According to an article in The Scientist and a recently published book, “Banana,” by Dan Koeppel (I haven’t read it yet, but I did enjoy his “To See Every Bird On Earth”), the worlds banana supply is currently at risk of being decimated by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum, commonly known as “Panama Disease.” The fungus nearly destroyed the banana industry in the 1950s, wiping out the Gros Michel strain of bananas that had been commonly cultivated for export in Latin America up until then. It was because of this first blight that the modern variety of Banana popular in the United States, a southeastern Asian strain known as Cavendish, became popular due to its natural resistance to the deadly fungus.
The eminent extinction of bananas will have serious implications for many farmers in Panama, who may soon be forced to consider producing other crops
Unfortunately a new strain of the Panama Disease fungus has begun attacking Cavendish bananas across Asia, a situation which is putting the entire world’s supply at risk. Bananas, which are sterile and grown from clones, are particularly susceptible to being devastated by disease, as there is virtually no genetic variation within a given banana population. The disease spread from Asia to Australia, where scientists initially believed they had contained the destructive fungus, yet following a 2006 hurricane spread rapidly on the continent. As a result, Australia’s banana industry has lost 85% of its crop and is now facing collapse.
While the fungus has yet to reach Latin America, scientists say it’s only a matter of time before it does. A single clump of contaminated dirt could easily transport the fungus, potentially driving modern bananas to near extinction. Scientists are currently racing to develop new and genetically modified strains that would be both hardy enough for export and resistant to the fungus, yet this could potentially take decades to achieve. Even if a new varietal was developed, it remains questionable as to whether it would be an acceptable alternative for a discerning general public.
According to the CIA World Factbook, Bananas are one of Panama’s most important agricultural commodities. While agriculture only accounts for 7.4% of Panama’s GDP (in comparison to 80% by the service industry), it employs nearly 20% of the countries labor force. The eminent extinction of bananas will have serious implications for many farmers in Panama, who may soon be forced to consider producing other crops. Panama Disease will surely have a devastating impact on one of the world’s favorite fruits, and will likely change the face of agriculture in Panama and across Latin America.
Bananas may be facing extinction (photograph from Wikipedia.org)
Source:
Banana: RIP (the-scientist.com)
