Business Wire

Dole Unveils Integrated Strategy Against Banana Disease

Share

Dole Food Company today shared the company’s most recent update on its efforts to combat Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4), a plant disease that poses an existential threat to bananas, a major staple crop for much of the world.

Since the discovery of TR4 in northern Colombia one year ago, Dole swiftly ramped-up its TR4 response plan, implementing site-specific TR4 prevention activities throughout Latin America in coordination with local authorities and international experts to contain and prevent spread.

A three-year containment program was immediately implemented in 2019 to ensure biosecurity protocols in every Dole banana farm, as well as those of Dole’s independent suppliers. Those protocols build upon best practices implemented in the banana producing countries where the disease has been successfully contained and are continually reviewed and strengthened per site—based upon the farm layout and location—to maximize the effectiveness of the risk-based mitigation plan.

Dole also continues to share these best practices with independent growers and to engage with governments, multi-stakeholder initiatives and industry partners to ensure that our actions are coordinated with the wider response, both in Latin America and globally. These efforts require significant investment and as of now there is no evidence that TR4 has spread from the area in Colombia in which it was initially detected.

“Fortunately to date, the spread of this disease in Latin America has been contained to only the La Guajira region of Colombia, but this issue is not isolated to one region or one banana grower; it affects the entire industry and we must all be vigilant,” stated Patricio Gutiérrez, Director of Innovation R&D, Dole Tropical Products. “Containment alone is not sufficient. We must find ways to move beyond defense and find a sustainable solution to this issue in the long-term.”

Dole is exploring a number of potential resolutions.

One such solution the company is investigating is how to implement safe and approved biological control measures to prevent disease.

Additionally, Dole is working closely with research institutions around the world toward developing a disease resistant banana variety through crop improvement and conventional breeding methods. Since 2016, Dole has participated in a consortium working in partnership with the Honduran Research Foundation (FHIA) on the development of banana varieties that are resistant to TR4. Although developing a new kind of banana through traditional breeding is painstaking work, the research team is making good progress and a number of lines are currently being pot or field tested for TR4 resistance.

More recently, Dole began collaborating with companies working on precision biotechnology as a means to develop TR4 resistant bananas and is also part of the Global Alliance against TR4 led by IICA and Bayer in collaboration with other large banana stakeholders. When and if either these efforts or the other work being done by third parties succeed, Dole intends to be part of the discussion on how to make the solution available to banana growers worldwide.

About Dole Food Company

Dole Food Company, Inc., is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as well as in nutrition education. For more information, please visit www.dole.com.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

US Contact: William Goldfield
818-874-4647
william.goldfield@dole.com

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
24 Martin Lane
EC4R 0DR London

+44 20 7626 1982http://www.businesswire.co.uk

(c) 2018 Business Wire, Inc., All rights reserved.

Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in multiplatform press release distribution.

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

H.I.G. Capital Announces the Sale of DGS S.p.A.11.6.2024 12:00:00 CEST | Press release

H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”), a leading global alternative investment firm with $62 billion of capital under management, is pleased to announce that an affiliate has signed a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio company, DGS S.p.A. (“DGS” or the “Group”), a leading firm in the Italian Information Technology market, to DGS Co-Founders and management team in partnership with ICG, a global alternative asset manager. Since its inception in 1997, DGShas supported blue-chip customers in the design, integration, and maintenance of complex IT systems, with a specialization in digital transformation and cybersecurity services. The Group currently has over 1,900 employees, revenues of approximately €300 million, and maintains a group of highly loyal clientele. During H.I.G.’s ownership, DGS has tripled in size and consolidated its position as a leading Italian firm in cybersecurity services and digital transformation. DGS offers its clients sophisticated and proprietary digital transformation

Evertas Names Nick Selby Head of European Underwriting11.6.2024 12:00:00 CEST | Press release

Evertas, the world’s first crypto insurance company, has named Nick Selby as its new Head of European Underwriting. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611141887/en/ Nick Selby, Executive Vice President and Head of European Underwriting at Evertas (Photo: Business Wire) Selby, an accomplished information and physical security professional, brings two decades of expertise in public and private sector information security, physical security, and complex incident handling, as well as seven years of experience leading teams securing billions of dollars in cryptoassets. Previously, his roles included VP of the Software Assurance Practice at Trail of Bits, Chief Security Officer at Paxos Trust Company, and Director of Cyber Intelligence and Investigations at the NYPD Intelligence Bureau. “Nick is an extremely valuable addition to our European team,” said Evertas CEO and Co-Founder J. Gdanski. “His public and private

Owlet utvider globalt fotavtrykk med lanseringen av medisinsk-sertifisert Dream Sock™ i Storbritannia og over hele Europa11.6.2024 11:00:00 CEST | Pressemelding

Owlet, Inc. («Owlet» or the «Company») (NYSE:OWLT), pioneren innen smart spedbarnsovervåking, kunngjør i dag den britiske og europeiske lanseringen av Dream Sock. Dette er en smart babymonitor med levende helseavlesninger og varsler for friske spedbarn mellom 0-18 måneder og 2,5-13,6 kg. Dette innovative medisinske utstyret gir foreldre helse og viktig informasjon i sanntid, noe som gir uovertruffen trygghet. Denne pressemeldingen inneholder multimedia. Se hele pressemeldingen her: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611820341/no/ (Photo: Business Wire) «Vi er svært stolte over å lansere Dream Sock til omsorgspersoner over hele Storbritannia og Europa og gi millioner av foreldre mer trygghet mens babyen sover,» sa Kurt Workman, Owlets administrerende direktør og medgründer. «Dream Sock er nå et globalt produkt som er anerkjent som medisinsk nøyaktig og trygt, etter å ha gjennomgått regulatoriske autorisasjoner og sertifiseringer innenfor flere geografier. I dag er misjonen vår

V-Nova Surpasses 1000 Patent Milestone in Media Technology Innovation11.6.2024 10:00:00 CEST | Press release

V-Nova, a leading provider of data compression solutions, video compression technology, XR technology, AI acceleration and parallel processing for a multitude of industries including media and entertainment, today announced its milestone achievement of 1000 active technology patents. This accomplishment underscores V-Nova’s dedication to research and development and its commitment to protecting its intellectual property globally. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611724561/en/ V-Nova’s patent portfolio spans more than 50 different jurisdictions. Including over 400 patents in Europe, over 200 in the Americas, over 100 in the United States specifically, and over 200 in Asia. V-Nova forged new directions in data processing to enhance digital experiences, maximize efficiency, reduce costs, and increase sustainability. The company leads the way with key international data compression standards for the video indust

Alipay+ Reveals Top Scorer Trophy Design for UEFA EURO 2024™11.6.2024 09:24:00 CEST | Press release

Alipay+, a suite of cross-border mobile payment and digitalization technology solutions operated by Ant International and an Official Partner of UEFA EURO 2024™, today revealed the trophy that will be awarded to the most prolific marksman at the UEFA EURO 2024™ finale on July 14 in Berlin, Germany. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240610328619/en/ The UEFA Top Scorer Trophy presented by Alipay+ is unveiled for UEFA EURO 2024™ (Photo: Business Wire) Sculpted in the shape of the Chinese character “支” (pronounced zhi, and meaning payment as well as support), the trophy reflects Alipay+’s dedication to supporting consumers to enjoy seamless payment and a broad choice of deals using their preferred payment methods while traveling abroad. The character also resembles the fleeting moment of a barefooted striker poised to shoot, evoking the original beauty and power of football – a game that united people across the wo

World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye