Earlier this week, on Monday September 23, the Caribbean Newswire broke news of what it said was a fungal infection “threatening food crops“. Fusarian Wilt, , commonly referred to as Panama Disease, is the name given to the fungal infection in the Caribbean Newswire story and is described as “a soil-borne fungal infection known for being difficult to control and particularly threatening to food crops, causing plants to yellow and wither over time.”
Several hundred plant species are reportedly susceptible to the malady including economically important food crops such as sweet potatoes, tomatoes, legumes, melons, and bananas. The threat level to the agricultural sector in the Caribbean is believed to be reasonably high given the fact that several hundred plant species are believed to be vulnerable to the malady which, experts say, is difficult to control. Regional experts are reported as saying that Fusarian Wilt is already present in the region including a strain known as Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4).
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) while other plant diseases can be treated with cultivation methods and pesticides, Fusarium Wilt can persist for decades, impacting the long-term livelihoods of farmers and countries’ general food security bona fides. Countries in the Caribbean, including Guyana, have been conducting training for agriculturists in order to equip them to respond to what a local plant specialist has told the Stabroek News is an ‘insidious’ disease.
