In the Northern Territory, banana plants have been growing for nearly a decade in soil infected with a fungus that normally destroys banana crops. The plants, developed by researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), carry a genetic modification that protects them from Tropical Race 4 (TR4), a strain of Panama disease threatening global banana production.
The genetically modified variety, known as QCAV-4, is the first of its kind approved for cultivation in Australia. Agricultural biotechnology researcher James Dale, who helped develop the banana, said there are no regulatory barriers to its commercial release. "If we saw them in the Northern Territory in 2027, that would be wonderful," he said.
The modification introduces a resistance gene called MamRGA2 from a wild banana species, Musa acuminata ssp malaccensis, into the Cavendish variety. This gene enables the plant to detect the fungus early, activating a defence response that prevents infection. QCAV-4, like all commercial bananas, is propagated from offshoots rather than seeds, minimising the risk of spreading beyond controlled areas.
Panama disease, caused by Fusarium oxysporum, was first detected in Taiwan in the 1960s and has since spread to dozens of countries, including Australia. Once it infects the soil, spores can survive for decades even without banana plants, making eradication impossible. Leon Collins, a grower in Queensland's Tully Valley and chair of the Australian Banana Growers' Council, said, "The disease is so random, it can pop up anywhere. You'll have a plant down the bottom end of the paddock [get infected], and the next one will be at the top."
Field trials of QCAV-4 have been ongoing at Darwin Fruit Farms near Humpty Doo, where the soil is heavily infected with TR4. Farm manager Mark Smith said the genetically modified plants have survived for more than seven years, compared to the 18-month lifespan of conventional Cavendish bananas under similar conditions. "They're still holding up," he said.
Although QCAV-4 has received regulatory approval, there are no current plans for large-scale planting. "We could expand, which would make a big difference," said Smith, "but I don't think there's been enough work on growing [QCAV-4 on a larger scale] because there just haven't been that many available."
A 2022 Food Standards Australia and New Zealand survey found that nearly half of respondents expressed concern about genetically modified foods. The Australian Banana Growers' Council has stated there are "no plans to commercialise in Australia, yet."
Internationally, interest in QCAV-4 is growing. Dale said farmers in Central and South America, as well as the Philippines, where the fungus has spread widely, have shown interest in the project. "We've got a number of growers over in Central and South America who are very interested in our program because they're very concerned about the future of bananas," he said.
Source: ABC News
