A breakthrough in genetic research may have found a way to control Fusarium wilt, a devastating disease threatening the global supply of bananas. The disease has already wiped out other banana varieties and devastated production in the 1950s. Researchers discovered that the current strain didn’t evolve from the previous one and identified genes responsible for its spread.
According to the study published in Nature Microbiology, reducing fungal nitric oxide could be key to controlling the disease. While this breakthrough may help avert an impending “banana apocalypse,” it highlights the underlying problem of monocropping, which makes bananas vulnerable to disease.
The team’s findings suggest that introducing diversity into banana crops by growing different varieties can help mitigate the risk of disease outbreaks. As Professor Li-Jun Ma notes, “When there’s no diversity in a huge commercial crop, it becomes an easy target for pathogens.” With this knowledge, consumers can try different banana varieties available at local specialty stores and support more sustainable banana production.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/health/food-diet/banana-apocalypse-could-be-averted-thanks-to-genetic-breakthrough