Scientists May Have a Way to Stop Banana Apocalypse

Bananas may not be facing a global crisis after all. Researchers in Australia have identified a crucial stretch of DNA that allows some bananas to resist a major fungal threat, raising hopes that the $140 billion banana industry can avoid a repeat of the near-collapse of the Gros Michel variety in the 1950s.

Scientists at the University of Queensland discovered a resistance region on chromosome 5 in a wild banana called Calcutta 4. This genetic segment helps protect against Sub Tropical Race 4 (STR4), a form of fusarium wilt that attacks Cavendish bananas in subtropical regions, according to Popular Science.

For their study, published in Horticulture Research, researchers spent five years crossbreeding Calcutta 4 with susceptible banana varieties and monitoring which offspring survived exposure to the fungus. While the wild banana’s fruit isn’t suitable for sale, its genes are highly valuable. The team now aims to develop molecular markers that allow breeders to quickly identify seedlings carrying the resistance trait.

“This will speed up selection, reduce costs, and hopefully lead to a banana that is good to eat, easy to farm, and naturally protected from fusarium wilt through its genetics,” said study co-author Andrew Chen.

With more than 400 million people relying on bananas for a significant portion of their daily calories, Fresh Del Monte’s CEO recently emphasized that protecting the crop—and the livelihoods connected to it—is a “shared responsibility,” according to Popular Science.

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