Background Banana important staple for millions in Uganda and East Africa Grown by mainly resource poor farmers for subsistence Average banana consumption is 243 kg/cap./year Production in Uganda suffers several pest and disease constraints Diseases Black Sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis), Banana Bacterial Wilt (Xanthomonas campestris), Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum) , BSV Pests Banana Weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus) and parasitic nematodes (Radopholus similis)

The ABSPII project Objectives Activities To develop Transgenic East African Highland Banana with resistance to Black sigatoka and parasitic nematodes Develop a centre of excellence in crop biotechnology in Uganda Activities Construction of Bio-containment facility Field testing of transgenic bananas developed at Katholic University of Leuven, Belgium Improving EAHB embryogenic cell suspensions Development of EAHB transformation system Screening transgenic banana developed at NARO Training and capacity building

First CFT of GM banana in Africa Field Efficacy of chitinase gene against Black sigatoka 28 events, 1200 plants planted on 30th Nov. 2007 Trial effectively challenged with sigatoka disease through natural infestation Data collection ongoing

Capacity building in Biotechnology Laboratories Molecular biology Transformation Tissue culture Staff Training PhD Scientists – 3 PhD students - 5 MSc. students – 7 BSc/Dip Assistants and technicians - 8

Virus resistance technologies continue to grow Pathogen Derived Resistance Protein Mediated Resistance Coat Protein Mediated Resistance Replicase Mediated Resistance Movement Protein Mediated Resistance RNA-mediated resistance sRNAs that target vRNAs for degradation Non-Pathogen, Protein Mediated Resistance Transcription regulators: TFs, and sZFPs DNA binding proteins Interferon-like strategies; ds-RNA degrading enzymes Translation initiation factors/co-factors

Virus Resistant Crops Commercialized to Date: Papaya: resistance to PRSV, developed in public sector Squash: resistance to potyviruses, developed in private sector Plum: resistance to ‘Sharka’ disease: PPV, USDA Tomato, sweet peppers, cucumbers: resistant to different viruses, developed and released in China in mid-’90s. Nothing released yet in developing economies

Production of transgenic groundnut with resistance to tobacco streak ilarvirus A collaborative Project: R.N. Beachy/DVR Reddy K.K. Sharma, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India

History of TSV in India First observed in 1996 in sunflower. A disease epidemic occurred in groundnut during Kharif 2004 in Ananthapur, AP; >10 mil farmers affected Symptoms were confused to those caused by Tospoviruses (PBNV) The occurrence of TSV confirmed in the year 2000 from 3 independent laboratories (ICRISAT, MAHYCO & IARI)

TSV on Other Crops sunflower Marigold

Resistance To Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus in tobacco AgriBioInstitute University of Sofia, Bulgaria Alternative: insecticides to control insect vector

Resistance to Bean Golden Mosaic Geminivirus in Brazil; EMBRAPA, Aragio et al Disease is white-fly borne, controlled in part by insecticides