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 oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) causes disease of susceptible dessert/beer bananas, which significantly reduces yields. Banana Fusarium wilt is managed by excluding the pathogen from disease-free areas and by planting disease-resistant varieties in infested fields. Six phylogenetically closely-related vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) of Foc, VCGs 0124, 0125, 0128, 01212, 01220 and 01222 are present in ECA, which all group together in Foc Lineage VI. Rapid and accurate detection of Foc Lineage VI strains is thus important to prevent its spread to disease-free areas. In this study, molecular markers specific to Foc Lineage VI were therefore developed. Primer sets were then combined in a multiplex PCR assay, and validated on a worldwide population of 623 known Foc isolates, other formae speciales and non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum isolates. The Foc Lineage VI multiplex PCR was used to identify Foc isolates collected in banana fields at five locations in Uganda and Tanzania. Foc Lineage VI DNA was detected at a concentration as low as 0.1 ng/μl, both in the absence and presence of banana DNA, and can therefore be used as an accurate diagnostic tool for Foc Lineage VI strains.

香蕉是东非和中非（ECA）种植的主粮和经济作物。ECA种植的主要香蕉品种是东非高地香蕉（EAHB），尽管也生产了甜品/啤酒香蕉，例如Sukari Ndizi，Kayinja（Pisang Awak）和Gros Michel，因为它们在当地市场上具有很高的价值。枯萎真菌Fusarium oxysporum f。sp。立方体（Foc）引起易感染的甜品/啤酒香蕉疾病，大大降低了产量。香蕉枯萎病的防治方法是将病原体排除在无病地区，并在受灾地区种植抗病品种。在ECA中存在Foc，VCG 0124、0125、0125、0128、01212、01220和01222的六个系统发育密切相关的植物相容性组（VCG），它们都在Foc世系VI中归为一类。因此，快速准确地检测Foc谱系VI菌株对于防止其传播到无病地区非常重要。因此，在这项研究中，开发了Foc谱系VI特有的分子标记。然后将引物组在多重PCR分析中进行组合，并在全球623个已知Foc分离株，其他福科病原体和非病原体中进行验证尖孢镰刀菌分离物。Foc谱系VI多重PCR用于鉴定在乌干达和坦桑尼亚的五个地点的香蕉田中收集的Foc分离物。在不存在和存在香蕉DNA的情况下，检测到的Foc谱系VI DNA的浓度低至0.1 ng /μl，因此可以用作Foc谱系VI菌株的准确诊断工具。