Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) are among the main staple of millions of people in the world. Among the main Musaceae diseases that may limit its productivity, Fusarium wilt (FW), caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), has been threatening the banana industry for many years, with devastating effects on the economy of many tropical countries, becoming the leading cause of changes in the land use on severely affected areas. In this article, an updated, reflective and practical review of the current state of knowledge concerning the main agro-environmental factors that may affect disease progression and dissemination of this dangerous pathogen has been carried out, focusing on the Venezuelan Musaceae production systems. Environmental variables together with soil management and sustainable cultural practices are important factors affecting FW incidence and severity, excluding that the widespread dissemination of Foc, especially of its highly virulent tropical race 4 (TR4), is mainly caused by human activities. Additionally, risk analysis and climatic suitability maps for Foc TR4 in Venezuela have been developed. Although currently there are no effective management solutions available for FW control, this perspective provides an overview on the influence that environmental and agricultural variables would have on FW incidence and severity, giving some insight into management factors that can contribute to reducing its detrimental effects on banana production and how climate change may affect its development.

The fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (syn. Fusarium odoratissimum) (Foc TR4) causes vascular wilt in Musaceae plants and is considered the most lethal for these crops. In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), it was reported for the first time in Colombia (2019), later in Peru (2021), and recently declared in Venezuela (2023). This work aimed to analyze the evolution of Foc TR4 in Musaceae in LAC between 2018 and 2022. This perspective contains a selection of topics related to Foc TR4 in LAC that address and describe (i) the threat of Foc TR4 in LAC, (ii) a bibliometric analysis of the scientific production of Foc TR4 in LAC, (iii) the current situation of Foc TR4 in Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela, (iv) medium-term prospects in LAC member countries, and (v) export trade and local food security. In this study, the presence of Foc TR4 in Venezuela and the possible consequences of the production of Musaceae in the long term were reported for the first time. In conclusion, TR4 is a major threat to banana production in Latin America and the world, and it is important to take measures to control the spread of the fungus and minimize its impact on the banana industry. It is important to keep working on the control of Foc TR4, which requires the participation of the local and international industry, researchers, and consumers, among others, to prevent the disappearance of bananas.

Over the last few decades, a growing incidence of Banana Wilt (BW) has been detected in the banana-producing areas of the central zone of Venezuela. This disease is thought to be caused by a fungal–bacterial complex, coupled with the influence of specific soil properties. However, until now, there was no consensus on the soil characteristics associated with a high incidence of BW. The objective of this study was to identify the soil properties potentially associated with BW incidence, using supervised methods. The soil samples associated with banana plant lots in Venezuela, showing low (n = 29) and high (n = 49) incidence of BW, were collected during two consecutive years (2016 and 2017). On those soils, sixteen soil variables, including the percentage of sand, silt and clay, pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, available contents of K, Na, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, S and P, were determined. The Wilcoxon test identified the occurrence of significant differences in the soil variables between the two groups of BW incidence. In addition, Orthogonal Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) and the Random Forest (RF) algorithm was applied to find soil variables capable of distinguishing banana lots showing high or low BW incidence. The OPLS-DA model showed a proper fitting of the data (R²Y: 0.61, p value < 0.01), and exhibited good predictive power (Q²: 0.50, p value < 0.01). The analysis of the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves by RF revealed that the combination of Zn, Fe, Ca, K, Mn and Clay was able to accurately differentiate 84.1% of the banana lots with a sensitivity of 89.80% and a specificity of 72.40%. So far, this is the first study that identifies these six soil variables as possible new indicators associated with BW incidence in soils of lacustrine origin in Venezuela.

The present work aims to analyze the relationship of microbial activity with the physicochemical properties of the soil in banana plantations in Venezuela. Six agricultural fields located in two of the main banana production areas of Venezuela were selected. The experimental sites were differentiated with two levels of productivity (high and low) of the “Gran Nain” banana. Ten variables were selected: total free-living nematodes (FLN), bacteriophages, predators, omnivores, Phytonematodes, saturated hydraulic conductivity, total organic carbon, nitrate (NO₃), microbial respiration and the variable other fungi. Subsequently, machine learning algorithms were used. First, the Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) was applied to find the soil properties that could distinguish the banana productivity levels. Second, the Debiased Sparse Partial Correlation (DSPC) algorithm was applied to obtain the correlation network of the most important variables. The variable free-living nematode predators had a degree of 3 and a betweenness of 4 in the correlation network, followed by NO₃. The network shows positive correlations between FLN predators and microbial respiration (r = 1.00; p = 0.014), and NO₃ (r = 1.00; p = 0.032). The selected variables are proposed to characterize the soil productivity in bananas and could be used for the management of soil diseases affecting bananas.

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationships between the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) and soil properties that make its adoption widely used in agriculture. For this, 25 papers related to the VESS (2009-2022) were considered where the information of the authors, the soil property: bulk density (BD), total soil porosity (TP), soil penetration resistance (PR), macroporosity, microporosity, soil organic carbon (SOC), and mean weight diameter of stable aggregates (MWD). The sample size (n=120 cases), and the correlation coefficient were extracted. To measure this relationship, the correlation coefficient of all studies was contemplated. A meta-analysis was carried out to obtain a global measure of the correlation between the VESS and soil properties across the studies. In the first instance, a fixed effects model was fitted for the correlation (effect size, known as the response variable in the meta-analysis). Subsequently, a random effects model was fitted for the correlation, followed by a subgroup analysis according to soil properties, due to the presence of high heterogeneity between studies. The overall effect (average correlation coefficient) of the fitted random effects model was 0.31 with a confidence interval (CI) of [0.22;0.41]. The heterogeneity between studies was high ( =94.0%) and statistically significant p<0.001. Although it is moderate, the average correlation in practical terms may be sufficient. There were significant differences in some average correlations of some categories, such as BD, PR, TP, and microporosity. The weights reported for the BD, SOC, and PR were 29.7%, 16.4%, and 14.2%, respectively. This result evidenced that the greatest contribution to the global effect of correlation between VESS and soil properties is provided by BD.

Introduction. Bananas are currently the most consumed fruits in the world, and considered strategic crops in food security in many countries. However, in the event of a COVID-19 pandemic, side effects are generated that affect its economic activity worldwide. Objective. To point out the most significant features of bananas in relation to their economic and productive importance in the face of the conditions generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the current phytosanitary threats as limiting factors for their production. Development. Bananas are the basis of the economy and diet of many countries, occupying an important place in international production and trade, being the most exported fruit, mostly represented by triploid AAA subgroup Cavendish. Its consumption provides vitamins, minerals, and other elements with medicinal properties, such as lectin that acts as a broad-spectrum antiviral agent. However, at present there have been disruptions in its supply, which affects all elements of the production chain, as a result of the situation caused by COVID-19. Conclusions. The coronavirus pandemic has generated collateral effects that involve various areas such as the production and trade of bananas, and are associated with social isolation and restricted mobility. However, it is considered that bananas will continue to be the most important fruit within this sector, standing out among the fastest growing crops in agriculture, despite the conditions caused by COVID-19 and the existence of many uncertainties caused by emerging diseases and climatic disturbances, which can affect the economic and productive environment.