The fungus Fusarium oxysporum can cause its loss.
People around the world eat more than 100 billion bananas every year. The majority of consumption is associated with the variety called Cavendish. But maybe not for long, she says origo.hu.
Farms are in danger – Image: pixabay.com
Cavendish bananas are expected to disappear from farms due to a fungal disease, and here is why Scientists are now trying to genetically engineer the fruit Modified to make it more resistant to disease.
Growing bananas is a somewhat reckless practice by relying on only one variety. Therefore, according to experts, the best solution to this problem would be If farmers radically change the cultivation of the most popular southern fruit and abandon the method of relying on one variety for the success of the entire cultivation.
Although there are more than a thousand types of bananas, Approximately 47 percent of the bananas we eat are Cavendish bananas (Musa Munif variant of a variety). It is resistant to some “diseases that kill bananas”, has a long shelf life, and can usually grow more Cavendish bananas on the same amount of land than if farmers were dealing with other varieties.
However, the Cavendish is threatened by the Fusarium fungus, the damage caused by which is referred to worldwide as Panama disease or TR4 infection.
the Fusarium oxysporum Mushrooms live in the ground, It attacks the banana root and prevents it from absorbing water and other nutrients from the soil. Various insecticides have proven ineffective against it, as its spores remain viable in the ground for up to 40 years. This practically means that if an infection sets in, bananas cannot grow again for the foreseeable future.
Although there are more than a thousand types of bananas, approximately 47 percent of the bananas we eat are Cavendish bananas – Image: pixabay.com
What’s happening now with the cavendish banana world You may have tried it before With Gros Michel who It was also a popular type of banana in its time. From the 1950s Instead of Gros Michel Cavendish became the leading export banana because it was immune to TR1.
In 1997, scientists discovered a new strain (TR4) near Darwin, Australia, which was actually capable of infecting Cavendish. By 2015, the disease had spread to farms in Queensland, Australia’s largest banana-producing state, and then appeared in India and China, two of the world’s largest banana producers. It has also appeared in the Middle East, Africa and South America.
According to plant pathologists, the Cavendish banana cannot suffer the same fate as the Gros Michel banana. We still have at least a decade before the impact becomes drastic. Therefore, researchers are trying to find a solution to the problem by developing a genetically modified Cavendish, QCAV-4, which they say is resistant to TR4. Another research group is studying vaccination as an effective alternative, and some form of natural selection may also be a way out.
Researchers are trying to find a solution to the problem – Image: pixabay.com
However, according to some banana experts, these solutions do not work in the long term. The only possible response is to eliminate monoculture. The real solution is to produce and sell more than one type of banana collectively, due to genetics The more diverse your bananas are, the less susceptible to disease they are.
