No more bananas?

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by rpshen | June 2, 2008 at 12:34 pm
4356 views | 14 Recommendations | 71 comments

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I See a Banana Tree (what do you see?)

I See a Banana Tree (what do you see?)

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Did you know that the banana we now consume is not the same one our grandparents had back in the day? Their banana, known as the Gros Michel, was bigger and more delicious than the Cavendish we eat today. Why did we adopt something less superior? Read on to find out...

Introduced to our hemisphere in the late 19th century, the Gros Michel was almost immediately hit by a blight that wiped it out by 1960. The Cavendish was adopted at the last minute by the big banana companies - Chiquita and Dole - because it was resistant to that blight, a fungus known as Panama disease. For the past fifty years, all has been quiet in the banana world. Until now.

Panama disease - or Fusarium wilt of banana - is back, and the Cavendish does not appear to be safe from this new strain, which appeared two decades ago in Malaysia, spread slowly at first, but is now moving at a geometrically quicker pace. There is no cure, and nearly every banana scientist says that though Panama disease has yet to hit the banana crops of Latin America, which feed our hemisphere, the question is not if this will happen, but when. Even worse, the malady has the potential to spread to dozens of other banana varieties, including African bananas, the primary source of nutrition for millions of people.

Panama disease is so virulent that a single clump of dirt tracked in on a tire tread or a shoe can spark a country-wide outbreak. It isn't hard to imagine that a stray banana box from the Philippines, loaded into a Dole shipping container could be left unloaded at Long Beach, California, and continue on to Guatemala, where it could infect that nation's crop and tear through Latin America. In fact, the original Panama disease outbreak that decimated the Gros Michel almost certainly went from Asia, to the Caribbean, to Central and South America, though the exact path was never determined. The spread of Panama disease from Asia to the banana plantations of the Western Hemisphere is more than imaginable. With shipping containers traveling the world, and bananas crossing hemispheres, it's likely.

When the first outbreak of Panama disease hit the Gros Michels of South and Central America, it nearly put the entire industry out of business. Only at the last minute was a substitute banana - the Cavendish - found. The Cavendish was thought to be resistant, and for 50 years, that was true. No longer.

Now, the future of the Cavendish lies in genetic engineering. Scientists have created bananas that resist Panama disease in the lab. The problem with these engineered bananas is that they lack the other characteristics - ideal ripening speed, a thick skin, and the right taste - that make a banana variety attractive for export. Making a single banana with all of those attributes may take years. Another issue is consumer acceptance: surveys have shown that most shoppers would reject modified bananas, even if they were proven to be safe.

Source: the-scientist.com


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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (71)

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jvlnka
jvlnka

at 15:55 on June 2nd, 2008

This picture was taken on the French Polynesian Island of Huanine in April.

jvlnka has contributed a photo to this story.

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cess_pit
cess_pit

at 15:59 on June 2nd, 2008

This banana is a cooking variety. It grows in my backyard here in Broome Western Australia.

cess_pit has contributed a photo to this story.

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Lotus Lin
Lotus Lin

at 18:40 on June 2nd, 2008

Banana tree in Nimboli, India. This photo was taken on the grounds of the Hard Light Center of Awakening ashram during a meditation retreat in March 2008.

Lotus Lin has contributed a photo to this story.

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Nicole Meyer
Nicole Meyer

at 18:43 on June 2nd, 2008

A banana tree. Photo was taken in the botanical garden greenhouse in Göteborg, Sweden.

Nicole Meyer has contributed a photo to this story.

0
Rigs Clearwater Florida
Rigs Clearwater Florida

at 19:42 on June 2nd, 2008

Taken at the Botanical Gardens In Largo...

Rigs Clearwater Florida has contributed a photo to this story.

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hennyriedmueller
hennyriedmueller

at 19:49 on June 2nd, 2008

You can find all kinds of bananas very easy in my country Indonesia.They even grow wild everywhere.

hennyriedmueller has contributed a photo to this story.

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dwjimc
dwjimc

at 20:00 on June 2nd, 2008

This banana tree is growing in our backyard in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. They are smaller than the bananas typically consumed in the North American market, but they are edible.

dwjimc has contributed a photo to this story.

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shutterhero
shutterhero

at 20:15 on June 2nd, 2008

this was taken at my backyard. my mom planted it. and i took this photo. cheers.

shutterhero has contributed a photo to this story.

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KelliHarris
KelliHarris

at 20:24 on June 2nd, 2008

Bananas growing at my mother's home in southwest Arkansas.

KelliHarris has contributed a photo to this story.

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angelkwan32
angelkwan32

at 21:46 on June 2nd, 2008

Lamma Island, Hong Kong

angelkwan32 has contributed a photo to this story.

0
valleyword
valleyword

at 22:19 on June 2nd, 2008

valleyword has contributed a photo to this story.

0
valleyword
valleyword

at 22:21 on June 2nd, 2008

This photo was taken by one of our missionaries, Rocky Stanley, during a mission trip in 2007.

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realmild
realmild

at 23:03 on June 2nd, 2008

This specius of bananas is deep-fried to serve as tit-bits.

realmild has contributed a photo to this story.

0
Sueshane
Sueshane

at 23:48 on June 2nd, 2008

Taken in the Dominican Republic

Sueshane has contributed a photo to this story.

0
SuziBanter
SuziBanter

at 23:51 on June 2nd, 2008

Banana tree plantation on route from National Rain Forest Park to Limon, Costa Rica

SuziBanter has contributed a photo to this story.

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mrcharly
mrcharly

at 00:03 on June 3rd, 2008

this photo of a banana tree was taken near Santa Clara in Cuba

mrcharly has contributed a photo to this story.

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Pangkin
Pangkin

at 00:09 on June 3rd, 2008

Lamma island, HK

Pangkin has contributed a photo to this story.

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Al JC
Al JC

at 00:28 on June 3rd, 2008

Taken in Pittencrief Park Dunfermline Scotland.

Al JC has contributed a photo to this story.

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mandalariemer
mandalariemer

at 00:30 on June 3rd, 2008

This picture was taken in a garden on Aruba. I was suprised to see at the first time a bananatree

mandalariemer has contributed a photo to this story.

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aroop_d
aroop_d

at 01:31 on June 3rd, 2008

Took this pic in my backyard

ps: rpshen you are really pretty :)

aroop_d has contributed a photo to this story.

0
gabig58
gabig58

at 01:38 on June 3rd, 2008

A banana plantation in Tenerife, on the road from San Juan de la Rambla to Las Aguas. The photo was taken in December 2007. The concrete in the back is the motorway. Location map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=san+juan+de+la+rambla,+tenerife,+spain&ie=UTF8&ll=28.395213,-16.64463&spn=0.020348,0.034676&z=15

gabig58 has contributed a photo to this story.

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Holly Hecht
Holly Hecht

at 01:50 on June 3rd, 2008

This banana tree is from Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The picture was taken in March of 2008.

Holly Hecht has contributed a photo to this story.

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M Car
M Car

at 02:19 on June 3rd, 2008

picture was taken in the Dominican Republic in March. There were banana trees everywhere.

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lilialilia
lilialilia

at 03:02 on June 3rd, 2008

these photos are from a farm in egypt, irrigated by recycled waste water originally desalinated from the sea to feed organic restaurants at a hotel complex in sinai.

lilialilia has contributed a photo to this story.

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aztx
aztx

at 03:57 on June 3rd, 2008

Taken in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens hot house.

aztx has contributed a photo to this story.

0
tomoe
tomoe

at 04:16 on June 3rd, 2008

A banana tree after blooming. This particular specimen is part of a garden display.

tomoe has contributed a photo to this story.

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rpelaez1
rpelaez1

at 04:24 on June 3rd, 2008

According to my brother, the bannana trees are covered with this blue bag which is lined with pesticide on the inside. As the fruit grows, it grows inside the blue bag, covered in the pesticide. When the fruit is ready for harvest, the workers simply cut down the whole bag and take the whole thing with them. They then recycle the bags to use them into random things like roof tiles and other weird things....

rpelaez1 has contributed a photo to this story.

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WatersEdge2003
WatersEdge2003

at 04:46 on June 3rd, 2008

These, and other species of bananas, are typical in the backyards of Bahamians. This capture shows a shoot of bananas shaded by a mango tree.

WatersEdge2003 has contributed a photo to this story.

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Isparku
Isparku

at 05:34 on June 3rd, 2008

very interesting. thanks for sharing. :)

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life and the living
life and the living

at 05:38 on June 3rd, 2008

These bananas are from our garden in India. They tasted pretty good too!

life and the living has contributed a photo to this story.

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First Flagged at 8:51 AM, Jun 3, 2008 by Jarrett Martineau
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