Health & Medicine
Bananas May Be Going Extinct
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Dec 01, 2015 02:03 PM EST
Could bananas be going extinct?
Researchers found that Panama disease, which is caused by the fungus Fusarium, may cause the fruit to go extinct.
This botanical berry is produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa. As the vast majority of bananas are clones of the same banana breed, according to Men's Fitness, this increases the risk that the entire fruit will die out.
At this time, researchers say there is no way to eradicate the fungus or even slow the deadly strain of it, known as Tropical Race 4, according to Yahoo Food.
This isn't exactly news that this fungus is a problem. In fact, since the 1960s, the strain was largely contained to East Asia and Southeast Asia, according to Quartz.com. However, just in the last few years, it's started to reach other locations, including Latin America, where the majority of banana crops are located.
Right now, researchers are working to fight the disease through strict quarantine so they can effectively stop the spread of the fungus, according to PhysOrg.
The new research is published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
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First Posted: Dec 01, 2015 02:03 PM EST
Could bananas be going extinct?
Researchers found that Panama disease, which is caused by the fungus Fusarium, may cause the fruit to go extinct.
This botanical berry is produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa. As the vast majority of bananas are clones of the same banana breed, according to Men's Fitness, this increases the risk that the entire fruit will die out.
At this time, researchers say there is no way to eradicate the fungus or even slow the deadly strain of it, known as Tropical Race 4, according to Yahoo Food.
This isn't exactly news that this fungus is a problem. In fact, since the 1960s, the strain was largely contained to East Asia and Southeast Asia, according to Quartz.com. However, just in the last few years, it's started to reach other locations, including Latin America, where the majority of banana crops are located.
Right now, researchers are working to fight the disease through strict quarantine so they can effectively stop the spread of the fungus, according to PhysOrg.
The new research is published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
Related Articles
New Treatment To Extend Shelf Life For Bananas
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone