POPULATION BIOLOGY OF FUSARIUM OXYSPORUM ASSOCIATED WITH BANANA IN ECUADOR
Open Access
- Author:
- Magdama Tobar, Freddy Arturo
- Graduate Program:
- Plant Pathology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- January 20, 2017
- Committee Members:
- Maria del Mar Jimenez-Gasco, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Maria del Mar Jimenez-Gasco, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Gretchen Kuldau, Committee Member
David Geiser, Committee Member
Mary Barbercheck, Outside Member
Beth Gugino, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Fusarium oxysporum
Banana
Fusarium Wilt
Endophytes
Genetic diversity
Ecuador
Population Biology
Epidemiology - Abstract:
- For Ecuador, Cavendish bananas are of tremendous importance. They are the second largest commodity after petroleum and their export sales represent almost 30% of the national agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with an approximate value of $2.4 billion each year (FAOSTAT 2013). Unfortunately, their production is under risk due to a new race of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense, the same pathogen that caused the demise of ‘Gros Michel’, the banana cultivar, five decades ago. Despite the leadership of Ecuador as the largest exporter in the world, the country still lacks information about Fusarium wilt in its territory and very little research has been done. This work represents the first effort in trying to provide answers for such need. The objectives of this dissertation were to study the nature of pathogenic and endophytic populations of Fusarium oxysporum associated with bananas in Ecuador. This research took into consideration notions of evolutionary ecology and tried to disentangle the study of F. oxysporum f.sp. cubense, from an agro-centric perspective. Areas of research included in this dissertation were studies on the genetic diversity of pathogenic populations affecting ‘Gros Michel’ bananas in Ecuador, as well as the genetic diversity of endophytic populations associated with the Cavendish 'Williams', endophytic infections of F. oxysporum f.sp. cubense in a resistant host, the importance of endophytes for the development of molecular detection methods, and their role in the emergence of pathogenicity. Finally, we discuss the significance of understanding the full complexity of the life history and ecological niche of F. oxysporum, in particular the dynamics between symbiosis and parasitism, for the generation of better disease control strategies.