Contributions by:
Sharl Mintoff1, Samantha Cullen1, Chris Kelly1, Maxine Piggott1 and Jeff Daniells2
1Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Darwin, NT
2Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, South Johnstone, QLD
Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4) continues to be a major threat to the Australian banana industry. Finding varieties that are resistant to Panama disease TR4 is a key component for continuing to produce bananas in the presence of the disease.
Over recent years variety screening trials have been running in the Northern Territory where the disease was declared endemic after its detection in the late 1990s.
Main trial
• 17 varieties, planted in December 2018
• plants artificially inoculated with Panama disease TR4
• 24 plants of each variety (6 plants per replicate over 4 replicates)
• randomised complete block design
• three varieties with known response to Panama disease TR4 are included in the trial; Goldfinger
(resistant), Formosana/GCTCV218 (intermediate) and Williams Cavendish (susceptible)
• fortnightly assessments.
List of varieties
Sub-trial
The sub-trial consists mainly of parental lines from the CIRAD breeding program. This is a smaller trial in number due to difficulty replicating the lines using tissue culture. Results from this trial will provide useful information back to the breeding program on the level of resistance that parent material and hybrids have to Panama disease TR4. The trial includes:
• 17 varieties, planted in December 2018
• plants artificially inoculated with Panama disease TR4
• 10 plants of each variety (1 plant per replicate over 10 replicates)
• randomised complete block design
• fortnightly assessments.
List of varieties