Do you like bananas? If the answer is yes, this will be some sad news.
More than 100 billion bananas are eaten each year worldwide. That’s a lot of bananas. But the Cavendish banana is looking at a fungal take down. Panama disease TR4 , also called banana wilt, is a devastating disease of bananas caused by the soil-inhabiting fungus species. This disease started in Southeast Asia. It’s spreading to Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, Mozambique, and Australia’s northeast Queensland. If it reaches South American, bananas are sure become extinct. Treatments for the disease are not working. A new banana in Madagascar has been discovered that is immune to panama disease but is inedible. Scientists are hoping to combine the Cavendish and this new Madagascar banana.

Cavendish isn’t the first banana to get sick. 50 years ago the everyday banana was the Gros Michel aka the Big Mike. It is sweeter and softer than the Cavendish. When the first Panama Disease arrived, it quickly wiped out the Gros Michel. Cavendish was immune to the first strand of Panama Disease. So Cavendish took over the markets. Hopefully this time around we’ll be able to cure the bananas.

” I really like bananas, and I want them to stay.” – Adelyn Jones

Most people still don’t know about this banana pandemic. Hopefully this story will help bring banana awareness.