was successfully operated at the TC laboratory in VFRDC, Myanmar Agriculture Service since 1987. Postharvest handling system on banana Postharvest losses of banana are about 20 to 80 per cent in Myanmar starting from the growing sites of rural areas to the urban market. Inadequate transport packing and marketing arrangements are the chief problems. The main causes of losses after harvest are physiological and mechanical damage and pests and diseases. Bananas are much more susceptible to mechanical injury than other fruits because of their soft texture and high moisture content. In Myanmar, the producers and distributors require careful handling during packing, transport, storage and marketing. The major technologies employed to control postharvest losses of bananas include gentle handling, temperature control, high humidity, controlled atmosphere storage, field factors, genetic control of shelflife and shortening time between harvest and consumption. In VFRDC, the use of integrated pest management (IPM) on preharvest field condition greatly influenced the postharvest quality of banana. The experiment was conducted with student (T) test. Table 4. Effect of IPM on postharvest quality of banana (VFRDC 2001). Characteristics IPM Control ' T' test Plant height (ft) 11.40 11.49 ns No. of leaves 39.20 33.40 ns Flowering date (mos) 7.30 7.40 ns Yield (hand/bunch) 7 6 7 Fruit weight (kg/hand) 2.59 2.20 * Anthracnose incidence 0.33 2.66 ** Postharvest sanitation by means of chemicals such as fungicides, senescence retardant, ethylene absorbents and processing bananas into durable products need further studies. The experiments on postharvest handling system were conducted at VFRDC, CARI and YAU. Banana production constraints Although trials and demonstrations on the use of high technology in banana production has shown a positive impact on yield and quality 148 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Table 5. Total shelflife of Red Banana with different packaging treatments under ambient and cold storage (average of 4 rep.). Table 6. Fruits’ sweetness level (°Brix) of Red Banana with different packaging treatments under ambient and cold storage (average of 4 rep.). of crop, the performance under farmers’ field, growers, producers and distributors have not fully adopted the technology. The main reasons are: • Weakness in education and training in adopting the technology and following the instruction precisely • Lack of extension staff for technology transfer • Shortage of trained personnel in banana production technology to help correct the present situation. Present status on development of technology Myanma Agriculture Service has carried out the technology development on horticultural crops, including banana by: • Publication and distribution of pamphlets and leaflets • Educating the growers to practise high-density planting system • Substituting the three seedlings in a hole system to prevent plant lodging • Production of virus-free plantlets by TC technology Packaging (P) Storage (S) P. mean Difference Ambient Cold storage Banana leaves 12.00 d 25.75 d 18.88 c 13.75 ** Polyethylene bag 15.75 b 29.75 c 22.75 b 14.00 ** KMn O4+poly.bag 12.25 bc 34.50 b 24.88 b 19.25 ** GA3+poly. bag 24.50 a 40.75 a 32.62 a 16.25 ** Benomyl+poly bag 25.00 a 40.50 a 32.75 a 15.50 ** Control 12.75 cd 23.42 d 18.00 c 10.50 ** S. mean 17.542 32.42 24.98 -14.88** Packaging (P) Storage (S) P. mean Difference Ambient Cold storage Banana leaves 21.75 ab 24.75 a 23.25 a -3.0 ** Polyethylene bag 22.00 ab 21.00 b 21.50 b 1.0 ns KMn O4+poly.bag 20.00 b 20.00 b 20.00 b 0.0 ns GA3+poly. bag 19.75 b 21.25 b 20.50 b -1.5 ns Benomyl+poly bag 20.00 b 21.00 b 20.50 b -1.0 ns Control 22.50 a 24.50 a 23.50 a -2.0 ns S. mean 21.00 22.08 21.54 -1/083* ** = Significant at 1% level Comparison S.E.D. LSD (5%) LSD (1%) 2-SxP means 1.327 2.691 3.608 CV% = 7.5 ** = Significant at 1% level * = Significant at 5% level ns = not significant Comparison S.E.D. LSD (5%) LSD (1%) 2-SxP means 1.034 2.097 2.812 CV% = 6.8 149Banana R&D in Myanmar • Application of optimum fertilizer doses to get high quality fruits • Utilization of proper postharvest handling systems by the growers, producers and distributors. Constraints in banana R&D • Lack of extension staff for horticultural crops • Shortage of budget for demonstration plots to be conducted extensively • Limited research findings • Continuous supply of technology to farmers • Poor feedback information from farmers. Conclusion Information on the present situation of banana research and development in Myanmar have been described and we are sincerely expecting that this meeting will try to address these issues for wider scope of current banana improvement researches and widen the scope of knowledge on it through BAPNET. Appendixes Appendixes 152 A 153 Appendix 1: Programme of the 2nd BAPNET Steering Committee meeting Programme Sunday, 5 October Arrival of participants Monday, 6 October 8:00 am Registration 8:30 Opening ceremonies Introduction of participants Introduction of conference hosts Opening address Dr Ahmad Dimyati Director, ICHORD Welcome remarks Dr Sumarno Director General of Horticulture Production Message from INIBAP Dr Richard Markham Director, INIBAP Signing of the Material Transfer Dr Sumarno and Agreement (MTA) and turnover Dr Richard Markham of materials Remarks and presentation Dr Agustin B. Molina of Plaques of Appreciation Regional Coordinator INIBAP-Asia Pacific 10:30 Coffee/Tea break 11:00 Administrative matters - Approval of agenda of the meeting - Introduction of new member (Myanmar) and guests 11:15 Special presentation International collaboration to Dr Benni H. Sormin improve food security FAO representative through food diversification 11:40 Special presentation Dr Torng Chuang Wu FFTC-TBRI-INIBAP collaboration Director, FFTC 12:25 Lunch break 1:00pm Presentation of country updates and status of BAPNET programs/projects 1:00 INIBAP- AP region programs Dr Agustin B. Molina 1:20 Bangladesh Dr Md. Shahidul Islam 1:40 Cambodia Dr Men Sarom 2:00 China Mr Xu Linbing 2:20 India Dr M.M. Mustaffa 2:40 Indonesia Dr Ahmad Dimyati 3:00 Coffee/Tea break 3:20 Malaysia Dr Nik Masdek 3:40 Papua New Guinea Mrs Rosa Kambuou 4:00 Philippines Dr Patricio S. Faylon 154 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 4:20 Sri Lanka Dr C. Kudagamage 4:40 Thailand Dr Korbkiati Bansiddhi 7:00 pm Welcome cocktails/dinner w/ cultural show hosted by ICHORD/AARD Tuesday, 7 October 8:30 am Vietnam Dr Ho Huu Nhi 8:50 Secretariat of the Dr Mary Taylor Pacific Community 9:10 Taiwan Banana Dr S.C. Hwang Research Institute 9:30 Myanmar Dr Sein Hla Bo 9:50 Coffee/Tea break 10:00 Workshop/Discussions (Setting of priorities and possible areas of collaboration) 12:00 nn Lunch break 1:30 pm Continuation of workshop/discussions Synopsis of workshop - Dr Ahmad Dimyati Election of new chairman Nomination of date and place of next BAPNET SC meeting Wednesday, 8 October 8:30 am Field Trip 7:00 Hospitality cocktails/dinner hosted by INIBAP Thursday, 9 October Departure of participants 155 Appendix 2 : 2nd BAPNET Steering Committee members and guests BAPNET SC Members Australia Mr Robert Williams (absent) Program Leader – Tropical Tree Fruits Queensland Horticulture Institute (QHI) Agency for Food and Fibre (AFFS) P.O. Box 20, South Johnstone Rd. South Johnstone Qld 4859 Australia Tel: (61-7) 40641130 Fax: (61-7) 40642249 Email: Bob.Williams@dpi.qld.gov.au Bangladesh Dr Md. Islam Shahidul Director General Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute Joydebpur, Gazipur 1701 Bangladesh Tel: (880-2) 925 2715 Fax: (880-2) 925 2713 Email: baridg@bttb.net.bd; barires@bttb.net.bd Cambodia Dr Men Sarom Director Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Prateah Lang, National Road #3 Dangkor, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (P.O. Box 01, Phnom Penh, Cambodia) Tel: (855-23) 219692 to 94 Fax: (855-23) 219800 Email: msarom@cardi.org.kh China Mr Xu Linbing Vice Director, Agronomist Pomology Research Institute Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences Wushan, Guangzhou 510640 China Tel: (86-20) 38765640 Fax: (86-20) 38765468 Email: xulinbing@163.net India Dr. M.M. Mustaffa Principal Scientist National Research Centre on Banana (ICAR) Thogamalai Main Road Thayanur Post, Thiruchirapalli - 620 021 India 2nd BAPNET SC members and guests 156 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Tel: (91-431) 2618104, 2618106 Fax: (91-431) 2618115 Email: nrcb_sathya@eth.net Indonesia Dr Ahmad Dimyati Director, CRIH/AARD Indonesian Centre for Horticultural Research and Development (ICHORD/AARD) Jl. Ragunan 19, Pasarminggu Jakarta, Indonesia Tel: (62-21) 7805768 Fax: (62-21) 7805135 Email: dimyatia@indo.net.id Malaysia Dr Nik Mohd. Masdek Nik Hassan Horticulture Research Centre Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (MARDI) P.O. Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: (603) 89437445 Fax: (603) 89487590 Email: nmasdek@mardi.my Myanmar Dr Sein Hla Bo Deputy General Manager - Horticultural Crops Myanma Agricultural Service Ministry of Agruiclture and Irrigation Agriculture Lane, Yankin, Kanbe, Yangon Union of Myanmar Tel: (95-1) 660599 Fax: (95-1) 667991 Email: wmaster@mas.com.mm Papua New Guinea Mrs Rosa Naipo Kambuou Principal Scientist - Plant Genetic Resources National Agricultural Research Institute – Dry-Lowlands Programme – Laloki P.O. Box 1828, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Tel: (675) 3281068 / 3281015 Fax: (675) 3281075 Email: dlplaloki@datec.com.pg Philippines Dr Patricio S. Faylon Executive Director Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) Los Baños, Laguna 4030 Philippines 157 Tel: (63-49) 5360014 to 20 Fax: (63-49) 5360132 / 5360016 Email: psfaylon@pcarrd.dost.gov.ph psfaylon@yahoo.com psfaylon@pacific.net.ph Dr William C. Medrano Director Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) Department of Agriculture 3rd Flr., ATI Bldg. Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines Tel: (63-2) 9288505 Fax: (63-2) 9275691 Email: wcmedrano@bar.gov.ph Represented by Mr Victoriano B. Guiam Head, Public and International Relations Unit Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) Department of Agriculture 3rd Flr., ATI Bldg. Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines Tel: (63-2) 9200239 Fax: (63-2) 9275691 Email: vguiam@bar.gov.ph Sri Lanka Dr Chandrasiri Kudagamage Director Horticultural Crop Research and Development Institute (HORDI) P.O. Box 11, Gannoruwa, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Tel: (94-8) 388234 (direct), (94-8) 388011-3 Fax: (94-8) 388234 Email: Kudagamage@ids.lk; hordi@ids.lk Thailand Mr Sookwat Chandraparnik Director Horticulture Research Institute Department of Agriculture 50 Phaholyothin Rd., Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900 Thailand Tel: (662) 5799545, 5792759 Fax: (662) 5799545 Email: hort@doa.go.th Represented by Mr Korbkiati Bansiddhi Deputy Director 2nd BAPNET SC members and guests 158 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Horticulture Research Institute Department of Agriculture Phaholyothin Rd., Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900 Thailand Tel: (662) 9405486, 5798554 Fax: (662) 5614667 Email: bansidd@doa.go.th; bansidd@yahoo.com Vietnam Dr Ho Huu Nhi Head, Agro-biotechnology Department Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute (VASI) Thanh tri, Hanoi, Vietnam Tel: (84-4) 8617167 Fax: (84-4) 8613937 Email: nhibiovasi@fpt.vn Taiwan Banana Dr Shin-Chuan Hwang Research Institute Director, Taiwan Banana Research Institute (TBRI) P.O. Box 18, Chiuju, Pingtung, Taiwan 90403 China Tel: (886-8) 7392111/3 Fax: (886-8) 7393647 Email: schwangtbri@seed.net.tw Secretariat of the Dr Mary Taylor Pacific Community Regional Germplasm Adviser (SPC) Secretariat of the Pacific Community PMB, Suva, Fiji Islands Tel: (679) 3371279 Fax: (679) 3370033 Email: maryt@spc.int Executive SecretaryDr Agustin B. Molina (INIBAP-AP) Regional Coordinator INIBAP-AP, c/o IRRI College, Laguna 4031 Philippines Tel/Fax: (63-49) 5360532 Tel: (63-2) 8450563; 8127686 loc 6874 Fax: (63-2) 8450606 Email: a.molina@cgiar.org Other participants and guests INIBAP Dr Richard Markham Director, INIBAP Parc Scientifique Agropolis II 34397 Montpellier Cedex 5 France Tel: (33) 467611302 Fax: (33) 467610334 Email: r.markham@cgiar.org 159 FFTC Dr Torng Chuang Wu Director, Food and Fertilizer Technology Center 5F, 14 Wenchow St. Taipei 10616, Taiwan Tel: (886-2) 23626239 Fax: (886-2) 23620478 Email: fftc@ms1.hinet.net FAO Dr Benni H. Sormin Assistant FAO Representative Jakarta, Indonesia China Dr Yang Hu Director, Banana Research Laboratory Pomology Research Institute Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences Wushan, Guangzhou 510640 China Tel: (86-20) 38765640 Fax: (86-20) 38765468 Email: gdbanana@163.com Indonesia Dr Ika Djatnika Head, Indonesian Fruit Research Institute PO Box 5, Solok, West Sumatera Indonesia Tel: (62-755) 20137 Fax: (62-755) 29592 Email: idjat@telkom.net.id Mr Agus Sutanto Researcher Indonesian Fruit Research Institute PO Box 5, Solok, West Sumatera Indonesia Tel: (62-755) 20137 Fax: (62-755) 29592, 22444 Email: bagusutanto@plasa.com Dr Herdradjat Natawidjaja Head, Disease and Weed Control on Fruits Diectorate of Horticulture Jl Pasarminggu. Kotak Pos 7228/JKS PSM 12072 Jakarta Selatan 12520 - Indonesia Tel: (62-21) 7819117 Fax: (62-21) 78845628 2nd BAPNET SC members and guests 160 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Secretariat INIBAP-AP Dr Inge Van den Bergh Ms Maria Angeli Maghuyop Ms Versalynn N. Roa ICHORD Ms Sri Sulihanti 161 Appendix 3 : Awards Awards INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF BANANA AND PLANTAIN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC NETWORK Presents this Plaque of Appreciation to the Central Research Institute for Horticulture In recognition of its strong commitment to banana R&D in Asia and for its cooperation with INIBAP.. In appreciation for hosting the 1st INIBAP-Asia Pacific Network Regional Advisory Committee (INIBAP-ASPNET RAC) meeting in Jakarta and Bogor in 5-8 August 1991, and this year’s 2nd Banana Asia Pacific Network (BAPNET) Steering Committee meeting on 6-8 October 2003, and for serving as the base in Indonesia for the Regional Information System for Banana and Plantain (RISBAP). In acknowledgement of its vital role in the collection and conservation of banana germplasm in Maluku and Irian Jaya, for hosting and supporting the field germplasm collection, and having this collection characterized, evaluated and shared through the Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS). In acknowledgement of its participation and cooperation in the International Musa Testing Programme (IMTP) and the National Repository, Multiplication and Distribution Programme. This Plaque of Appreciation is given this 6th day of October 2003 in Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia. INIBAP is a programme of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), a center of AGUSTIN B. MOLINA Regional Coordinator INIBAP Asia-Pacific RICHARD MARKHAM Director INIBAP 162 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 BANANA ASIA-PACIFIC NETWORK INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF BANANA AND PLANTAIN Presents this Plaque of Appreciation to the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC) In recognition of its strong support to INIBAP-BAPNET programs in advancing banana R&D in Asia and the Pacific region. In appreciation for its collaboration in capacity building in support to the BAPNET National Repository, Multiplication and Distribution project, particularly in the area of virus indexing and tissue-culture production. In acknowledgement of its vital role in the promotion of the use of disease-free planting materials and integrated pest management, for the sustainable production of banana and plantain. This Plaque of Appreciation is given this 6th day of October 2003 in Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia. AGUSTIN B. MOLINA Regional Coordinator INIBAP Asia-Pacific AHMAD DIMYATI Director Central Research Institute for Horticulture RICHARD MARKHAM Director INIBAP INIBAP is a programme of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), a center of 163 Appendix 4 : Acronyms and abbreviations Acronyms and abbreviations AARDO Afro Asian Rural Development Organization ACIAR Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research AIPUB Association for the Improvement in Production and Utilization of Banana, India APES Association of Petroleum Exporting Countries APO Agricultural Productivity Organization ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASPNET Asia and Pacific Network BAPNET Banana Asia Pacific Network(formerly ASPNET) BARI Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute BAU Bangladesh Agricultural University BBTD Banana Bunchy Top Disease BBTV Banana Bunchy Top Virus BBrMV Banana Bract Mosaic Virus BLS black leaf streak BPI-DNCRDC Bureau of Plant Industry - Davao National Crop Research and Development Center, Philippines BRS Banana Research Station, India BS black sigatoka BSMRAU Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangladesh BSV Banana Streak Virus CARDI Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute CARI Central Agriculture Research Institute, Myanmar CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CIRAD Centre de Cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique Pour le Developpement, France CKFD cement kiln flue dust cm centimeter CMV Cucumber Mosaic Virus CTAB hexadecyl-trimethyl-ammonium bromide CvSU Cavite State University, Philippines DA-BAR Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Agricultural Research, Philippines DAL Department of Agriculture and Livestock, PNG DE distillery effluent DI Disease incidence DMI demethylase inhibitor DMMMSU Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, 164 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 Philippines DNA deoxyribonucleic acid DOA Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka DOST Department of Science and Technology, Philippines DS Disease severity DTI Department of Trade and Industry, Philippines ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Italy Foc Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense FFTC Food anf Fertilizer Technology Center, Taiwan FHIA Fundacion Hondureña de Investigacion Agricola, Honduras FSM Federated States of Micronesia ft foot/feet GAA Germplasm Acquisition Agreement GAAT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade GDAAS Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences GC Giant Cavendish GCTCV Giant Cavendish Tissue Culture Variant GMO genetically modified organism GDP gross domestic product GIS Geographical Information System ha(s) hectare(s) HVCC High Value Commercial Crops IBSRAM International Board for Soil Research and Management ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICHORD Indonesian Center for Horticultural Research and Development IEBR Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam IFRURI Indonesian Fruit Research Institute IMTP International Musa Testing Program INIBAP International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain, Montpellier, France IPR Intellectual Property Rights ISPSC Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, Philippines ITC INIBAP Transit Centre, Leuven, Belgium IPGRI International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Macaresse, Italy IPM integrated pest management IRA import risk analysis IWMI International Water Management Institute kg kilogram KUL Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium m meter MARDI Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development 165 Institute, Serdang, Malaysia MGIS Musa Germplasm Information System MinSCAT Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology, Philippines mo(s) month(s) MTA Material Transfer Agreement MUSALIT INIBAP bibliographic database NARI-DLP National Agricultural Research Institute - Dry Lowlands Programme, Papua New Guinea NARRDS National Agriculture and Resources Research and Development System, Philippines NARS National Agricultural Research System NBPGR National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, India NGO non-government organization NPK nitrogen phosphorus potassium NQA National Quality Association, China NRCB National Research Centre for Banana, India NTU National Taiwan University OTOP One Tumbol One Product, Thailand PAPGREN Pacific Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Network PCARRD Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development PCR polymerase chain reaction PGR plant genetic resources PGRC Plant Genetic Resources Centre, Ghana PJB Pisang Jari Buaya PMN Planting Material Network, Soloman Islands PNG Papua New Guinea POD peroxidase PROMUSA Global Programme for Musa Improvement QA Quality Assurance QSC Quirino State College, Philippines RAPD random amplified polymorphic DNA RC Regional Coordinator REC Relative electric conductivity RFLP Random fragment length polymorphism RGC Regional Germplasm Centre, Fiji RISBAP Regional Information System for Bananaa and Plantain - Asia and the Pacific RNA ribonucleic acid RT PCR reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction sp/spp. species R&D research and development RDE research, development and extension SCAU South China Agricultural University SCUs state colleges and universities SET-UP Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program Acronyms and abbreviations 166 A Advancing banana and plantain R&D in Asia and the Pacific - Vol 12 SMEs small and medium enterprises SOFRI Southern Fruit Research Institute, Vietnam SPC Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Fiji t tonnes TBRI Taiwan Banana Research Institute TCP tissue-cultured plant TNAU Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India TSC Taiwan Sugar Company UM Universiti Malaya, Malaysia UN United Nations Unitech University of Technology, Papua New Guinea UPM Universiti Putra Malaysia USM Universiti Sains Malaysia VAM vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza VASI Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute VFI Virlanie Foundation, Incorporated, Philippines VFRDC Vegetable and Fruit Research and Development Center, Myanmar VLIR Flemish Inter-University Council, Belgium VVOB Vlaamse Vereniging voor Ontwikkelingsamenwerking en Technische Bijstand, Belgium (or Flemish Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance) WTO World Trade Organization YAU Yezin Agriculture University, Myanmar YS yellow sigatoka INIBAP ISSN 1729-0805