Brazilian Scientists Search for Bananas with Reduced Need for Pesticides

Researchers from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBBRAPA), have joined forces with collaborators from Wageningen University of Holland in an aim to develop banana varieties with a reduced need for chemical controls. The Program for Pesticide Reduction in Banana (PRPB) hopes to decrease the need of pesticide applications by up to 50% in the next 10 years. Banana is produced in over 100 tropical and subtropical countries and is one of the most important food crops for 400 million people, mostly in developing countries. At the same time it is also one of the crops with higher chemical use, with  50 to 70 yearly applications of fungicide required for production in some Central and South American countries.

The focus of PRPB is the control of Black Sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis), and of the burrowing nematode Radopholus similes, key pests of banana. The program consists of nine research groups, three of which compose the MusaForever, a platform to facilitate the transfer of technology and the development of human capacity. The recent sequencing of the Black Sigakota genome will provide important information and tools for developing resistance varieties. For many commercially important banana varieties, genetic modification is the only available option to this aim.

Read more at http://www.embrapa.br/imprensa/noticias/2007/outubro/1a-semana/cientistas-buscam-reducao-de-pesticidas-nos-bananais/