Bananas

Find out information on current partnerships and research activities with the banana growers.

Banana Plant Protection Project

Research to develop of a plant protection program for bananas, targeting control options and resistance breeding for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc. TR4). Objectives include:

• assessing different varieties for pest resistance
• evaluating disinfectants and their efficacy in killing the Foc spores
• developing a quantitative real time Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect the fungus in soil, in collaboration with the South Australian Research and Development Institute.

More information

• Bananas on the Northern Territory Government website
• YouTube channel

Media

• Path to most resistance (2018) - Australian Banana Growers Council
• Genetically modified banana trial to return to Northern Territory in hope of finding variety resistance to Panama TR4 (2017) - ABC Rural
• Latest TR4 Varietal Screening in the NT (2017) - Australian Banana Growers Council
• Research trial to find bananas tolerant to Panama Disease Tropical Race 4 destroyed because of Banana Freckle (2015) - ABC Rural

Contact

sharl.mitoff@nt.gov.au