Preparing for Fusarium Wilt of Banana in Latin America and the Caribbean

镰刀菌枯萎病或巴拿马病，由真菌病原体尖孢镰刀菌f.由于热带小种4（TR4）的出现，对出口品种卡文迪什（Cavendish）具有高毒力，因此对拉丁美洲和加勒比（LAC）的商业香蕉生产构成潜在的灾难性威胁。全球正在努力通过组织培养变异选择、遗传修饰、生物安全措施、生物控制和综合虫害管理来减少疾病传播和影响。虽然这些措施带来了希望，但要想取得成功，它们必须在商业、经济和社会上是适当的。该博士项目包括对TR4抵达拉丁美洲和加勒比的潜在影响及其控制措施的跨学科分析。该项目建立在埃克塞特大学正在进行的工作基础上，与英国和海外合作者合作。该项目将有三个组成部分。首先，我们将与康沃尔的伊甸园项目合作，在盆栽试验和田间试验中研究土壤微生物对抑制TR4的影响。研究表明，有机肥和生防微生物等有机改良剂可以促进土壤健康，抑制TR4。这些修正案对感染的影响将在商业卡文迪什品种上进行测试，并使用DNA测序监测土壤群落。其次，我们将与哥斯达黎加地球大学的同事合作，建立更大规模的有机土壤改良剂和生物控制实地试验，以量化土壤微生物组和重要生物体（如菌根真菌）的反应。第三，我们会与埃克塞特商学院及英国和拉丁美洲和加勒比地区的商业伙伴合作进行模拟研究，以确定TR4抵达拉丁美洲和加勒比地区的潜在社会和经济影响。具体而言，我们将估计有机土壤改良剂的可用性，如农家肥，其应用的财务成本，以及它们对土壤肥力和香蕉产量的影响，在没有和存在的TR4。我们将模拟TR4在拉丁美洲和加勒比地区的到来和传播的可能情景，并估计不同的管理对策将如何影响农民的财务状况。这些模型将帮助我们了解TR4如何改变该地区的土地利用和农业。

Fusarium wilt or Panama Disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense, poses a potentially catastrophic threat to commercial banana production in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) due to the emergence of Tropical Race 4 (TR4) which has high virulence against the exported cultivar Cavendish. Efforts are underway globally to reduce disease dispersal and impact, via tissue culture variant selection,genetic modification, biosecurity measures, biological control and integrated pest management. While such measures offer hope, they must be commercially, economically and socially appropriate if they are to succeed. This PhD project comprises an interdisciplinary analysis of the potential impact of TR4 arrival in LAC and appropriate measures for its control. The project builds on ongoing work at Exeter University, in collaboration with UK and overseas collaborators. The project will have three components. Firstly, we will investigate the influence of soil microbes on suppression of TR4 in pot trials and in the field, in collaboration with the Eden Project in Cornwall. Research has shown that organic amendments like manure and biocontrol micro-organisms can enhance soil health and suppress TR4.The soil microbe community will be experimentally manipulated using additions of organic matter and available biocontrols. The effect of these amendments on infection will be tested on commercial Cavendish varieties, and the soil community monitored using DNA sequencing. Secondly, we will work with colleagues at Earth University in Costa Rica to establish larger field trials of organic soil amendments and biocontrols, toquantify responses of the soil microbiome and important organisms such as mycorrhizal fungi. Thirdly, we will conduct modelling studies in collaboration with the Exeter Business School and commercial partners in the UK and LAC, to determine the potential social and economic impact of TR4 arrival in LAC. Specifically, we will estimate the availability of organic soil amendments such as farm manure, the financial costs of their application, and their effects on soil fertility and banana yield in the absence and presence of TR4. We will model possible scenarios for the arrival and spread of TR4 in LAC, and estimate how different management responses would affect farmers financially. The models will help us to understand how TR4 could alter land use and agriculture in the region.