RTB-led international alliance for banana bunchy top disease control in Africa: progress and prospects
Lava Kumar, Charles Staver & the Alliance Team
www.bbtvalliance.org
RTB Annual Meeting, 8 Dec 2015, Lima, Peru
Project teamLava Kumar, R. Hanna, H. Kirscht, Nkengla Lilian Wopong, A Adediji, S Ngatat
IITA, Nigeria and Cameroon
Charles Staver, Bonaventure Omondi Aman, A Rietveld, S. Ajambo, G. Blomme
Bioversity International, Uganda and France
M-L. Iskra-Caruana CIRAD , France
C. NiyongereInstitut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU),Burundi
M. Soko Bvumbwe Research Station, MalawiP. Mobambo, GH Vangu Université de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, and INERA DRCB. Dhed’a Djailo and B Ibadna Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, DRC
M. Z-Tachin and C. C. TossouUniversité d’Abomey-Calavi and INRAB, Republic ofBenin
C. Onyeani, Ogunfunmilayo and S. Akinyemi
Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services and NationalInstitute of Horticultural Research, Nigeria
AC Mvila Institut National de Recherche Agronomique, CongoBrazzaville
M. Andeimel'Institut de Recherches Agronomiques et Forestières(IRAF), Gabon
Male to Female ratio 2.2 : 1
Outline
Introduction to problemStrategy Overview of achievements
Seed multiplication and seed flow managementGender studyDiagnostics Virus & vector diversity Host resistance Surveillance Communications and advocacy Next steps
Conclusions
Key points
1. BBTV is an important threat to banana and plantain production
2. RTB initiative is the first major effort to control BBTD in SSA.
3. Galvanized stakeholders across sub-Saharan Africa to adopt a unified approach to tackle BBTD - ALLIANCE approach
4. Adopted interdisciplinary approach (virology, entomology, propagation, epidemiology, extension and social sciences)
5. Developed practicable model, tools and procedures for containment and recovery of banana production.
6. Capacity development through implementation by partners
7. Communication and advocacy is helping additional funds to upscale Alliance program.
Banana bunchy top disease
Banana bunchy top disease
Bunch at the top
Bunchy top
Banana bunchy top virus
©Lava Banana aphid
•Genus Babuvirus, family Nanoviridae
• Infects members of Musaceae and Ensete
•Vectored by the banana aphid,
Pentalonia nigronervosa
•Also spread through planting
•Listed among the top 100 global threats to biodiversity by IUCN BBTV Genome
Before 1960s
Since 1980s
Since 1990s
Since 2008
Since 2011
Since 2012
DRC
AngolaZambia
NigeriaCentral African
Republic
Benin
Gabon
Egypt
Burundi
Rwanda
Equatorial Guinea
Since 1920s
• BBTV is an introduced disease in Africa
• Two separate events of introduction into Africa
• One event of introduction in central SSA expanded to 13 countries
• Threatening 35% of Musaproduction in Africa
Bunchy top spread in Africa
Quantitative data on yield losses not available
“Production declined from truck load to cycle load”
02468
Total production area
In BBTV affected countries
35%
ha (x
106
)
• Mean incidence of 5% in BBTD affected countries in SSA translate to ~100,000 ha.
• Average yield per ha is 7.6 tons
• 760,000 tons of production loss in SSA due to BBTD (net value ~320 million US$)
BBTD control: RTB leading the way in Africa
•Host resistance offers simple and effective solutionbut not available
•Integrated and interdisciplinary model developed to contain BBTD and recover banana production
BBTD containment and recovery: Building capacity and piloting field recovery approaches through a learning alliance
•Planning grant awarded in 2012
•Project commissioned in 2013 for 3 years (2013-15)
• Inception in 2014
•Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, DR Congo, Gabon, Malawi and Nigeria
•Partners: 12 NARES & NPPOs, 3 Universities
• Disease spreading through movement of planting material (aphid vectors contributing local spread)
• Lack of awareness about the disease (inconspicuous symptoms at early stage / disguise attention)
• High inoculum presence in endemic areas
• Lack of clean planting material
1. WA1 – Benin2. WA2 – Nigeria3. CA1 – Cameroon / Gabon4. CA2 – Congo Republic5. CA3 – DRC-Bas Congo6. ECA1 – DRC - Kisangani7. ECA 2 – Burundi8. SA1 - Malawi
Challenges
BBTD is widespread (endemic)
BBTD is localized
(emerging)
• Pilot integrated community approaches for recovering banana production
• Establish strategies to ensure low-cost, healthy planting material production
• Understanding disease epidemiology, farming systems for effective containment and recovery
• Develop tools for disease surveillance and monitoring recovery
1. WA1 – Benin2. WA2 – Nigeria3. CA1 – Cameroon / Gabon4. CA2 – Congo Republic5. CA3 – DRC-Bas Congo6. ECA1 – DRC - Kisangani7. ECA 2 – Burundi8. SA1 - Malawi
Alliance framework
Aloga: PlantainGoukouekoue:PlantainOsun: PlantainOyin vlan: PlantainGoukouekoue: PlantainPlanta: BananaGboguive: BananaGlinsi: BananaGuinee: BananaYagambi km5: BananaGros Michel Pisang AwakAdiliAmbulu
Seed multiplication
LiteteAkotoTala lolaBlugoeHarareZeruAgbagbaParantaFalse horn True horn BubiHybrids (FHIA)Desert a' cuire
•27 varieties being multiplied (Banana, Plantain and Hybrids
Macropropagation & In vitro•Burundi, Cameroon & Malawi
Micropropagation•Benin, Nigeria•DR Congo, Gabon •Congo Brazzaville
Seed multiplication
Before intervention After intervention
•Mapping disease farms •Gaining farmer consent •Eradication of infected plants •Replanting healthy planting material •Isolation distance of at least 50 m
Nkhota-kota site in Malawi
Understanding gender relations in banana cropping systems
Gender Division of Labour (GDoL)• Land clearing: Mostly men (Burundi 64%)• Weeding: Mostly women (DRC 87%)
Knowledge of BBTD• Very low among both men and women• In Gabon over 80% men and women not able to
accurately identify BBTD
Cross-sectional study carried out by gender specialists using standard protocol in all pilot sites
Access, Use and Control of ProductiveResources•Land ownership: Mostly men (56%) while land use is mostly joint (83%)
Status of the BBTD gender and social studies in Pilot sites
Pilot Site CG Centre Data collection Data Analysis Partners
Cameroon IITA Completed: • 149 surveys• 15 FGDs and KI interviews
Complete -University of Yaoundé-University of Dschang
Gabon IITA Completed: • 57 surveys• 15 FGDs and KI interviews
On- going -University of Omar Bongo-Projet de Developpement et Rural, (PDAR), Gabon
Nigeria IITA Completed: • 150 surveys• 15 FGDs and KI interviews
Complete -University of Ibadan
Benin IITA Completed• 168 surveys • 10 FGDs and KI interviews
On- going -University of Ketou
Malawi Bioversity Completed for one site: • 167 surveys• 4 FGDs and KI interviews
Partially complete(complete for one site)
-University of Mzuzu
Burundi Bioversity Pending-security situation : • 221 surveys• FGDs and KI interviews-
pending
Complete University of Burundi
Kinshasa Bioversity Completed: • 108 surveys• 20 FGDS and KI interviews
Complete University of Kinshasa
Kisangani Bioversity Completed: • 200 surveys• 20 FGDs and KI interviews
On- going University of Kisangani
Congo Brazzaville
CIRAD/ In 2016 - -
Diagnostics for BBTV detection
1 2 3 4 5 6 D H B W
ELISA PCR LAMP Real Time PCR1= 1:101 dilution + + nt nt2 = 1:102 dilution + + nt nt3 = 1:103 dilution - + + +4 = 1:104 dilution - + + +5 = 1:105 dilution - - + +6 = 1:106 dilution - - + +7= 1:107 dilution - - + +D = Diseased controlB= Buffer controlH = Healthy controlW= Water control
M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H B
M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H B
A
B
PCR LAMP [New] Real time PCR (TaqMan probe) [New]
ELISA
•Understanding selection pressure and recombination events
•Within a plant•Within a field•Within a location•Within the country
•Characterizing all the six segments of BBTV genome in each target country
BBTV-C-BENIN
BBTV-C-Idologun43
BBTV-C-Ibola5
BBTV-C-Mende76
JQ820463|BBTV-Rwanda-138
JQ820469|BBTV-Rwanda-142
JQ820457|BBTV-Malawi-73
JN250597|BBTV-SriLanka-Kandy
JF957681|BBTV-Tonga-310
FJ609643|BBTV-India-Bihar
AM418564|BBTV-Pakistan-CL-IM
JF957684|BBTV-Tonga-S28
HQ378193|BBTV-China-Haikou4
6847
98
66
67
88
63
54
35
55
0.002
C-gene
BBTV-SCP-Mende62
BBTV-SCP-Mende76
BBTV-SCP-BENIN2
BBTV-SCP-Ibola5
BBTV-SCP-BENIN26
BBTV-SCP-Owotedo80
JN250595|BBTV-SriLanka-Kandy
JQ820455|BBTV-Malawi-73
JQ820467|BBTV-Rwanda-142
JQ820461|BBTV-Rwanda-138
AF148943|BBTV-Burundi
JF755981|BBTV-GAB-TV18.2
JF755979|BBTV-CAM-TV14.1
JF755978|BBTV-CAM-TV4.11
JF755986|BBTV-DRC-23
JF755984|BBTV-DRC-TV24
JF755982|BBTV-GAB-TV-17.5
JF755987|BBTV-DRC-25.2
JF755980| BBTV-MAL-TV5.4
FJ605507|BBTV-India-Bihar
FJ859739|BBTV-Pakistan-TA2
JF957660|BBTV-Tonga-S28
HQ378191|BBTV-China-Haikou4
AB108451|BBTV-Japan-JY1100
79
4999
6050
55
52
6063
35
4154
31
23
51
97
73
0.01
SCP
Understanding BBTV diversity
•97 to 100% identity (very low diversity)
Banana bunchy top disease
NJ Phylogenetic tree based on the 240 bp BBTV R (replicase) gene sequence
Single source of virus for SSA spread
JQ37549: Benin
JX290301: Nigeria
BBTV Gabon
BBTV DRC
BBTV Malawi
BBTV Zambia
JN204214: Rwanda
BBTV Cameroon
JN204215: DRC
JN204198: Burundi
AY996562: Pakistan
EU140342: India
head office: Egypt
AF416466: Fiji
NC 003479: Australia
AF416467: Tonga
FJ009240: India (Ensete superbum)
KC119098: India (BBTV-Umiam)
AB113659: Vietnam
AF246123: China
AB108458: Japan
AB186926: Indonesia
AB189067: Philippines
AF416468: Taiwan
JX867550: CBDV
EF546813: ABTV
66
69
97
78
64
96
95
99
71
61
83
81
42
51
78
54
14
0.000.020.040.060.080.100.120.14
Clade 2
South-East
Asia (SEA)
Clade 1
Pacific and
Indian Oceans
Group (PIO)
Outgroup
SSASequence divergence
~10% between sub-groups~5% within sub-groups
NJ Phylogenetic tree based on the Mt COI gene
•Vector populations assessed using mitochondrial COI gene marker•Almost exclusive association of P. nigronervosa with banana in Africa•P. caladii observed on Alpinia spp.
•How many species are involved in virus transmission?
Aphid role in BBTV spread
Tolerance to BBTD and aphids
Understanding mechanisms of host tolerance
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
DNA 1 DNA 2 DNA 3 DNA 4 DNA 5 DNA 6 UBQ
Symptomatic AgbagbaRecovered Agbagba 1Recovered Agbagba 2Healthy Control
Ct
Symptomatic
Recovered plant
• Quantitative PCR to quantify virus titter• Recovery trait is linked to lowered virus titter • Potential for exploitation in endemic areas to reduce planting
material replacement rate
Understanding mechanisms of host tolerance
BBTV DNA – R
R2= 1 Eff.= 99.66%
05000000010000000150000002000000025000000300000003500000040000000
Mill
ion
copi
es
• Virus titter not necessarily correlates with symptom severity
•Quantitative PCR for titter estimation
•BBTV DNA-R gene
Nigeria
Benin
Disease surveillance
•Annual surveys •Mainly focused in Benin and Nigeria •Monitoring for disease incidence and expansion •Feeding information to governmental organizations
Communication and Advocacy
www.bbtvalliance.org
Meeting with former Nigerian president Mr. Obasanjjo
‘Stop Bunchy Top’ campaign in West Africa’
FAO - IPPC
•Information sharing
•Gaining political and policy support
Boost to ALLIANCE approach
TCP/SFC/3503 :Appui à la prévention et la gestion de la Maladie de Bunchy Top du Bananier (BBTD) (2015-17)
Cameroun, Gabon and Equatoriale Guinée
Similar program for Benin, Malawi and Nigeria in pipeline
19 - 23 October 2015
Linkages and Clusters
Seed degeneration project:Effect of BBTV on degeneration on planting material (Farmer practices vs. positive selection)
Seed system framework:Effective model for generating healthy planting material for disease control in endemic areas
RTB Cluster: BA 2 (Viral): Improving the livelihoods of smallholder banana producers in Asia and Africa through recovery and containment of banana bunchy top disease
Conclusions
1. Evidence of disease expansion in West Africa
2. Multifaceted tactics required to contain and recover production in BBTD affected areas
3. Supply of clean planting material is a key to motivate farmers to participate in the control efforts
4. Success of the eradication depends on sponsored programs
5. New knowledge on genotype x virus interactions offering a hope for selection of ‘tolerant clones’ for use in endemic areas and even breeding
• RTB initiative contributed to a model, tools, procedures and partnerships for BBTD control in Africa.
• There is a need to continue this momentum and expand to other countries not included in this phase
Thank youwww.bbtvalliance.org