A future with no bananas?

[Lance]

A future with no bananas?
13 May 2006

Go bananas while you still can. The world's most popular fruit and the fourth most important food crop of any sort is in deep trouble. Its genetic base, the wild bananas and traditional varieties cultivated in India, has collapsed.

Virtually all bananas traded internationally are of a single variety, the Cavendish, the genetic roots of which lie in India. Three years ago, New Scientist revealed that the world Cavendish crop was threatened by pandemics of diseases such as that caused by the black sigatoka fungus. The main hope for survival of the Cavendish lies in developing new hybrids resistant to the fungus, but this is a difficult and time-consuming task because the seedless modern fruit does not reproduce sexually and has to be bred from cuttings.

Now the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that wild banana species are rapidly going extinct as Indian forests are destroyed, while many traditional farmers' varieties are also disappearing. It could take a global effort to save the bananas' gene pool.

In fact many of the genes that could save the Cavendish may already have been lost, says NeBambi Lutaladio, a plant scientist at the FAO's headquarters in Rome, Italy. One variety that contains genes that resist black sigatoka survives as a single plant in the botanical gardens of Calcutta, he says.

From issue 2551 of New Scientist magazine, 13 May 2006, page 5

[Lonewulf]

Well...

...This sucks.

[Halcyon Dayz, FCD]

That's why we need gene 'banks'.

All commercial food crops, and domesticated animals, have a narrow
genetic base.

It's one of the reasons old stock sheep herds in the Netherlands are subsidised.
(They also form an integral part of the heath's ecosystem.)

[Lonewulf]

<Me> Did you know that our banana supply is running out?

<Mom> I'll get some more.

<Me> What...?

[umop ap!sdn]

<Mom> I'll get some more.

That's parents for ya.

[Lance]

<Mom> I'll get some more.

That's parents for ya.

Cyndi and I went grocery shopping Saturday afternoon and I told her this story when we were at the banana bin at the store. Her first reaction was to grab a second bunch.

[Lonewulf]

Heh. In this case, my mom thought I meant the banana supply in our house.

[pmcolt]

Oh, my. Bananas are one of my favorite fruits. They're so useful. They can make banana splits, banana pancakes, banana waffles, banana ice cream, cereal with bananas, banana bread, banana pudding, peanut butter and banana sandwiches... that's about all I use them for.

Should I write my congressman or something?

[Мастер]

Should I write my congressman or something?

This might result in invasion of banana-producing countries.

[umop ap!sdn]

It'd be so ironic to see our Commander in Chimp trying to make a case to invade a banana producing country. :P

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Gullible Jones]

Some crude calculations indicate that, if President Bush were to go on air with such a decision, more than a third of the United States population would die from massively excessive laughter.

[Capt. Moosedoom]

Hey I think your'e all forgetting the great(ly terrible) Gwen Stefani who gladly showed americans (and some europeans) how to "spell"...bananas. Maybe all her chanting and raveing will bring back the poor bananas...
Wait a go for her and her army of illegal japaneze immigrants. One more time now....woo hoo...! :?

[Gullible Jones]

...???

[Doe, John]

linky

The Discussion Paper provides a number of examples of potential uses of GM crops in Africa. Researchers are developing GM bananas that are resistant to the Black Sigatoka fungus, which could significantly increase yields and reduce the large amount of fungicide currently used.

link 2

link 3

lotsa dedicated scientists hard at work to save the worlds bananas. :D

[Lance]

lotsa dedicated scientists hard at work to save the worlds bananas. :D

Oh thank FSM!

[umop ap!sdn]

This calls for celebration.



Long live dedicated scientists!