Registration of 14 Improved Tropical Musa Plantain Hybrids with Black Sigatoka Resistance

Abstract

Plantain (Musa spp., AAB group), a trip-loid (2n = 3x = 33) giant perennial herb, is a natural interspecific hybrid between the two wild species M. acuminata Colla and M. balbisiana Colla, which contributed the A and B genomes, respectively. Black sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet), an airborne fungal leaf spot disease, is the major constraint to plantain production worldwide. The dispersion of its spores by wind and water makes plant quarantine measures ineffective. The pathogen causes severe leaf necrosis in plan-tain, resulting in yield losses of 33% to 50% (Gauhl et al., 1993; Stover, 1983). All plantain cultivars, and some of the most popular banana cultivars of East Africa, are susceptible to black sigatoka (Swennen and Vuylsteke, 1991). Fungicides to control the disease are available, but their use is not feasible in the resource-poor smallholdings where the crop is grown in Africa. Moreover, fungicide applications pose a health hazard in village home-steads and create an environmental risk to the fragile ecosystem of Africa's humid forest. Therefore, durable host-plant resistance is considered the most appropriate option for black sigatoka control. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has a mandate to develop improved germplasm of plantain and banana and to distribute it for subsequent testing and