África: Targeting bacterial wilt disease as a threat to potato production in Africa
Global average potato yield is around 21 tons per hectare, while some farmers in Europe and North America can harvest more than 40.
But farmers in sub-Saharan Africa produce an average of about 8 tons of potatoes per hectare; the principal cause of that gap is disease.
According to a survey of potato experts in 10 sub-Saharan Africa countries in 2018, the most serious threat to the region’s potato crop is bacterial wilt disease. Caused by the soil- and seed-borne bacteria Ralstonia solanacearum, bacterial wilt is responsible for an estimated USD 1 billion of economic loss globally each year, largely because of eradication measures and restrictions imposed on contaminated farmland.
To reduce yield loss from seed-borne diseases, the International Potato Center promotes the establishment of formal systems that produce and disseminate disease-free seed. However, most African farmers plant potatoes they purchase from informal markets or save from their own harvests, which perpetuates low yields.
To help government authorities and seed potato producers keep infected potatoes out of the seed supply, CIP is promoting the use of a technology called loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) to detect latent Ralstonia infections. LAMP uses specifically designed primers to quickly diagnose an array of pathogens that affect plants, animals or people.
Fuente: https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9400662/targeting-bacterial-wilt-disease-as-a-threat-to-potato-production-in-africa/
