How Isotopic Techniques Can Be Used to Spot Drought Stressed Banana Crops and Help Save Them

The scientists explored the use of stable carbon isotopes (see the Science box) and leaf temperature as potential indicators for drought stress in banana plants. Research on other plants has shown that stable carbon isotopes and leaf temperature can be used to measure drought stress, but neither technique had been used for banana plants. Banana is an under researched crop for reasons including the complexity of its large size, long growth period, heterogenous growth pattern in which all plants grow differently even if they have the same genes, and vegetative mode of reproduction. Currently, there are no practical methods to detect drought stress in banana in the field.

However, the study found that both stable carbon isotopes and leaf temperature were highly sensitive indicators for drought stress in banana, and based on these results researchers have developed banana-tailored methods that are low-cost and therefore applicable under field conditions.

“The methods we developed can be used to test levels of drought stress and to compare different water management strategies,” said Mathilde Vantyghem, IAEA/FAO PhD researcher and lead author of the study. “With such methods, local research institutes can do quick testing and eventually develop guidance for farmers to cope with drought stress.”

The study is part of an ongoing project funded by the Belgian government through the IAEA Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI). In 2022 its focus will be on scaling these methods on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro to identify early signs of drought stress and safeguarding action.

“The way the project is developed and implemented is very interesting: it combines Belgian expertise and research through the involvement of several Belgian universities, with expertise in the field in Tanzania and other African countries,” said Caroline Mouchart, Deputy Head of Mission at the Permanent Mission of Belgium to the United Nations and International Organizations in Vienna. “Banana, in all its forms and varieties, is a very important product for a lot of countries, as a basic food and as an export product. We hope that the results of the project will benefit a lot of countries and will contribute to global efforts to promote resilient agricultural practices, better suited to climate change.”

Based on the study’s findings, through the IAEA's technical cooperation programme training will be provided to research and farmer intermediaries on how to use these techniques to identify early signs of drought stress and improve their agronomical practices for banana cultivation.