Comparison of the levels of prevalence of BSV species in FHIA hybrid varieties and plantain cultivars in Cuba and the Dominican Republic

Banana plays a key role in the economy and food security of most tropical and subtropical countries. Breeding new interspecific hybrid varieties for disease and pest resi stance is currently hampered by the presence of infectious endogenous Banana streak virus sequences in the genome of Musa balbisiana . A study is being carried out in Cuba and the Dominican Republic in order to assess the risk of spreading BSV through the large scale distribution of interspecific banana hybrids harbouring infectious eBSV. (Resume d'auteur)