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Making a Southeast-Asian favourite resistant to BBTV |
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Filipino scientists are using mutation induction to make the Lakatan cultivar resistant to the Banana bunchy top virus.
January 2010
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L. Barona
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The cultivation of Lakatan bananas in the Philippines has been severely affected by BBTV.
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The Manila Bulletin reported on a trial evaluating Lakatan plants for their resistance to banana bunchy top disease as part of a collaborative project with the FAO and the University of Frankfurt. The plants had received a gamma irradiation treatment to increase the rate of mutation in the hope that some of the mutations would confer resistance to the disease.
So far 7,366 plants have been screened for resistance. According to Olivia Damasco of the Institute of Plant Breeding in Los Baños, 29 lines “were found to be highly resistant to the virus while improved agronomic traits included bigger, heavier and sweeter fruits".
Bunchy top is by far the most devastating viral disease that affects bananas. The virus is transmitted by the black banana aphid and through infected planting material. It is widespread in the Asia-Pacific region and has reached Africa, where it is a major cause of concern. It is still absent from Latin America. In the Philippines, bunchy top is one of the major constraints to the cultivation of the much-loved Lakatan banana (not to be confused with the Cavendish type Lacatan). It is also popular in Southeast Asia, where it is known as Pisang Berangan and Kluai Hom Maew, among others.
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