Enhancing banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus) resistance by plant genetic modification: A perspective

  • Andrew Kiggundu National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) P. O. Box 7065 Kampala, Uganda
  • Michael Pillay International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), East and Southern Africa Regional Centre (ESARC), P. O. Box 7878, Kampala, Uganda.
  • Altus Viljoen Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, 74 Lunnon Road, Hillcrest, Pretoria South Africa.
  • Clifford Gold International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), East and Southern Africa Regional Centre (ESARC), P. O. Box 7878, Kampala, Uganda.
  • Wilberforce Tushemereirwe 1National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) P. O. Box 7065 Kampala, Uganda.
  • Karl Kunert 2Department of Botany, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, 74 Lunnon Road, Hillcrest, Pretoria South Africa.
DOI: 10.5897/AJB2003.000-1109

Abstract

Banana weevil is a serious pest of bananas and plantains in Africa. The development of resistant cultivars is seen as the long term and more sustainable control strategy. The difficulty in conventional breeding of bananas and plantains has prompted efforts towards the use of genetic transformation for banana and plantain improvement. In this review, the current status of banana weevil resistance, sources of resistance and resistance mechanisms is assessed. Further, current efforts and future prospects for identifying resistance genes outside the genus Musa with potential to control banana weevil in a transgenic approach are outlined and discussed.

Key words: Banana weevil, host plant resistance, pest resistance genes, transgenic plants

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 2 (12), pp. 563-569, December 2003

Author Biography

Andrew Kiggundu, National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) P. O. Box 7065 Kampala, Uganda
Fax: +27-12-4203960
Published
2004-02-27
Issue
Vol. 2 No. 12 (2003)
Section
Articles
Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the journal.

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eISSN: 1684-5315