Drivers of banana re-infection in newly planted gardens in banana bunchy top disease endemic zones: Implications for the recovery of banana production
6 affiliations
- 1Bioversity International, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, c/o IPGRI Building, IITA Campus, Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Benin
- 2Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
- 3Epidemiology and Modeling Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- 4Bioversity International, The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, co/ IITA Building, Bujumbura, Burundi
- 5Institute of Agronomic Sciences (ISABU) Rohero 1, Avenue de la Cathédrale, Bujumbura, Burundi
- 6CAB International (CABI), Quartier Kabondo Ouest, Avenue du Large, Bujumbura, Burundi
Abstract
Understanding how crop pests and diseases spread is essential for designing effective integrated pest and disease management strategies. This study investigated the landscape, field design, and management factors associated with the persistence and re-infection of Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD) in endemic smallholder systems. We surveyed 121 banana gardens that had been re-established with virus-free tissue-culture plantlets three years earlier to identify the combination of conditions linked to lower disease incidence, to identify candidate parameters to test in controlled evaluation of disease management. BBTD prevalence was positively associated with higher banana density within a 60 m radius of the field, increased aphid abundance, greater varietal diversity and the use of locally sourced planting material. In contrast, higher altitude, the presence of hedgerows and frequent roguing of symptomatic plants were negatively associated with disease incidence. Model averaging showed that aphid prevalence, surrounding banana density, reported roguing, and seed source appeared in more than half of the best-performing models, highlighting their possible role in reducing re-infection and potential yield losses. These findings underscore the importance of coordinated, community-based replanting with certified virus-free planting material, consistent roguing guided by farmer symptom recognition, and the strategic use of barrier hedges or mixed cropping systems to limit aphid dispersal. Further research should explore optimal species combinations and landscape configurations to strengthen long-term BBTD suppression in smallholder production systems.
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BibTeX
@article{omondi2026drivers,
title = {{Drivers of banana re-infection in newly planted gardens in banana bunchy top disease endemic zones: Implications for the recovery of banana production}},
author = {Bonaventure Aman Omondi and Delano Ronald Togbé and Renata Retkute and Innocent Nduwimana and Celestin Niyongere and Charles Staver},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0357834},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357834},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Drivers of banana re-infection in newly planted gardens in banana bunchy top disease endemic zones: Implications for the recovery of banana production
AU - Bonaventure Aman Omondi
AU - Delano Ronald Togbé
AU - Renata Retkute
AU - Innocent Nduwimana
AU - Celestin Niyongere
AU - Charles Staver
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/11
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0357834
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357834
AB - Understanding how crop pests and diseases spread is essential for designing effective integrated pest and disease management strategies. This study investigated the landscape, field design, and management factors associated with the persistence and re-infection of Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD) in endemic smallholder systems. We surveyed 121 banana gardens that had been re-established with virus-free tissue-culture plantlets three years earlier to identify the combination of conditions linked to lower disease incidence, to identify candidate parameters to test in controlled evaluation of disease management. BBTD prevalence was positively associated with higher banana density within a 60 m radius of the field, increased aphid abundance, greater varietal diversity and the use of locally sourced planting material. In contrast, higher altitude, the presence of hedgerows and frequent roguing of symptomatic plants were negatively associated with disease incidence. Model averaging showed that aphid prevalence, surrounding banana density, reported roguing, and seed source appeared in more than half of the best-performing models, highlighting their possible role in reducing re-infection and potential yield losses. These findings underscore the importance of coordinated, community-based replanting with certified virus-free planting material, consistent roguing guided by farmer symptom recognition, and the strategic use of barrier hedges or mixed cropping systems to limit aphid dispersal. Further research should explore optimal species combinations and landscape configurations to strengthen long-term BBTD suppression in smallholder production systems.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -