Blog 4 Banana Crops Are Under Threat From Deadly Fungal Disease

Rachel Harper

2/11/11

2:51pm

The most common banana we tend to eat out of several thousand types are the Cavendish bananas. The Cavendish were originally grown in the Chatsworth greenhouse of the William Cavendish, where they originally received their name, but originated from Vietnam and China. From these greenhouses the bananas were developed for commercial distribution worldwide and are now the most commonly distributed in the world market. They account for approximately 99% of international consumption. The Cavendish were cultivated in the same soils as the Gros Michel plants that were destroyed by the Panama disease in the 1950s. Cultivators assumed the Cavendish were strong enough to withstand any disease. It has come to our attention that most of the crops across Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia have already been destroyed and now South and Central America are under threat. The soil-borne fungus is known as Tropical Race 4 that is known to only be harmful to bananas.This means wiping out banana central.

The owners who rely on the fruit for their income will lose everything if the fungus cannot be controlled. Not to mention the consumers , who will not be hit as hard but the Cavendish are a convenient fruit that provides a variety of essential vitamins and they are pretty cheap to come by. Chiquita and Dole banana producing companies are most concerned due to the millions of dollars the fungus has cost and the catastrophe will continue to rise.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/banana-crops-are-under-threat-from-a-deadly-fungal-disease-2183083.html