LUCKNOW: The Lucknow based Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) and the regional station of Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI) here have developed a technology against the tropical race 4 (TR4) variant of Panama wilt disease that has affected the banana crop globally. The technology, known as ICARFUSICONT, was transferred to Innoterra India, the country’s largest fruit producers and exporters, on Thursday.
For the first time, the technology, developed in 2019 by the two institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), has been transferred to a private company for commercial production. The bio-formulant, Fusicont, developed by ICAR is “most effective management tool available globally against the Panama disease in bananas”.
The disease, fusarium oxysporum, also called Panama wilt, is extremely threatening for bananas worldwide.
“Since 2010, TR4 has spread to major countries around the world. Due to limited knowledge and lack of management models and resources to fight this disease it is becoming an increasing concern worldwide,” said director, CISH, Shailendra Rajan.
