First Report of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 Causing Panama Disease in Cavendish Bananas in Pakistan and Lebanon

Panama disease of banana, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), poses a great risk to global banana production. Tropical race 4 (TR4) of Foc, which affects Cavendish bananas as well as many other banana cultivars, was confirmed for the first time outside Southeast Asia in Jordan in 2013. In Pakistan, bananas are produced in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces. All isolates phenotypically resembled F. oxysporum and were diagnosed as vegetative compatibility group (VCG) 01213, which was confirmed by PCR, thereby corroborating that VCG01213 only represents TR4 strains. Sets of three plants were each treated with either Pak1.1A, Leb1.1A, Leb1.2C, or TR4. Control sets were each treated with either Foc Race1 or water. Thus, we confirm the presence of TR4 in Pakistan and Lebanon and its continued expansion and distribution in Western Asia. Although comparatively limited production areas have been affected to date, increasing damage will undoubtedly occur in these countries in the near future.