Savor that banana you’re eating…
It could be your last… I found this article dated June 2005 via Google in Popsci. I don’t know however what the relevance of this is now, 7 months later.
I’m not so familiar with the Panama Disease as most bananas now are resistant to that type of fungus. This fungus was so deadly, that it eradicated the common banana found in American households, the Gros Michel variety. Which was replaced by the Cavendish variety which was resistant to the Panama Disease. The fungus climbs up the roots and passages of the plant and produces a gel like substance which gums up the plant and blocks water and nutrients from circulating.
There is a newer strain of Panama Disease however, the Race 4 which is immune to existing fungicides and is ravaging the bananas in South East Asia and might soon spread to the Americas and Africas. This fungus is usually transferred via farm equipments and clothings of visitors. Growers are only hoping that a more potent fungicide can be developed or at most a new resitant strain of Cavendish.
nice entry. what would we do without bananas? bananas are very important to our health. i also made an entry about bananas and what they provide for us healthwise.
Thanks