All-consuming banana fungus advancing

One of the most popular fruit varieties in the world, the bananas, is threatened with extinction. The Panama Disease Tropical Race 4 (TR4) has spread farther across the world in recent months, and it seems a matter of time for the fungus to reach Latin America. History has shown that the fungus poses a serious threat to the banana. According to estimates, 85 percent of the global volume of bananas is threatened by TR4.

The main export markets for bananas worldwide are the US and Europe. FAO figures show that North America and the EU import 31 and 28 percent of bananas respectively. The fear exists that the fungus will have similar consequences for the banana production as Panama Disease Race 1, which left its mark in Latin America halfway through the last century, decimating the banana production. The Gros Michel, the most carried variety in those years, was virtually wiped out by the fungus.

Ironically, the Cavendish emerged as the big winner from this crisis. The banana turned out to be resistant to Type 1, and was suitable for export. Thus, the variety was able to attain the position it currently holds. The Panama Disease evolved as well, however, and with TR4, the fungus once again poses a threat to the banana.

In addition to the enormous economic consequences for the countries that export bananas, millions of people in Latin America are directly or indirectly dependent on banana cultivation and the fact the North American and European consumer will perhaps have to get used to a more expensive banana, and a large part of the population in development countries rely on the banana as a primary source for nutrients. The banana is eighth in the global ranking of important food crops, and fourth on the same ranking for developing countries.

According to the FAO, more than 80 percent of the global banana and plantain production is threatened by Panama Disease. The threat of the fungus, says Dan Koeppel, banana expert, isn’t sufficiently recognized by the sector. He says there is no global strategy to deal with the fungus. “You would expect that, when confronted with a fungus that’s virtually impossible to stop, even with a worldwide strategy, the chain would be organized better. That hasn’t happened yet, and so this comes as no surprise,” he said earlier this year in an interview.

The breeding programme for a resistant banana is in full swing, but this is also a long-term process. Research has started with a search for the most basic questions: how many genes determine resistance and susceptibility, and where are they located? If there is an answer to these questions, the breeding programme can begin. The process can be sped up by extra funds and new technology, but will still take at least ten years. Until then, the focus is on awareness in the chain and quarantine measures to prevent and slow down further spread. Thus, the fungus should be gotten under control.