Review on impact of banana bacterial wilt (<i>Xhantomonas campestris pv. Musacerum</i>) in East and Central Africa

Abstract

Banana is a key crop in the livelihoods of many people in the region of East and Central Africa. For so many years, the fruit has been threatened by Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) which has spread throughout the region but at different rates. The disease attacks all banana cultivars and can cause up to 100% yield losses at the farm level if effective control measures are not put in place. Despite, the impact of BXW on banana production in eastern and central Africa is not yet fully determined. Although the economic loss of banana bacterial wilt on the welfare of the farmers and the economy of the countries is not well documented, the impact of banana bacterial wilt on food security is very significant. Since banana is a key component of these farming communities, the banana production losses resulted in a significant reduction in household food security and incomes. There is, therefore, need for overviewing the impact, New research directions for sustainable management of BXW in east and central are suggested, including development of resistant banana cultivars through genetic engineering; exploring the potential use of endophytes as biological control agents; fine tune existing cultural control practices; farmer field schools; and current knowledge related to the deadly bacterial wilt disease in the region.