First Report of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 (VCG 0121316) Associated with Cavendish Bananas in Laos (2018)

Mainland China is a major producer of Cavendish bananas and, to meet local demand for the fruit, commercial production is expanding to neighbouring countries such as Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. In Laos, local banana varieties such as "kuay nam" (Silk, AAB),"kuay hom" (local Cavendish, AAA) and "kuay klai" (Horn Plantain, AAB) are preferentially grown for food and income generation. The expansion of Cavendish production from China to Laos, therefore, poses significant risks to these varieties, such as the introduction of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) tropical race 4 (TR4; vegetative compatibility group [VCG] 01213/16), a soil-borne fungus that causes severe epidemics and crop losses in Cavendish plantations in southern provinces of China.