A way to combat fungus, a Tropical Race 4-Banana Cavendish
Antoine Mehats
Published 2022년 2월 4일
The variety of Banana Cavendish is at risk of going extinct. Thus, researchers worldwide are looking for a way to save it or develop new exportable banana varieties.
99% of the bananas sold globally are of the type called Cavendish, which is susceptible to a deadly fungus called Tropical Race 4 or “Panama disease,” which has been spreading for more than three decades and, if not contained, could ruin this industry-valued at some USD 25,000 million a year. Scientists believe that disease probably arose in Southeast Asia in 1990 and soon extended to the rest of the world. The fungus TR-4 has appeared in America Latina in 2019, a region that, combined with the Caribbean, produces 75% of the bananas in the world. What is the hope to end the global banana threat?
New Varieties :
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Hort Innovation have launched a research project to develop two new varieties resistant to TR4 of value amounting to USD 9.8 million to combat the threat. The QUT Centre will deliver the work for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy. QUT aims to develop Cavendish and Goldfinger varieties using gene-editing techniques through the five-year project.
Grafting :
Because bananas are seedless plants, the technique used has been to graft the shoot of one plant onto the root. Grafting is an essential technique in many parts of the agricultural industry. By physically binding certain plants together, dramatic improvements can be drawn, including the speed to fruiting, hardiness to weather or drought, pest resistance, and hybridization. The modern fruit tree industry would not exist without the technique. Grafting has been indicated as a solution for Panama's disease in plants such as cucumber, watermelon, and tomato. If bananas can be grafted, that could potentially be a way to increase their resistance.
99% of the bananas sold globally are of the type called Cavendish, which is susceptible to a deadly fungus called Tropical Race 4 or “Panama disease,” which has been spreading for more than three decades and, if not contained, could ruin this industry-valued at some USD 25,000 million a year. Scientists believe that disease probably arose in Southeast Asia in 1990 and soon extended to the rest of the world. The fungus TR-4 has appeared in America Latina in 2019, a region that, combined with the Caribbean, produces 75% of the bananas in the world. What is the hope to end the global banana threat?
New Varieties :
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Hort Innovation have launched a research project to develop two new varieties resistant to TR4 of value amounting to USD 9.8 million to combat the threat. The QUT Centre will deliver the work for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy. QUT aims to develop Cavendish and Goldfinger varieties using gene-editing techniques through the five-year project.
Grafting :
Because bananas are seedless plants, the technique used has been to graft the shoot of one plant onto the root. Grafting is an essential technique in many parts of the agricultural industry. By physically binding certain plants together, dramatic improvements can be drawn, including the speed to fruiting, hardiness to weather or drought, pest resistance, and hybridization. The modern fruit tree industry would not exist without the technique. Grafting has been indicated as a solution for Panama's disease in plants such as cucumber, watermelon, and tomato. If bananas can be grafted, that could potentially be a way to increase their resistance.
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