South African nursery is marking three decades of exporting disease-free tissue culture banana plants
Du Roi Laboratory, based at Letsitele in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, is celebrating 30 years of exporting disease-free tissue culture banana plants.
“Much of our success can be found in a meticulous attention to detail,” said general manager, Suné Wiltshire, who noted that Du Roi Laboratory supplied material to banana growers in 42 countries, and between 6m-8m plants to its receivers.
“Supplying top-quality disease-free plants, on time, backed by professional staff offering technical support to clients, is the backbone of our business,” she continued.
“We have worked hard to earn the continued trust of growers worldwide by also offering complete traceability from foundation block to grower, the thorough indexing of all material for a wide variety of diseases, as well as providing access to disease resistant varieties holding their own against such debilitating threats as Panama disease.”
As an added measure to ensure disease-free plants, the foundation block is situated in an insect-proof tunnel.
All initiation material is sourced from either its own foundation block or bio-secure greenhouse, depending on the phytosanitary regulations of the destination country.
Through a process called soma-clonal variation, elite single clone selections have been identified, with the distinctive characteristics of shorter plant height, shorter cycle, cylindrical bunches and higher yields.
Du Roi said these selections had been internationally evaluated and were commercially distributed with ”excellent results”.
“Du Roi Lab offers fully automated weaning facilities, onsite nurseries, 28 Laminar flow benches and ten growth rooms,” said Wiltshire.
”John Robinson, who joined Du Roi in 1998 as technical manager and continued to act as a consultant following his retirement at the age of 73, has left a lasting legacy at Du Roi.
“John, a former director at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Institute for Tropical Crops in Nelspruit, welcomed the challenge of applying his academic and scientific knowledge to a commercial situation,” she outlined.
Other highlights in serving the global banana industry, according to Wiltshire, included Du Roi Laboratory acquiring the rights for the commercialisation of the Formosana variety, a Panama disease-resistant variety, in 2020.
This strain of Panama disease (FOC TR4) is devastating to banana growers across the world and severely impacts on their profitability and the success of the global banana industry.
The Du Roi Laboratory has entered into an agreement with the owners of the variety, the Taiwan Banana Research Institute (TBRI).
It serves as a ”significant breakthrough” for the global banana industry as the Formosana variety is commercially proven to be resistant to Tropical Race 4 (FOC TR4) Panama disease caused by the soil-inhabiting fungus.
