Guy Blomme

• PhD
• Bioversity International

Spent mushroom substrate (SMS), a waste product from mushroom cultivation, in addition to being rich in essential nutrients for crop growth, contains actively growing mushroom mycelia and metabolites that suppress some plant pathogens and pests. SMS thus has potential for fostering the suppressiveness of soil-borne pathogens of farms. This study de...

Bananas (Musa spp.) are a critical global food crop, providing a primary source of nutrition for millions of people. Traditional methods for disease monitoring and detection are often time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to inaccuracies. This study introduces an AI-powered multiplatform georeferenced surveillance system designed to enhance th...

Natural and human-driven disasters are a significant challenge to the sustainable production of food security crops in the Great Lakes region of Africa. A relevant research gap is the effect of climate change on the distribution of pathogens and pests of food security crops in this region. We evaluated the current geographic risk of pathogens and p...

Fusarium wilt of banana is a major production constraint in India, prompting banana growers to replace bananas with less remunerative crops. Effective disease management practices thus need to be developed and implemented to prevent further spread and damage caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), the cause of Fusarium wilt. Currently, k...

Banana Wilt caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum (Xvm), has emerged as a significant threat to food security in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (Kivu). Currently, the only means of combatting this biotic constraint is through best agricultural practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of medicinal plants used...

Inflorescence architecture underpins sexual reproduction in wild Musa species and productivity in edible banana cultivars. In a functional analysis, we identified the apical inflorescence and lateral ‘cushion’ meristems and the change in flower type as the three primary components that generate inflorescence architecture. Five genotypes of two clon...

This Special Issue contains a selection of papers dealing with Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), with a special focus on the Fusarium strain Tropical Race 4 (TR4), and explores (1) options for effective integrated management strategies, (2) the detection and development of disease-resistant cultivars, and (3) the distribution and diversity of the path...

Introduction Banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) caused by banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) poses a significant threat to Uganda’s food and income security. Methods To map BBTD spread and inform its management, a delimiting survey was undertaken covering the high-risk zones bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) in the west, Rwanda and T...

Bananas and plantains are vital for food security and smallholder livelihoods in Africa, but diseases pose a significant threat. Traditional disease surveillance methods, like field visits, lack accuracy, especially for specific diseases like Xanthomonas wilt of banana (BXW). To address this, the present study develops a Deep-Learning system to det...

Inflorescence architecture underpins sexual reproduction in wild Musa species and productivity in edible banana cultivars. In a functional analysis we identified the apical inflorescence and lateral ‘cushion’ meristems and the change in flower type as the three primary components of inflorescence architecture. Five genotypes of two clone-sets of ed...

Inflorescence architecture underpins sexual reproduction in wild Musa species and productivity in edible banana cultivars. To establish the functional aspects of inflorescence architecture we identified its three main components and tested their response to environment and internal plant resources in two clone-sets. Five genotypes of edible plantai...

Banana Wilt caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum ( Xvm ), has emerged as a significant threat to food security in eastern DR Congo (Kivu). Currently, the only means of combatting this biotic constraint is through best agricultural practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of medicinal plants used in Kivu in inhibit...

Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) is a major banana disease affecting small-holder farms in East and Central Africa. While BXW management practices have been introduced across extensive regions, achieving high levels of disease control and/or eradication has proven difficult. Resurgence of BXW in managed sites and the transmission to new regions are ongoing p...

Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) is one of the most important diseases threatening banana production in Africa south of the Sahara (SSA). In this study, we examine the potential impacts of BXW on banana production, demand, and food security in SSA, if the disease spread across all banana-producing countries in the region. The analysis is based on a mu...

Enset [Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman] is an important food security crop of the Southern Ethiopian highlands. The cultivation of enset is characterised by a wide variety of landraces, suitable to varying agro-ecological conditions and with multiple uses by households. The objective of this paper is to present enset landrace diversity, charact...

Across Africa, banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) severely impacts banana production and livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. Mapping vulnerability of landscapes to monitor BBTD establishment and spread is crucial for proactive measures of disease exclusion. To highlight current and future risks of BBTD in Africa, the relationship between...

Manipulation of the rhizosphere can improve soil health; and foster sustainable management of pests and diseases. Biological inputs such as spent substrates from edible mushrooms (e.g., Pleurotus ostreatus) gardens offer sustainable alternatives on that direction. This work presents a meta-analysis of major trends in knowledge generation on edible...

Enset is a staple crop of the southern Ethiopian highlands. Small-holder farmers cultivate enset as part of mixed subsistence farming systems, in which enset provides substantial food security services. While its cultivation is unique to this region, enset production systems take on many forms, varying with environmental and agronomic conditions, c...

Enset root mealybugs, a major pest affecting the cultivation of the enset crop in the Ethiopian highlands, have for the first time been observed on banana mats indicating the potential host status of Musa spp. These observations were made under natural conditions in backyard gardens in the Gedeo zone, southern Ethiopia, on the root system of banana...

Land degradation is a major obstacle to agricultural development in Africa, where it's accentuated by poor agricultural practices and climate change effects. Restoration of degraded lands is crucial to prevent incursions into virgin and marginal lands. A field experiment was carried out over a four-year period on two degraded sites, to assess and c...

Pests and diseases are key biotic constraints limiting banana production among smallholder farmers in Eastern and Central Africa. Climate changemay favour pest and disease development and further exacerbate the vulnerability of smallholder farming systems to biotic constraints. Information on effects of climate change on pests and pathogens of bana...

Xanthomonas wilt (XW) of banana caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum ( Xvm ) does not spread to all plants physically interconnected through the rhizome when one or a few are diseased. Factors causing this incomplete systemic spread of Xvm are not fully known yet could be important for XW management. We explored the effect of 1) Xvm inocul...

This chapter provides the first comprehensive review of digital tools and technologies available for the identification, monitoring, and control of pests and diseases, with an emphasis on root, tuber, and banana (RT&B) crops. These tools include systems based on identification keys, human and artificial intelligence-based identification based on sm...

Intercropping banana and shorter annual crops in small holder systems is inevitable despite shade being a limitation. Current production is also limited to the wet seasons. Strategies to exploit the spaces under banana shade and drier seasons are crucial for optimal production of these systems. We determined the performance of two legume cover crop...

Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), poses a major threat to global banana production. The tropical race 4 (TR4) variant of Foc is a highly virulent form with a large host range, and severely affects Cavendish bananas. Foc TR4 was recently observed within the Greater Mekong Subregion, after Chinese private co...

Xanthomonas wilt (XW) of banana caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum (Xvm) is an important emerging and non-curable infectious disease which can cause up to 100% yield loss. At the start of the XW epidemic, complete uprooting of diseased mats (CMU) was recommended. There was little adoption of CMU, especially by women farmers, because it w...

The quantification of yield for different enset products has mainly been based on farmers’ estimates, which are often inaccurate. Several allometric models have been developed to overcome this challenge. Building on past work, the current study developed allometric models for enset fiber, kocho, and bula yield estimation. Enset yield limiting facto...

A range of basidiomycetes including the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus (Po) can suppress plant pathogens such as Fusarium spp. With the current increase in production and consumption of Po in Uganda, the spent Po substrate (SPoS) could be an alternative to manage Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), caused by the soil borne pathogen Fusarium oxyspor...

Xanthomonas wilt (XW) of banana caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum (Xvm) does not spread to all plants physically interconnected through the rhizome when one or a few are diseased. However, the factors behind this incomplete systemic spread of Xvm are not fully known yet could inform XW management. This study explored the effect of Xvm i...

Banana wilt diseases are among the most important banana production constraints worldwide. The narrow genetic diversity of cultivated bananas, coupled with the high variability of pathogens, has led to decimation of susceptible cultivars. Strict quarantine measures to exclude pathogens from disease-free areas and the use of resistant cultivars in a...

Xanthomonas wilt caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum is one of the most threatening constraints to banana and enset (Ensete ventricosum) production in Ethiopia. The disease was unknown outside of Ethiopia until it was reported in Uganda in 2001. Since then the disease has spread to many East and Central African countries. Xanthomonas ca...

Xanthomonas wilt is the major disease affecting banana (Musa sp.) and enset (Ensete ventricosum) production in Ethiopia. A pot trial was carried out to establish the possible role of nematodes in soil-borne transmission of Xanthomonas campestris pv musacearum. Clean potted 'Pisang Awak' and 'Matooke' plants were first inoculated with a mixed popula...

For the past 15 years, IITA and the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT have worked closely together with (inter)national universities, NARS and other public and private innovation and scaling partners under the Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA - https://www.cialca.org/). CIALCA aims to accelerate the imp...

The adoption of tool sterilization using either 3.5% sodium hypochlorite (household bleach) or fire, a core element of the cultural control packages for Xanthomonas wilt (XW) of banana has been poorly adopted hampering XW control in East and Central Africa. Household bleach is costly and not accessible to the rural poor while repeated heating weake...

Xanthomonas wilt of banana (XW) is a major disease affecting banana throughout East and Central Africa (ECA). Initial control was through complete diseased mat uprooting (CDMU), which had limited adoption due to high labour demands and cost. Further research demonstrated single diseased stem removal (SDSR) was an effective, less labour intensive an...

Small-holder banana fields are often intercropped with various annual crops to optimize land-use in East and Central Africa, a practice severely constrained by light availability under the banana canopy. Light availability is not a major constraint in newly established banana fields, giving a window of opportunity to target light-demanding annual c...

Bananas on smallholder farmers in the African Great Lakes region are often pruned to illuminate shorter understory intercrops, reducing overall farm profitability. The impact of this practice on environmental and nutritional indicators are not known. This study determined the effect of this practice on operating profit, protein yield, soil organic...

Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a productive, drought-tolerant and multipurpose food security crop grown in the densely populated Ethiopian highlands. It is a so-called orphan crop, and its production suffers from a lack of information on proper soil fertility management and its interaction with bacterial wilt disease caused by the pathogen Xanthomon...

For decades, Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum (Xvm) has been an economically important bacterial pathogen on enset in Ethiopia. Since 2001, Xvm has also been responsible for significant losses to banana crops in several East and Central African countries, with devastating consequences for smallholder farmers. Understanding the genetic diversity...

Intercropping in small-holder production systems in East and Central Africa is very common and offers potential for significant yield and environmental benefits. However, the reduced light availability under banana canopies constrains the success of the intercrop in banana systems. Determining a balance between the optimal spacing/densities of bana...

In this brief we discuss a new and promising technology to control xanthomonas wilt of banana, commonly referred to as BXW. We describe why this disease is a threat and what has been done to control it in the past. We also present evidence on an alternative technology to control BXW called Single Diseased Stem Removal (SDSR) and explain how we can...

Banana is a staple food and cash crop grown in East and Central Africa (ECA). The main banana varieties grown in ECA are the East African highland bananas (EAHB), although dessert/beer bananas such as Sukari Ndizi, Kayinja (Pisang Awak) and Gros Michel are also produced due to their high value at local markets. The Fusarium wilt fungus Fusarium oxy...

The geographic pattern of cropland is an important risk factor for invasion and saturation by crop-specific pathogens and arthropods. Understanding cropland networks supports smart pest sampling and mitigation strategies. We evaluate global networks of cropland connectivity for key vegetatively propagated crops (banana and plantain, cassava, potato...

Agroecological intensification (AEI) practices relying on on-farm diversity tend to close nutrient cycles and reduce dependency on external inputs in agricultural systems. These practices improve the productivity of banana-based systems in Uganda, but their extent of implementation differs between and within regions. However, the impact of AEI prac...

Mapping the distribution of crop pests and pathogens is essential to safeguard food security and sustainable livelihoods. However, these data are unavailable for many neglected and underutilised crops, particularly in developing countries. In Ethiopia, the world's largest historic recipient of food aid, the indigenous banana relative enset (Ensete...

Changes in land-use have been observed in banana-based systems in the African Great Lakes region affected by Xanthomonas wilt disease (XW) of banana. Through focus group discussions (FGDs) and the 4-cell method (to map the area under production and the number of households involved), changes in land-use were assessed in 13 XW-affected landscapes/vi...

Summary Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) is the major starch staple of the Ethiopian Highlands, where its unique attributes enhance the food security of approximately 20 million people and have earned it the title “The Tree Against Hunger”. Yet enset-based agriculture is virtually unknown outside of its narrow zone of cultivation, despit...

Societal Impact Statement Enset is a staple food for over 20 million people via its starch-rich corm and pseudostem, yet it is virtually unknown outside a narrow zone of cultivation in southern Ethiopia. Due to acculturation and urbanization coupled with climate change, emerging pests and the introduction of new crops, the extensive indigenous know...

Abstract. Enset ( Ensete ventricosum ) is a productive, drought-tolerant and multipurpose food security crop grown in the densely populated Ethiopian highlands. Its production suffers from poor soil fertility management and a bacterial wilt disease caused by the pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum . The aim of this study was to assess so...

According to conventional wisdom, in African agriculture, men make most of the decisions and leave the bulk of the work to women. Yet a new study from Rwanda and Burundi suggests’ that this picture may be incorrect. Men and women household members often decide together how to manage their roots, tubers and banana (RTB) crops, and most of the work o...

BACKGROUND Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is widespread in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Unlike in developed countries, where the main source of vitamin A comes from meat, the diet of poor populations in SSA is largely plant based. It is thus important to identify local / popular plants with higher vitamin A content for combating VAD. Banana (including pla...

Changes in land-use have been observed in banana-based systems in the African Great Lakes region affected by Xanthomonas wilt disease (XW) of banana. Through participatory focus group discussions (FGDs) and the 4-cell method, changes in land-use were retrospectively assessed in 13 XW-affected landscapes/villages along a 230 km transect from Masisi...

Plantains (Musa, AAB), a major food source in the tropics, produce vegetative off-shoots (suckers) arising from lateral buds. In warm environments too few suckers are produced to allow successful perennial cultivation of the crop. We hypothesized that increased growth of the parent (main stem) (A) would promote suckering but environment would limit...

Background Banana (Musa spp.) is the most popular marketable fruit crop grown all over the world, and a dominant staple food in many developing countries. Worldwide, banana production is affected by numerous diseases and pests. Novel and rapid methods for the timely detection of pests and diseases will allow to surveil and develop control measures...

This paper evaluates the determinants of decision-making in relation to the production of four crops (banana, cassava, potato, and sweet potato). Understanding the division of labor and decision-making in crop management may lead to designing better interventions targeted at improving efficiency in smallholder agriculture. In 2014, the research tea...

Banana leaf pruning is a common practice to facilitate intercropping with legumes on farmers' fields. It is however not clear if this practice improves farmers land-use and economic efficiency, especially after full canopy formation. To analyze pruning effects, three legumes viz. bush bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L), climbing bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L...

This paper evaluates the determinants of decision making in relation to the production of four crops (banana, cassava, potato and sweet potato). Understanding the division of labour and decision-making in crop management may lead to designing better interventions targeted at improving efficiency in smallholder agriculture. A household quantitative...

Banana production landscapes in the African Great Lakes Region (AGLR) have been under immense pressure from Xanthomonas wilt (XW) disease over the past two decades. XW, first reported on banana in central Uganda and eastern DR Congo in 2001, has since spread to the entire AGLR. XW is currently spreading westwards from hot spots in eastern DR Congo...

The semivariogram of the regression residuals (nugget = 0.14, sill = 0.17, range = 0.2 degrees). The line depicts the variogram model, with little spatial autocorrelation until a distance of 0.2 degrees where it flattens out. (PNG)

Estimates and standard errors of coefficients of the logistic regression model. Interactions are indicated with the ‘:’ sign. (PDF)

Biotic constraints cause major crop losses and, hence, food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. This study documented the popularity, production constraints, pests and diseases, farmers’ perceptions on the severity of biotic constraints and the impact of related crop losses on household food security for the key root, tuber and banana (RTB) crops (ca...

Supporting Information

Misuse and poor handling of chemical pesticides in agriculture is hazardous to the health of farmers, consumers, and to the environment. We studied the pest and disease management practices and the type of pesticides used in four root, tuber, and banana (RTB) crops in Rwanda and Burundi through in-depth interviews with a total of 811 smallholder fa...

Background: Enset (Ensete ventricosum, Musaceae) is an African crop that currently provides the staple food for approx. 20 million Ethiopians. Whilst wild enset grows over much of East and Southern Africa and the genus extends across Asia to China, it has only ever been domesticated in the Ethiopian Highlands. Here, smallholder farmers cultivate hu...

The single diseased stem removal (SDSR) technology (i.e. timely cutting of diseased banana plants) is an important Xanthomonas wilt (XW) control method being promoted in XW-endemic zones of east/central Africa. Proper SDSR application leads to quick field recovery. However, its efficacy on farms has been variable. For example, delayed cutting of di...

Introduction – Enset is an indigenous crop in southern and southwestern Ethiopia, with a huge potential to provide year-round food production. Starch stored in the corm and pseudostem of the plant is the main source of energy provided by this crop. Enset was fully domesticated in Ethiopia between 10,000 and 5,000 years ago and initially farmed in a...

Introduction – Enset [Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman] is one of the major indigenous crops in Ethiopia providing food for over 20% of the population. Materials and methods – A total of 286 enset landraces sourced from six different regions of Ethiopia were evaluated for seven qualitative and phenotypic traits (maturity time, colour of leaf lam...

Introduction – Transplanting enset suckers or plants is practiced by the majority of small-scale farmers across the enset-growing belt in Ethiopia. Enset suckers, obtained from a multiplication nursery, are first intensely managed in a small plot (one plant 0.5–1.0 m⁻²) from where plants are consecutively transplanted into ever more widely spaced a...

Introduction – Numerous natural fibres are widely used at industrial scales. Fibres extracted as a by-product of food or feed crops reduce the need for additional land. Enset fibre is a by-product obtained during pseudostem/leaf sheath processing. Enset fibre is currently used for making ropes (e.g., for mud house construction or tethering domestic...

Introduction – This review focuses on the enset seed systems in Ethiopia and explores opportunities to improve the system. Cultivated enset is predominantly vegetatively propagated by farmers. Reproduction of an enset plant from seed is seldom practiced by farmers and has been reported only from the highlands of Gardula. Seedlings arising from seed...

Introduction – A large diversity of enset-based production systems exists in Ethiopia. Enset is cultivated in combination with multipurpose trees, coffee, vegetables (kale), root and tuber crops, and various cereals. In combination with roots and tubers, the cultivation of enset supports some of the most densely populated rural areas of Ethiopia. P...

Introduction – Mature enset plants (i.e., plants in the latter stage of their growth cycle) are mainly grown in sole-cropping. In order to boost biomass production per unit area, the integration of shade-tolerant or shade-loving plant species that provide food, feed or biomass for mulch could be envisaged. Materials and methods – In this study, ten...

The continuous cutting of single diseased stems at soil level (Single Diseased Stem Removal - SDSR) reduces Xanthomonas wilt incidence from as high as 80% to below 2% within 3–4 months when applied weekly and collectively by all farmers within a village or landscape. However, various constraints (e.g. labour shortage, absentee farmers, perception o...

Misuse and poor handling of chemical pesticides in agriculture is hazardous to the health of farmers, consumers and the environment. We studied the pest and disease management practices and the type of pesticides used in four root, tuber and banana (RTB) crops in Burundi and Rwanda through in-depth interviews with a total of 811 smallholder farmers...