Edited by André Drenth and Gert Kema

Dr André Drenth is Professor in Tropical Plant Pathology and Program Leader for crop protection in the Centre for Horticultural Science at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), at the University of Queensland. He leads several projects on tropical plant diseases and he initiated and led a national Banana Plant Protection Program set up to protect Australia’s banana industry from the impact of a range of pests and diseases.

Dr Gert H. J. Kema is Professor of Phytopathology and chair at the Laboratory for Phytopathology of Wageningen University, The Netherlands. He initiated and coordinated several international banana research programs focusing on Fusarium wilt of banana and black Sigatoka as well as interdisciplinary research projects and public-private-partnerships on other perennial crops. He is a cofounder of several spin-off companies focusing on banana improvement, disease management and bioprocessing.

Bananas are a key food source for millions, whilst their production supports the livelihood of farmers across the globe. However, recent research has identified the vulnerability of particular banana varieties to major pests and diseases. With the banana industry under threat of extinction, more research is required into understanding the biology of the pests and diseases that pose this threat so that more effective management strategies can be developed and the risk of future outbreaks reduced.

Achieving Sustainable Cultivation of Bananas: Volume 3, Diseases and Pests provides a comprehensive review of the major pests and diseases affecting global banana production including Tropical Race 4, black Sigatoka and banana streak virus. The book explores existing methods for pest/disease diagnosis and identification, current management strategies used to control and/or prevent outbreaks, as well as the development of disease-resistant cultivars and integrated pest and disease management programs.

Achieving Sustainable Cultivation of Bananas: Volume 3, Diseases and Pests

Part 1 Fungal diseases

1.The Sigatoka leaf disease complex in banana

Jean Carlier, Luc De Lapeyre De Bellaire, Catherine Abadie, Marc Chillet, Dominique Carval, Robert Neil, Gerard Miller, Thangavelu R., and Josué Essoh Ngando

2.Controlling black leaf streak disease (BLSD) in banana: the case of Costa Rica

Pablo Chong, Claudiana Carr, Gilberth Murillo, Mauricio Guzmán, Randy Villalobos, Jorge Sandoval, and Gert H. J. Kema

3.Freckle disease of banana

André Drenth and Mee Hua Wong

4.Fusarium wilt of banana: impact, epidemiology and management of Fusarium wilt Race 1 and 2

Einar Martínez de la Parte and Luis Pérez-Vicente

5.The past, present and future of Fusarium wilt of banana caused by Tropical Race 4

Fernando García-Bastidas, André Drenth, and Gert H. J. Kema

6.Towards sustainable management of Fusarium wilt of banana

André Drenth and Gert H. J. Kema

7.Minor fungal diseases of banana

Luis Ernesto Pocasangre and Alfonso Martinuz

Part 2 Bacterial and phytoplasma diseases

8.Moko bacterial wilt of banana

Mauricio Guzmán, Marylin Sánchez, Ricardo Villalta, Leonardo Pérez, and Claudiana Carr

9.Banana Blood disease

Jane Ray, Siti Subandiyah, and André Drenth

10.Xanthomonas wilt of banana

Guy Blomme, Elizabeth Kearsley, and Walter Ocimati,

11.Bacterial soft rot of banana

Luis Pérez-Vicente and Armando García-Suárez

12.Phytoplasma diseases of banana plants

Lilia C. Carvalhais and Richard Davis

Part 3 Viral diseases

13.Banana bunchy top virus

John E. Thomas

14.Banana streak disease

Andrew D. W. Geering

15.Other viral pathogens of banana

Andrew D. W. Geering

Part 4 Nematode pests

16.Nematodes in banana

Mieke Daneel and Akhona Mbatyoti

17.Towards sustainable management of nematodes in banana

Anthony B. Pattison, Jennifer A. Cobon, Mario Araya-Vargas, and Christian Chabrier

Part 5 Insect pests

18.The banana weevil borer

César Guillén Sanchez

19.Banana Red Rust thrips

Frans Wielemaker Sanderse

20.Managing banana bunch pests: towards more ecological approaches

Charles Staver, Luud Clercx, Myriam Arias, César Guillén Sanchez, Lieselot van der Veken, and Marco Antonio Oviedo Cajas

Part 6 Fruit diseases

21.Management of diseases on banana fruit in the field

Marc Jackson

22.Postharvest diseases of bananas and their sustainable management

M. Gloria Lobo, Goretti Díaz-Delgado, and Francisco Javier Fernández-Rojas

"The current range of disease and pest threats means that Volume 3 of Achieving Sustainable Cultivation of Bananas covering a wide array of pathogens and pests is urgently needed. The two editors of this volume, Professor André Drenth of The University of Queensland in Australia and Professor Gert Kema of Wageningen University in The Netherlands, are highly knowledgeable specialists with extensive experience in pest and disease management of bananas. They have selected similarly knowledgeable scientists writing the individual chapters. The book is comprehensive and of excellent quality. It will be useful for both students and researchers, as well as banana production practitioners."
—Dr Ariena van Bruggen, Emeritus Professor of Plant Pathology and Emerging Pathogens, University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida

"The book Achieving Sustainable Cultivation of Bananas: Volume 3, Diseases and Pests edited by distinguished plant pathologists, Professor Andre Drenth of the University of Queensland and Professor Gert Kema of Wageningen University, takes a comprehensive look into the abiotic and biotic threats to sustainable banana production. The editors have brought together an international team of scientists to discuss the endemic and emerging pest and disease threats to banana including Panama disease. This book will become a valuable resource for the improved management of all banana diseases."
—Dr Jean Beagle Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor and Director of Emerging Plant Disease and Global Food Security, North Carolina State University