Formosona-218 is currently the only somaclonal variant of the Cavendish banana that has a very high tolerance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4, the greatest threat to the world's banana industry; and Galiltec, which has the exclusive rights for the production and marketing of meristems throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region, has announced that it has begun its Formosana-218 plant 2023/24 sale campaign.
Foc TR4 was initially detected in Southeast Asia. It was first detected in Taiwan in the late 1960s, where it led to a huge reduction in production, and then it spread rapidly throughout the region, reaching Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. “That's where they managed to select a mutant with high tolerance to this type of Fusarium, and from it, the Formosana-218 variety has been developed,” stated Amnon Ronen, the general manager of Galiltec S.A.
“Today the disease is already present in Africa, in Mozambique, and in the last three years it's been detected in Latin America, where there have been outbreaks in Peru, Venezuela, and Colombia, the latter on a large scale. In this region, the disease poses a great threat, since Latin America produces 85% of the bananas that are exported to Europe and the United States,” Amnon stated.
“All countries in the region are under a lot of pressure because the spread of the disease from the affected countries is practically unavoidable, so it is of great importance that banana producers in Latin America and the Caribbean know the Formosana-218 variety and its characteristics.”
“Galiltec is a world leader in meristem plants. We have an operations center in Central America, in Honduras, and we also have laboratories in Ecuador, a country that accounts for 25% of the world's banana exports. We expect that there will be a great demand for plants throughout Latin America, so we are working in our laboratories in Honduras and Ecuador to be able to deliver them starting the last quarter of the year.”
“We know that every day counts in the fight against the expansion of the Foc TR4, and that's why we've already started taking orders,” Amnon stated. “The number of plants available will be limited in the beginning so the supplies will be based on the date they were ordered. The confirmation of the delivery date will be in the sale contract after it's been signed."
“Producers will have to order a minimum of 3,000 plants and each contract will be accompanied by Galiltec's exclusivity contract protecting the intellectual rights of the variety, which the customer must sign to guarantee the origin of the plants.”
“Formosana-218 is much more than a variety that is highly tolerant to Foc TR4”
Its fruit is marketed worldwide and more than 12,000 hectares of this variety have already been planted in Asia and Africa. “Formasana-218 is a banana variety with Cavendish typologies and agronomic and marketing characteristics, including the same taste and quality of the Williams and Great Dwarf varieties; the most cultivated Cavendish varieties nowadays and that are susceptible to Fusarium.”
In fact, to date, there are two farms in Ecuador with Formosana-218 plants, which are accompanied by the INIAP team. “Field results demonstrate that, in Ecuador's growing conditions, the Formosana-218 has a slight advantage over the Williams variety in all the parameters we have analyzed.”
Click on the image to enlarge it.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
“We are also currently working on a second Foc TR4-resistant variety that we'll launch soon,” Amnon Ronen stated.
For orders and contact in Ecuador:
Melisa Office: 04-4505846
Ishai (Mov.): 099-309-5879
Email: [email protected]
For LATAM & the Caribbean:
Amnon Ronen: + 504-33908017, [email protected]
Ilan Cohen: +504-33908010, [email protected]
www.galiltec.com, [email protected]