AN OUTBREAK OF BANANA XANTHOMONAS WILT IN BANANA ORCHARDS IN WESTERN KENYA

Abstract

Banana (Musa spp. L.) is the third most important fruit crop after avocado and mango in Kenya. In the year 2005, the country produced about one million metric tons of bananas valued at 13 billion Kenya shillings. A bacterial disease caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm) previously only reported in enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw) Cheesman), in Ethiopia was first reported on banana in Uganda in 2000, Democratic Republic of Congo in 2003, Rwanda in 2004 and Tanzania in 2005. All banana cultivars were susceptible and yield losses of up to 100% were reported in all the above-mentioned regions. The main modes of transmission are: insect pollinators, contaminated tools, infected suckers, unregulated movement of banana materials, and browsing animals. Infected fruits become unpalatable. A survey was conducted in Western Kenya in August 2006 to determine the status of Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) in the country. Stratified random sampling was used to select 30 farmers in each district for direct interviews. Banana Xanthomonas wilt was found in Teso, Busia and Bungoma districts. Pathogenicity tests confirmed the causal organism to be Xanthomonas campesris pv. musacearum. Yield losses were estimated to be 80% to 100%. It is recommended that technologies developed and validated in Uganda be employed to manage the disease in a sustainable way in Kenya.