Bananas are beloved: a standard in the kitchen, an on-the-go lunchtime snack, and for many, a dessert. In the modern world, it’s hard to imagine life without them. Cavendish bananas, which are the world’s standard, represent the fourth-most valuable global agricultural product after rice, wheat and milk. Grown in more than 130 countries, bananas are a staple food for more than 400 million people. The fruit is rich in nutrients, such as vitamin B, vitamin C, fiber and magnesium – making it a healthy snack before sports or simply between meals.
Bananas are beloved: a standard in the kitchen, an on-the-go lunchtime snack, and for many, a dessert. In the modern world, it’s hard to imagine life without them. Cavendish bananas, which are the world’s standard, represent the fourth-most valuable global agricultural product after rice, wheat and milk. Grown in more than 130 countries, bananas are a staple food for more than 400 million people. The fruit is rich in nutrients, such as vitamin B, vitamin C, fiber and magnesium – making it a healthy snack before sports or simply between meals.
But this popular fruit is under serious threat. A new aggressive strain of the fungus causing Panama Disease, called Tropical Race 4 (TR4), is increasingly threatening banana farms worldwide. “Currently, the disease affects mostly bananas grown in the Philippines and China,” says Kai Wirtz, Global Crop Manager Fruit at Bayer’s Crop Science division in Monheim, Germany.
“Further hotspots are in Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and East Africa. Just recently, farmers have detected the Panama Disease in Israel.” Wirtz expects the disease to spread further west to other important banana production regions, especially Latin America. “It’s just a matter of time,” he adds. In fact, without counteraction against Panama Disease, there’s a chance that bananas could die out.
See full article at Agropages
