The banana sector analyzes the import of the first variety resistant to Fusarium Race 4, called banana QCAV-4, is being evaluated in Australia, where the fungus was discovered in 2015. If this new variety passes tests in that country, it will offer a safety net against pests that affect banana plantations and other musaceae, noted José Antonio Hidalgo , executive director of the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE).

Plague has already been present in the region since 2019 when it was discovered in Colombia, in 2021 it arrived in Peru, and in January of this year Venezuela confirmed the appearance of the fungus. Ecuador has not yet reported the disease.

4620 banana plants Formosana GCTCV-218 are already in the country, tolerant to Fusarium race 4

Meanwhile, the banana sector has already introduced a pest-tolerant variety, Formosana 218, through the banana cluster, which was implemented through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the Regulatory Agency and the Plant and Zoosanitary Service. Control (Agrocalidad) and the National Institute for Agricultural Research (Iniap).

The Formosana 218 variety is native to Taiwan and is already used in the Philippines and in Central American countries such as Honduras and Costa Rica. In addition, the import of another tolerant variety, gal from Israel, is underway.

The arrival of this tolerant variety occurred after compliance with the current legal regulations of the Organic Law on Agricultural Health (LOSA) and the Organic Law on Agrobiodiversity, Seeds and the Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture (Loasfas).

Meanwhile, QCAV-4 bananas, developed in collaboration with the Australian government and industry, have been grown in field trials in Australia’s Northern Territory for more than six years and have been shown to be highly resistant to the disease. FusariumAEBE reported in a press release.

The new banana variety is currently being evaluated by Australian government regulators, the Office of Genetic Technology Regulators (OGTR) and Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ). If the Australian government approves this variety, it will be available in about five years.

The banana sector requests that the import of another variety that tolerates Fusarium race 4 be accelerated

Australia’s world-class biological rules have so far limited the impact of race four disease on most Australian industry, but it has been found in parts of North Queensland and has decimated the commercial banana industry in the Northern Territory.

For his part, Hidalgo indicated that the country must have the largest number of varieties that are tested on Ecuadorian soil due to the appropriate biosecurity and the entry process that must be managed, in order to see the reactions that these varieties have in terms of productivity in the future. .a taste that adapts to the Ecuadorian soil.

“This new variety would arrive in the country depending on the efforts of MAG, there are options abroad. You have to come to an agreement, today there is only one variety in the country, Formosan 218, and there are others out there that only motivate to test as many as possible”, added the leader.

However, while regulatory approval from the OGTR and FSANZ would support the environmental and food safety of QCAV-4, there are currently no plans to grow or sell QCAV-4 bananas to consumers in Australia, AEBE explained.