Green Pepper to the Rescue of African Bananas

Banana, an important staple food in Africa is affected by devastating diseases, one of which is the Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW). The disease causes half a billion dollars worth of damage yearly. A major breakthrough towards the possible control of the disease was the development of genetically-modified banana that contains the plant ferredoxin-like amphipathic protein (Pflp) or hypersensitive response-assisting protein (Hrap) from green pepper. The research was conducted by a group of research scientists led by Dr. Leena Tripathi of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) of Uganda in partnership with the African Agricultural Research Foundation (AATF).

"The Hrap and Pflp genes work by rapidly killing the cells that come into contact with the disease-spreading bacteria, essentially blocking it from spreading any further. Hopefully, this will boost the arsenal available to fight BXW and help save millions of farmers' livelihoods in the Great Lakes region," she said. The research is published in the Molecular Plant Pathology Journal and promising resistant lines will soon be evaluated in confined field trials after the recent approval of the Ugandan National Biosafety Committee.

Details of the story can be viewed at http://www.iita.org/news-feature-asset/-/asset_publisher/B3Bm/content/green-pepper-to-the-rescue-of-african-bananas?redirect=%2Fweb%2Fiita%2Fnews