BANANA VARIETIES IN THE TORRES STRAIT
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Musa species
FAMILY: Musaceae
In March/April 1990, a DPI team visited all the inhabited islands of the Torres Strait to identify the different banana varieties grown and to monitor the banana disease situation. This trip was funded by the Banana Industry Protection Board of Queensland and the Horticultural Research and Development Corporation (HRDC). It was part of QDPI's program to stop the spread of the serious leaf disease, black Sigatoka, which is currently not present on the Australian mainland but is located in Papua New Guinea, the Torres Strait and the South Pacific.
Figure 1 shows the current location of Black Sigatoka in the Torres Strait (underlined names). Part of the strategy of control is to replace those banana varieties identified as being susceptible to black Sigatoka with resistant varieties.
Banana varieties in the Torres Strait have originated from Papua New Guinea, the Australian mainland and from South Pacific Islands. The latter source is evident in the local names of some varieties e.g. Kaldonia (New Caledonia), Misiluk (Misiluki - Mysore in Samoa) and Samoa Butter (Bluggoe).
Table 1. Torres Strait Banana Variety Names, Synonyms, Classification and Locations
| Genome | Stover and Simmonds 'groupings' | Australian Name | Torres St Name | Locations** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA | n.a. | - | Zarum (1)** | 1,2 |
| n.a. | - | Tereg (1) | 1 | |
| n.a. | - | Tereg (3) | 3,4 | |
| n.a. | - | Pekhigh (1) | 1 | |
| AAA | Dwarf Cavendish | Dwarf Cavendish | Teupai China Kaba (1) Ipi (5,6) | 1,2,6,14,15 |
| Giant Cavendish | Williams | Teupai China Kaba (1,13) Samoa (7) | 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,11, 12,13,14,15,16,17 | |
| Pisang Masak Hijau | Lacatan | - | 2 | |
| Red | Red Dacca | King (1,2,6,13) | 1,2,3,8,10,12,15, | |
| Green Red | Green Dacca | Zagermamamkaba (1) | 1,2,3,6,12,13,14,15 | |
| AAB | Pome | Lady Finger | Kaltoni (1) Kaldonia (2,13) Sebra (2) Meke (6) Magi (7) | 1,2,3,6,7,11,12,13,14,15,16 |
| Mysore | Mysore | Miscurup (1,2) Mithi Mith (5) Misiluk (13) | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 | |
| Silk | Sugar | Susukaba (2) Michel Uka (6) | 2,3,6,9,11,13,14,15 | |
| Maia Maoli/Popoulu | Pacific Plantain | - | 13,14,15 | |
| Plantain | Horn Plantain | - | 12,15 | |
| Pisang Kelat? | - | Kud (1) | 1 | |
| ABB | Bluggoe | Bluggoe | Mondolpin (1,2) Model Pai (5,6,7,13) Samoa Butter (11) | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 |
| Bluggoe | Silver Bluggoe | Peepeemondolpin (1,2) Model Pai (5,7) | 1,2,3,5,7 | |
| Pisang Awak | Ducasse | - | 1,2,3,10,12,13,15,16 | |
| n.a. | Blue Java | Chapter Nineteen (1) | 1,12,13,15 | |
| n.a. | - | Warwar (1) Kupag (5,6) | 1,5,6 | |
| n.a. | - | Goly Goly Pot Pot +(1) | 1,2,12 | |
| n.a. | - | Simoi (1) | 1,2,3,5,6,7,8 11,12,13,14,16,17 | |
| * | Stover, R.H. and Simmonds, N.W. (1987) "Bananas" Longman London. | |||
| ** | Island Locations 1 = Murray, 2 = Darnley, 3 = Stephens, 4 = Yorke, 5 = Saibai, 6 = Boigu, 7 = Dauan, 8 = Yam, 9 = Sue, 10 = Coconut, 11= Mobuiag, 12 = Badu, 13 = Moa, 14 = Hammond, 15 = Thursday, 16 = Horn, 17 = Prince of Wales. | |||
| + | There were a further 3 unnamed cooking varieties resembling Goly Goly Pot Pot which occurred on Boigu and Stephens Islands. | |||
Table 1 shows the varieties, their classification and where they are present in the Torres Strait. The most popular varieties are Bluggoe, Mysore, Lady Finger, Williams, Ducasse and Simoi and would comprise about 90% of the bananas present. I collected suckers of 12 varieties, most of which were resistant to black Sigatoka. These were sent to Nambour QDPI for tissue culturing and subsequent quarantine in Brisbane.
QDPI is currently screening varieties for resistance to black Sigatoka in trials on Murray Island. The varieties being tested are Sucrier, Senorita, SH-3142, SH-3367, Williams, TUB, Calypso, SH-3436, Mysore, Pacific Plantain, Horn Plantain, Bluggoe, Oucasse, and Musa acuminata subsp banksii.
It is the aim of the QDPI to improve the profitability of banana growing in Queensland and ensuring its long term viability. The presence of black Sigatoka in the Torres Strait means that strict quarantine must be enforced to ensure that the disease does not enter and jeopardize our industry. Unregulated movement from the mainland to Torres Islands, from the islands to the mainland and between islands is prohibited. However, controlled movement of disease-free tissue cultured plants is proving very useful to introduce disease resistant varieties for the benefit of the islanders and the Australian banana industry.
DATE: May 1991
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