Is the banana disappearing from the face of the earth?

Scientists are struggling to grow a genetically modified type of banana that will be resistant to a disease that threatens to wipe out the yellow fruit from the face of the earth.

The fungus that causes "Panama disease" attacks plantations in Australia, Southeast Asia and parts of Africa and the Middle East. A new type of banana would have to be found before the disease spreads to Latin America, where most bananas are exported in a world market worth about $30 billion a year.

The current species is called cavendish and it accounts for 99.9 percent of the global banana trade. It replaced a tastier variant that was removed by disease in the fifties of the last century, writes the British "Guardian".

"If you look at wider consumption in addition to exports, the banana industry is worth $30 billion a year. However, people are increasingly concerned because the plant is most often cloned, which means that if a disease can kill one tree, it can potentially kill an entire industry," says Gilad Gernshö, CEO of Tropic Biosciences, which is trying to solve the problem with genetic modifications. .

The company reports that preliminary research results are promising and that testing will begin in Central America, the Philippines and Turkey over the next year.

"It's not just about disease resistance, but also about easing the burden on the environment. The new species should use less fungicide and have higher yields," Gernshaw says. "Tests have shown that the plants can cope well with real-world conditions and provide added value to growers."