Chromosomal Deletions Unlock Fusarium Wilt Resistance in Taiwan Bananas

Fusarium wilt has long threatened the global banana industry. Because most edible banana cultivars are sterile triploids, conventional breeding is difficult and often fails to deliver new cultivars acceptable to farmers and consumers. Through mutation induction via tissue culture combined with field selection, the Taiwan Banana Research Institute (TBRI) has successfully developed several commercial cultivars with resistance to Fusarium wilt, including ‘Tai-Chiao No. 5’, ‘Tai-Chiao No. 7’, and ‘Formosana’. These resistant cultivars have become critical resources for disease management in Taiwan and other banana-producing countries.

A research team led by Dr. Ho-Ming Chen at our Center, together with the groups of Dr. Hsin-Hung Yeh and Dr. Yao-Cheng Lin, in collaboration with Dr. Wei-Chiang Shen of National Taiwan University and Dr. Chih-Ping Chao of TBRI, employed genomic, transcriptomic, and functional analyses to comprehensively dissect the key differences between resistant lines and their susceptible progenitor, ‘Pei-Chiao’. 

The study found that resistant lines harbor large deletions on chromosome 4 or chromosome 5, resulting in reduced copy numbers of two autoinhibited Ca2+ATPase genes. These calcium pumps function as negative regulators in salicylic acid–mediated immune responses. Using a virus-induced gene silencing system developed by Dr. Yeh’s team, suppression of these genes in the susceptible line enhanced salicylic acid–mediated immunity and significantly mitigated disease symptoms, confirming that the two genes act as critical susceptibility genes in banana. 

This work highlights the important role of chromosomal structural variation in banana mutation breeding and provides actionable genomic targets for precision breeding of disease-resistant cultivars. 

The study was supported by "Innovative Translational Agricultural Research Program" and "Grand Challenge Program" from Academia Sinica. We thank TBRI for its long-term provision of banana seedlings for research and for granting permission to use the field trial photograph.

Hsin-Hung Yeh Ho-Ming Chen Yao-Cheng Lin

Puyam Tondonba Singh, Bo-Han Hou, Yi-Heng Tsai, Yuh Tzean, Chih-Ping Chao, Po-Xing Zheng, Yao-Cheng Lin , Wei-Chiang Shen, Hsin-Hung Yeh , Ho-Ming Chen *. (2025) Chromosomal deletions in banana somaclonal variants reveal negative regulators of immunity underlying Fusarium wilt resistance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122(48), e2511842122.