Sustaining Sugarcane Production in Guatemala and Nicaragua Through Efficient Disease Management Approaches

Abstract

Sugarcane occupies sizeable cropping area in Latin American countries especially in Guatemala and Nicaragua, where sugar industry substantially contributes to the national GDP as well as to foreign trade. In these countries, sugarcane cultivation faces challenges from different diseases caused by fungi, bacteria and virus. Among the diseases, dry stalk rot caused by five different fungal pathogens is the major disease constraint, impacting sugarcane production in the countries. The non-fungal diseases cause loss of vigour leading to varietal degeneration in sugarcane. Traditional disease management in sugarcane centres around host resistance to different diseases, and this approach remains as the most important in the Central American region. However, new variants (strains) with more virulence emerge in case of fungal pathogens and this phenomenon leads to varietal breakdown; thereby, resistant varieties become susceptible. Hence, other disease management options are employed, especially antagonistic and growth-promoting microbes of bacteria and fungi for the sustainable sugarcane production in the Guatemalan and Nicaraguan sugar mills. Additionally, degeneration in varieties caused by ratoon stunting is addressed through healthy seed nurseries. The review focuses on sugar scenario, major disease constraints, disease screening and resistance identification and other disease management options to sustain sugarcane sector in Guatemala and Nicaragua.