3 October 2019, Rome - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched an emergency project under its Technical Cooperation Programme to help countries in Latin America and the Caribbean fight the spread of Fusarium wilt, a fungal plant disease that can wipe out the banana crops upon which the livelihoods of millions of people depend.

World Banana Forum – TR4 Task Force: Phytosanitary alert for the prevention of Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4) in banana and plantain farms in Latin America and the Caribbean

Regional TR4 alert emitted by the Regional Animal and Plant Health Organization for Mexico, Central America and Caribbean (OIRSA).

Information on potential Fusarium TR4 outbreaks is available through the "News and Events" section of the TR4 Global Network. Image copyright: FAO AGP Division

Many banana sector players are aware of the threat of the Tropical Race 4 strain of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (TR4) that causes Fusarium wilt in Cavendish bananas. Several other banana cultivars are also susceptible to TR4.