The race to save the banana from extinction

A recent Food Navigator article highlighted the progress of a global research initiative to help prevent the extinction of the banana. This fruit, so popular in much of the world, is an important food and commercial crop in tropical and subtropical regions. In Europe and North America, bananas are one of the cheapest and most widely consumed fruits. Therefore, the strong growth in banana consumption, particularly in Eastern Europe, is supporting an increase in imports of the fruit from producing countries. The most common variety of banana is the Cavendish. About 95% of the international banana trade and half of the bananas produced worldwide belong to this variety. However, a global threat faces the production of Cavendish bananas after the outbreak of the disease caused by Fusarium, also known as Panama disease, tropical race 4 or TR4. Fusarium is a fungus that is transmitted in contaminated soils and infected plant materials. The disease is believed to be transmitted through ...