Join us for the upcoming World Banana Forum's webinar Advances in the Development of TR4-Resistant Banana Varieties

Thursday 12 March 2026, 15:00 - 17:00 CET.

RECORDING

REPORT: English / Spanish

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4) syn Fusarium odoratissimum, also known as Tropical Race 4 (TR4), is causing devastation worldwide and threatening banana and plantain producers. TR4 cannot be controlled nor eradicated using chemical control techniques. Its capacity to survive for decades in the soil, together with its wide host range, including Cavendish cultivars, are among the main reasons it has been ranked as the greatest threat to banana production.

In recent years, the continued spread of TR4 across major producing regions has further intensified risks to global banana production, food security and livelihoods, particularly in systems heavily reliant on susceptible cultivars. Once established, the pathogen is extremely difficult to contain, leading to long-term production losses, land abandonment and significant socio-economic impacts along the banana value chain. In this context, strengthening knowledge exchange on advances on the development of resistant and tolerant cultivars, alongside sound evaluation and deployment strategies, is essential to support effective and sustainable responses to TR4 at farm, national and regional levels.

Following the previous webinar series of the World Banana Forum, including the Webinar on TR4-Resistant Banana Varieties: From Selection to Market Demand, the Webinar on TR4-Resistant Banana Varieties: Development, Introduction and Evaluation, and the Side Event during the Global Conference on Fusarium Wilt TR4 and the Future of the Banana Industry, this webinar aims to further consolidate and update knowledge on the advances on the development of TR4-tolerant and resistant banana cultivars.

Objectives:

• Provide an update and research developments from current initiatives developing banana cultivars with tolerance or resistance to Foc TR4.
• Identify key technical, biological and operational challenges in breeding for durable TR4 resistance.
• Discuss implications of TR4-resistant varieties for production systems, phytosanitary management and market uptake.
• Highlight the role of advanced biotechnological tools in accelerating the development and deployment of resistant banana varieties.