Bananas Could Become Extinct Due to Fungal Outbreak, Scientists Say

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Scientists fear that the most common kind of banana may soon go extinct as a result of a disease epidemic that is destroying the potassium-rich fruit as reported by The New York Post.

A dangerous fungus called Panama disease (Fusarium wilt) tropical race 4 is attacking the Cavendish banana, the common supermarket type that accounts for roughly half of all bananas consumed by people.

According to reports, this banana decay starts in the roots of the tree and spreads to the rest of the plant, depriving it of nutrients and water until it ultimately perishes.

"Nobody is even close to solving the problem," said Dan Koeppel, author of "Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World," to Business Insider.

Tropical race 4, commonly known as TR4, was first identified in Taiwan in 1989 and has since expanded to Australia, the Middle East, Africa, and the world's two major banana-producing countries, India and China.

Despite the fact that there are more than 1,000 varieties of the crescent-shaped fruit, the Cavendish strain makes up 47% of all bananas consumed by humans.

Given that the species was developed for, among other qualities, its resilience to disease, its possible extinction is quite ironic.

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Due to its resistance to tropical race 1, which wiped out the Gros Michel variety of the fruit in the early 20th century, the Cavendish variety flourished and finally became the most widely exported strain.

Fortunately, experts think they can save Cavendish from Gros Michel's fate before it's too late.

The impact won't be significant for at least ten years, according to Dale. "I would say with certainty that there will be a solution before the export market for Cavendish is severely affected."

TR4-resistant genetically modified varieties, fruit grafting, which involves moving plant tissues between plants to give them new traits like disease resistance, and other approaches are potential remedies.

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In the meanwhile, some researchers in Taiwan are testing the effects of vaccinating Cavendish seedlings with TR4 to develop resistance.

Koeppel disagreed, claiming that they are only short-term solutions and not long-term resolutions because the aforementioned steps wouldn't protect bananas against a new disease strain, as was the case with the Cavendish.

Because genetic variety makes the fruit less susceptible to disease, Koeppel said that the solution would include mass production and distribution of several banana types.

The scientist predicted that the end of monoculture would be the solution. "The answer is variety."

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