Which fungal pathogen causes Panama disease in banana plants?

Which fungal pathogen causes Panama disease in banana plants? Fusarium oxysporum causes Panama disease, specifically the banana-infecting form Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense.

The pathogen lives in soil and enters banana plants through their roots. It colonizes the plant’s vascular system, interfering with water transport and causing yellowing, wilting, and eventual collapse. Because banana plants are commonly propagated from offshoots, infected planting material can spread the disease over long distances.

Panama disease became an international agricultural crisis after devastating export plantations growing the Gros Michel banana in the early twentieth century. By the 1950s, the disease had reached most major banana-producing regions, prompting the industry to replace Gros Michel with Cavendish varieties, which resisted the then-dominant strain.

The answer is often shortened to Fusarium oxysporum in quiz questions. The more precise designation is the forma specialis cubense, and several genetically distinct lineages are known. Tropical Race 4, or TR4, is a particularly serious lineage because it attacks Cavendish bananas as well as other cultivars.