Is the banana about to go extinct forever?

The world's favorite fruit could disappear someday
It's happened before and its happening again
Fungal disease is what's coming for your daily banana
The Cavendish banana is king
Vulnerable to disease
Comments from an expert
Apples versus bananas
Panama Disease Tropical Race 4
How the fungal disease kills banana trees
Infecting plantations around the world
The dangers of the fungal disease
An easily transported disease
The Gros Michel banana
A victim of fungal disease
The death of the Gros Michel
Originating in Australia
The spread of the disease
A Cavendish genetically modified for resistance
Working on a natural solution
We need variety, not resistance
The end of the Cavendish isn't the end of the banana completely
Most bananas don't have the benefits of the Cavendish
Researchers are hoping to find a replacement
The world's favorite fruit could disappear someday

The humble banana might be the most popular fruit in the world, but the variety stocked on store shelves from the United States to Timbuktu might be on the verge of going extinct...

It's happened before and its happening again

That's right. The Cavendish banana, the species of banana that people across the globe have come to love, may not be long for this world. Don't believe us? Well, this exact situation has happened before and it's likely to happen again for the same reason.

Fungal disease is what's coming for your daily banana

Fungal disease is the culprit coming for bananas and we might not be able to do anything about it. Let's take a look at what happened before and how it is happening again, plus how it will affect you! 

The Cavendish banana is king

Humans eat around one hundred billion bananas a year and most of those fruits are the Cavendish variety according to Business Insider. These popular bananas make up 47% of all bananas eaten by humans and that’s a problem. 

Vulnerable to disease

Most of the world’s banana production is geared toward the production of the Cavendish banana, which means the entire system is far more vulnerable to diseases than many of the other types of fruits you’ll find in the grocery store. 

Comments from an expert

For example, the author of the book ‘Banana: The Fate Of the Fruit that Changed the Earth’ Dan Koeppel told Business Insider that apples are far less susceptible to disease since they are produced in a vast variety of different types. 

Apples versus bananas

“If I go to any supermarket in the US, I will find between five and 30 apple varieties," the author said. "Apple growers are going nuts trying to introduce new varieties naturally as well as through hybridization, and genetic modification."

Panama Disease Tropical Race 4

The genetic modifications of the apple allow it to withstand the trials and tribulations the Cavendish banana faces from a nasty little fungal disease known as Panama Disease Tropical Race 4. 

How the fungal disease kills banana trees

Panama Disease Tropical Race 4 begins in the roots of a banana tree and spreads through the plant until it stops the banana tree from being able to absorb water or create energy via the process of photosynthesis. 

Infecting plantations around the world

Infected banana trees are eventually killed by the infection but what’s really worrying is that this banana tree-killing disease has been infecting plantations all around the world since the 1990s according to Dan Koeppel’s research. 

The dangers of the fungal disease

In 2016, Koeppel spoke with CNN about the danger of Panama Disease Tropical Race 4, and noted that it's “caused by a really common type of fungus called Fusarium… A single clamp of contaminated dirt is enough to spread it like wildfire.”

An easily transported disease

Koeppel explained that the fungus can be carried by the wind, cars, or water and that it will create new infections wherever it ends up. While this may sound alarming, it actually isn’t the first time the world has to deal with this problem. 

 

The Gros Michel banana

Long before the Cavendish became the world's most popular banana there was a sweet banana known as the Gros Michel that was mainly being exported to Western countries according to the New Scientists. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons by Zwifree

A victim of fungal disease

However, the Gros Michel fell victim to a strain of Fusarium fungus with the designation Tropical Race 1, which also causes Panama disease. The infection cropped up in 1920 and by the 1950s the Gros Michel was all but gone. 

The death of the Gros Michel

Growers switched to the Cavendish because of its resistance to Tropical Race 1 despite the banana being less sweet than the Gran Michel. Now the Cavendish could suffer the same fate as the Gros Michel unless science can save it. 

Originating in Australia

In 1997, Tropical Disease 4 cropped up in Darwin, Australia, and quickly spread through the country by 2015. Queensland University of Technology professor Dale Johnson told Business Insider that the spread has only gotten worse. 

The spread of the disease

"Since then it has spread to India and China, the world's largest producers of bananas. It has also spread to the Middle East and Africa and very recently was found in South America," Johnson said. But he is working hard to save the banana. 

Photo by George Kantartzis on Unsplash

A Cavendish genetically modified for resistance

Johnson and a team of his colleagues have developed a genetically modified version of the Cavendish banana known as QCAV-4 that is highly resistant to Tropical Race 1, and they’re not the only ones working on the problem. 

Working on a natural solution

A team from the Taiwan Banana Research Center is working on creating a Cavendish that is resistant to Tropical Race 1 through natural selection Business Insider reported, but Koeppel noted either solution might not be enough. 

Photo by Monika Guzikowska on Unsplash

We need variety, not resistance

"It's true that there is some resistance, but I'd say right now, nobody is even close to solving the problem," Koeppel explained to Business Insider, "The answer is going to be the end of monoculture. The answer is variety."

Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash

The end of the Cavendish isn't the end of the banana completely

Luckily, the end of the Cavendish doesn't mean the end of the banana. The world does grow hundreds of different varieties of bananas according to National Geographic and we may be able to find a replacement.

Most bananas don't have the benefits of the Cavendish

However, finding a banana that can replace the benefits of the Cavendish may be hard. Some bananas are too big and small, others are too sweet or lack the heartiness needed for mass production and transport.

Photo by George Kantartzis on Unsplash

Researchers are hoping to find a replacement

"Researchers hope working with these diverse cultivars and the wild varieties can help them develop bananas that are more disease-resistant and hardy enough for mass production," wrote National Geographic. But so far a replacement hasn't been found.

Photo by Anastasia Eremina on Unsplash

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