The International Plant Diagnostic Network (IPDN) in Africa: improving capacity for diagnosing diseases of banana (Musa spp.) and other African crops.

Bananas (Musa spp.) are subject to a number of diseases that are difficult to diagnose early in development when control measures are most likely to be successful. Rapidly spreading new diseases, such as Xanthomonas wilt present unique diagnostic challenges. Surveys conducted in East and West Africa documented the lack of sufficient equipment, supplies, reference materials and training in the majority of plant pathology laboratories charged with disease diagnoses. To begin to address these issues, the International Plant Diagnostic Network (IPDN) was established in East and West Africa in 2006, through the Integrated Pest Management Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM CRSP). The IPDN is a diagnostic, communication and data network, modeled in part on the United States National Plant Diagnostic Network. Software for digital imaging and diagnosis and information management provides a platform for enhanced diagnosis and communication amongst clinicians and their clientele. Improved diagnostics tools and protocols were also developed and tested, including a PCR assay for Xanthomonas wilt. Training programs were conducted in Benin in 2006, Kenya and the United States of America in 2007, and Uganda and Mali in 2008, to enhance technical capacity amongst diagnosticians in East and West Africa. Initiatives such as IPDN can benefit by collaboration with other similar internet-based initiatives in Africa. One such activity is the East Africa Phytosanitary Information Committee (EAPIC). EAPIC is linked to the Food and Agricultural Organization's International Plant Portal to provide the official national plant protection organization posting of plant pests for each respective country, which now includes Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The plant pest list will serve as a foundation from which to develop harmonized border inspection protocols, which in turn support capacity building efforts in plant pest survey, identification and communication systems, such as IPDN.

[1]  Richard Thwaites,et al.  Characterization of the Xanthomonas sp. causing wilt of enset and banana and its proposed reclassification as a strain of X. vasicola , 2007 .

[2]  R Sikirou,et al.  First Report of Bacterial Wilt of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Caused by Ralstonia solanacearum in Benin. , 2009, Plant disease.

[3]  Jiannong Xin,et al.  Development of a distance diagnostic and identification system for plant insect and disease problems. , 2000 .

[4]  R. Bostock,et al.  The National Plant Diagnostic Network. , 2006, Plant disease.

[5]  J. Waage,et al.  Patterns of plant pest introductions in Europe and Africa , 2008 .

[6]  F. Beed,et al.  Plant disease diagnostic capabilities and networks. , 2009, Annual review of phytopathology.

[7]  Ranajit Bandyopadhyay,et al.  Development of a semi-selective medium for isolation of Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum from banana plants , 2007, European Journal of Plant Pathology.

[8]  F. Ssekiwoko,et al.  First report of Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum on banana in Uganda. , 2004 .

[9]  Ranajit Bandyopadhyay,et al.  Banana Xanthomonas wilt: a review of the disease, management strategies and future research directions , 2007 .

[10]  Ranajit Bandyopadhyay,et al.  Development of a semiselective medium for isolating Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum from insect vectors, infected plant material and soil , 2007 .

[11]  Ranajit Bandyopadhyay,et al.  Xanthomonas Wilt: A Threat to Banana Production in East and Central Africa. , 2009, Plant disease.

[12]  S. Miller,et al.  A Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for the Detection of Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum in Banana. , 2010, Plant disease.

[13]  J. Waage,et al.  The challenge of providing plant pest diagnostic services for Africa , 2008, European Journal of Plant Pathology.