Phytosanitary Constraints on Bourbon vanilla: Past and Present Situations and Perspectives for Control

Michel Grisoni   

Michel Grisoni1, Abdul Karim Anli Liachouroutou2, Rico Beson3, Eric Pierard4, Edward C.Y. Liew5, Claude Alabouvette6. 

1 : CIRAD, UMR-PVBMT, Saint Pierre, La Réunion, France – michel.grisoni@cirad.fr

2 : DAF-PV, Mamoudzou, Mayotte, France

3 : CTHT, Tamatave, Madagascar

4 : GIE Maison des Epices, Moroni, Comoros

5 : Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, NSW, Australia

6 : INRA, UMR-PME, Dijon, France 

Madagascar, Réunion, Mayotte and Comoros produce annually more than 1200 tonnes of vanilla, recognized under the label Bourbon for its high quality. This production is a major income for tens of thousands of farmers of the area who predominantly grow vanilla in small traditional plots and provide, since the beginning of the 20th century, more than 50% of world’s consumption.

The field surveys conducted between 1997 and 2009 to assess pests and diseases incidence in the vanilla plantations of the South Western Indian Ocean (SWIO) islands showed that the main phytosanitary constraints that hamper or threaten vanilla development in the area are: Viruses (Cymbidium mosaic virus and potyviruses), the Fusarium and Phytophthora fungi, and the scale Conchaspis angraeci (Hemiptera : Cocoidea). The analyses of the data revealed varied levels of incidence of these pest and diseases from an island to another and according to the year of survey or to plot management. The perspectives for improving the phytosanitary status of vanilla plantations in SWIO area will be discussed, highlighting the importance of prophylaxis and the opportunities for using genetic resistance. 

Dr Michel Grisoni, Agro-virologist 

PhD in Plant pathology, 1995, Montpellier SupAgro (France) 

Affiliation: French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) 

2003-present: In charge of a research program on “Vanilla genetics and certification” in Reunion Island and curator of the Vanilla collection of the Center of Biological Resources (VATEL). 

1998-2003: In charge of a research and development program on “virus diseases of Vanilla” in French Polynesia. 

1989-1997: Researches on the “epidemiology and control of viruses of vegetatively propagated crops (citrus, allium, orchids)” in Reunion Island. 

More than 10 publications  on vanilla in peer reviewed journals