IntroductionBanana (Musa spp.) is a key crop in Uganda, supporting both rural and urban populations. Apart from being akey food crop, it is an important source of income for resource poor farmers. It is estimated that over 75% of thecountry’s farmers grow bananas on 1.5 million hectares, an equivalent of 38% of the total land under crops(Nowakunda & Tushemereirwe, 2004). The crop is regarded as the most traded food crop in the country andaccordingly contributes to income through sales in raw form and other value-added products such as juice, beer,chips, cakes and other food products (Karamura, 1991). In turn, the income from banana sales is invested inother key components of farmers’ livelihoods including paying school fees, investments in productive assets andhealth. The crop is also a key component of the agro-ecosystem reducing soil erosion on steep slopes through itsclosed canopy and is a principal source of mulch for maintaining and improving soil fertility and moisture.Despite its importance, the crop is threatened by several biotic and abiotic constraints. Among the biotic threats,Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) caused by the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum is the mostrecent and is perceived by smallholder banana farmers in Uganda as the most serious threat to food security andincomes (Tushemereirwe, Kangire, Kubiriba, Nakyanzi & Gold, 2004; Karamura et al., 2011). The disease wasfirst reported in central Uganda in 2001 (Tushemereirwe et al., 2001) but has since spread to other districtsacross the country including the main banana growing regions (Karamura, Osiru, Blomme, Lusty & Picq, 2006).Unlike other banana diseases which cause gradually increasing losses over years, the impacts of BXW areextreme and rapid. In many of the affected districts, the disease wiped out entire banana plantations. No bananavariety is resistant to the disease, although AAA-EAHB genomes are more resistant than ABB and AABgenomes (Karamura et al., 2010).It has been estimated that if BXW is not controlled, Uganda stands to lose an estimated US$295 million worth ofbanana output valued at farm gate prices, which translates to a loss of US$ 200 per year of food and income perhousehold (Kalyebara et al., 2006). Compared to pre-infection levels, the total banana yield loss due to BXWinfection was estimated at 30–52% between 2001 and 2004 (Karamura et al., 2010).

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