Deteksi Penyakit Layu Fusarium pada Pisang-Pisang Lokal di Pandeglang

Detection of Fusarium wilt on Local Bananas in Pandeglang Fusarium wilt of bananas or Panama disease, caused by Tropical Race4 (TR4), threatens the global banana industry. In Indonesia, the disease devastated Cavendish, an export variety, and many local bananas, such as Pisang Raja, Kepok, and Barangan. Nonetheless, TR4 incidence is unknown in many parts of Indonesia. This study aimed to detect TR4 in local bananas from Pandeglang, the most banana-produced area in Banten Province. A survey was conducted in nine Kecamatan i.e., Banjar, Cadasari, Jiput, Labuan, and Menes. In total, 13 banana accessions showed symptoms of fusarium wilt. Symptomatic pseudostem samples were plated on potato dextrose agar. The monosporic culture was derived from isolation and used for morphological identification and DNA extraction. Based on the morphological characteristics of Fusarium, 27 strains members of 3 species complexes were identified, i.e., F. cugenangense, F. foetens dan F. oxysporum (Fusarium oxysporum species complex; FOSC), F. equiseti dan F. incarnatum (Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex) dan F. solani (Fusarium solani species complex, currently named as Neocosmospora). Molecular detection of TR4 was done using duplex PCR of translation elongation factor-1α (Tef-1α) and TR4 primer specific, giving positive results only on TR4 strains, members of FOSC. This study enhances our knowledge of the spreading of TR4 in an unidentified area in Indonesia. Many of the local bananas in Pandeglang is susceptible to TR4, thus threaten banana cultivation in this area. Further study on the molecular analysis using more genes will give insight into the expanding genetic diversity of Fusarium causing wilt in Banana in the Indonesian collection.