Regional training on virological diagnosis in banana organized by CIRAD in Guadeloupe

From 22 to 26 April 2013, CIRAD Guadeloupe organized and hosted a banana virus disease diagnosis training session at its Neufchâteau research station (Guadeloupe). This was the fourth regional training session organized and presented within the framework of the Cabaré project. Nine participants from Puerto Rico, Martinique, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Cuba, de Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, St Vincent and Guadeloupe participated in the training offered by Pierre-Yves Teycheney (CIRAD Guadeloupe) and Marie-Line Iskra-Caruana (CIRAD Montpellier).

Banana leaf streak disease diagnosis training workshop, Dominica, 25 October 2012

Following a black Sigatoka survey mission, Catherine Abadie, Cabaré project co-coordinator, offered a training workshop on banana leaf streak disease laboratory diagnosis in Dominica. This workshop was focused on theoretical and practical aspects of an approach based on the analysis of sporulating banana leaf streak lesions under a microscope. Seven people, including six from the Ministry of Agriculture and CARDI, attended this training workshop.

Over a 1-week period, the trainees attended theoretical and practical laboratory training sessions. The training week began with the collection of leaf samples for molecular analysis in CIRAD research plots.

Mealybug taxonomy training workshop, CIRAD-Guadeloupe, 15-19 October 2012

The third training workshop of the project was held at CIRAD-Guadeloupe from 15 to 19 October 2012. It concerned the analysis of mealybugs, some species of which are banana streak virus (BSV) vectors and should therefore be taken into account in assessments of BSV risks associated with the dissemination of banana hybrids bearing infectious eBSV alleles.
Six people participated in this workshop (two per active partner country: Cuba, Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic) and were trained on mealybug morphological and molecular analysis techniques.
The workshop was held thanks to funding provided by the Fonds de Coopération Régionale (FCR) and the Prefecture of Guadeloupe.

Training module: “Recognizing symptoms of leaf spot diseases of bananas” in Martinique in December 2010.

From 15 to 16 December 2010, Catherine Abadie, CIRAD researcher, organized a training module to teach members of the Caribbean banana industry to recognize the symptoms of black Sigatoka. This module was held in Martinique and attended by 55 participants from Guadeloupe, Martinique and Dominica.
On the first day she gave a theoretical grounding. The second day consisted of observing the symptoms in plantations.
This module was organized following the spread of this disease in the Lesser Antilles. Remember that at the time, black Sigatoka had not yet contaminated Guadeloupe and Dominica, the last two remaining islands still free of the disease. As for Martinique, the disease had been detected there in that year. In the event of a potential invasion of the islands, it was essential that the banana industry be able to recognize the symptoms of the disease as early as possible.

Training module: “Molecular diagnostics of black Sigatoka” at CIRAD-Guadeloupe from 27 to 30 April 2010 .

R. Loss of LNPV Nancy was commissioned to teach this module which has successfully trained 14 technical personnel from Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent, with around 2 to 3 participants from each country.