Banana Fusarium wilt was first discovered in Australia by Bancroft in 1874.
Fusarium wilt external and internal symptoms; other banana wilt diseases; abiotic stresses
Morphological identification; VCG's; molecular identification; detection of Foc
The causal agent of Fusarium wilt of bananas is called Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), a soil-inhabiting filamentous fungus that belongs to the section Elegans in the genus Fusarium.
Foc TR4 was first discovered in Malaysia and Indonesia when multi-national banana export companies extended their production to these countries.
Two major strategies are available to successfully control Fusarium wilt of banana: prevention and the use of resistant varieties.
In the early half of the 20th century, a fungal disease called Fusarium wilt devastated commercial export banana plantations of Gros Michel bananas, first in Central America but later also in western Africa.