Bye Bye Bananas — the Return of Panama Disease

Ant sends in a disturbing report in The Scientist on an imminent threat to worldwide banana production. "The banana we eat today is not the one your grandparents ate. That one — known as the Gros Michel — was, by all accounts, bigger, tastier, and hardier than the variety we know and love, which is called the Cavendish. The unavailability of the Gros Michel is easily explained: it is virtually extinct. Introduced to our hemisphere in the late 19th century, the Gros Michel was almost immediately hit by a blight that wiped it out by 1960. The Cavendish was adopted at the last minute by the big banana companies — Chiquita and Dole — because it was resistant to that blight, a fungus known as Panama disease... [Now] Panama disease — or Fusarium wilt of banana — is back, and the Cavendish does not appear to be safe from this new strain, which appeared two decades ago in Malaysia, spread slowly at first, but is now moving at a geometrically quicker pace. There is no cure, and nearly every banana scientist says that though Panama disease has yet to hit the banana crops of Latin America, which feed our hemisphere, the question is not if this will happen, but when. Even worse, the malady has the potential to spread to dozens of other banana varieties, including African bananas, the primary source of nutrition for millions..."

What?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a bit dismayed over the reactions of some posters. Without sounding too much like a liberal douche, it's easy for us to laugh at a lack of bananas but what of farmers who depends on a healthy crop? Not to mention people going hungry.

Re:Seriously people?

[forgotten_my_nick]

Your correct. But the US Media is running out of things to scare the people about.

The article is less to do on bananas going extinct then rather trying to sell GM crops to the public.

RTFA... There's actually more to it!

[stormguard2099]

I know it's against the rules but if you RTFA the interesting part isn't about the blight spreading through the bananas. As others have posted this is not something that sprang up over night, it's been coming for quite a while now.

The truly interesting part is that the banana companies in S. America still don't see this as a problem. TFA says that in their anual summaries they don't even mention this disease much less list it as a threat. I think the issue is much more about these companies' failure to act before it's too late than that nature is running its course.

Re:Oh noes!

[aliquis]

Exactly, how does extinction / loss of a food supply / mutating desease which have earlier almost killed a whole industry become small news? I would more likely find it the biggest news this day on Slashdot, time will tell.

I guess he just don't eat bananas.

Re:monoculture is a problem

[Albert Sandberg]

And what do you think will happen when all rich countries will buy bananas from africa? This happens with all kinds of food already, this aint good news for the poor people of africa.

Re:monoculture is a problem

[aproposofwhat]

Most varieties of Banana's are rather small and nasty

Yay!

The Grocers' apostrophe strikes!

Sorry - your post was otherwise insightful, but those bloody Grocer's piss me right off :P

Re:monoculture is a problem

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, monoculture is a HUGE problem.

At the moment I'm working in the bio/ag-tech industry and can see the same thing coming down the road in the wheat/corn/soybeans/milo industry, where big industry players have foolishly limited the gene pool in the name of profit.

The worst part about it is the fact that many of the people driving monoculture are trained scientists who, for some reason, are oblivious to its negative ramifications.

Posting as AC to avoid other, uh, negative ramifications

Re:monoculture is a problem

[vidarh]

Go to your local African food store and ask for Plaintain. Eat it (note that Plaintains are usually cooked first). Now you see why this is not going to be a problem.

Being married to an African woman (Nigerian to be precise), I've had the misfortune of tasting Plaintain, and while I don't mind most of her food (it's usually either too bland and uniformely textured or too spicy for me, but generally edible), with Plaintain I see no redeemable qualities.

It's a very acquired taste, as a lot of African staple food, and it's certainly no replacement for the types of Banana exported to the west.

Your last chance!

[StarfishOne]

This is your last chance to start Gorillas.bas and play it like we used to!

(For the younger people among us:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorillas_(computer_game) [wikipedia.org] )

Re:Oh noes!

[Lumpy]

Why? because this news is OVER 3 months old. I heard it on NPR "science friday" back in Late April early May! it has been covered heavily in all the earth science and microbiological journals for nearly 3 months now and yes those have covered how it's spreading even faster.

It's like Slashdot waiting until the end of the month to announce, "Mars polar lander made it to the ground and is sending pictures!"

So yes, it's a slow news day as it's a rehash of old news that has had wide coverage.

Next up, The MIR space station is going to be decommissioned, and spacelab will fall from the sky.

Re:monoculture is a problem

[John Betonschaar]

On the other hand, assuming they can find a variety of Banana which is easy to cultivate, resistant to this disease, AND tasty, then it'll be a huge boon to their economy. It could do more good for Africa than all the foreign aid of the last three decades combined.

Or, of course, the 3 or 4 big banana companies of the earth (which are all 'western'), will jump into the void and start exploiting African banana farmers, let them work in dangerous conditions, using chemicals, and not nearly paying them enough to make a proper living. So more or less re-create the current status quo in latin-american banana farming but now in africa...

Re:Finally we may get some variety ...

[value_added]

And most of them would taste a lot better than the crap that's so widely available elsewhere!

I've done the same and I'll wholeheartedly agree. The only saving grace, at least for me, is that one can typically find plantain available in most supermarkets. Let them ripen (until black) in a paper bag, fry them, and add to a plate of black beans and rice with some Cuban-style coffee on the side, and Bob's (or maybe Fidel) yer uncle.

As a side note, I do think the tendency for westerners to buy bananas out of habit is a disease. People have written essays and even books on why fruits and vetegables should be bought local, and then, only when in season. The idea of eating summer fruits when there's snow on the ground might be novel, but hardly appropriate, or interesting. Conversely, seeing a California supermarket in the middle of summer selling bananas (and their customers lining up to buy them) when just about every type of fruit is ripe for the picking is, well, no less than absurd.

Me, I typically shop at farmer's markets, but that doesn't preclude me from noticing that the increasing reliance by the general public on cheap third-world produce (Walmart for the dinner table!) can and does have unfortunate side effects.

Bananas the World's 4th Largest Staple Crop

[Starky]

While this might not seem so serious to consumers in the U.S., in fact the banana family (including plantains) is the 4th largest food staple crop in the world (or at least it was several years ago when I was researching the banana industry for a litigation matter) behind wheat, rice, and corn.

Food for thought.

Holding off judgement

[ArhcAngel]

I'm holding off judgment until I hear what Sharon Stone has to say about this!

Re:Finally we may get some variety ...

[Beyond_GoodandEvil]

As a side note, I do think the tendency for westerners to buy bananas out of habit is a disease. People have written essays and even books on why fruits and vetegables should be bought local, and then, only when in season.
Strange that, I do think the tendency for westerners to tell people how to live is a far more virulent disease.

Re:monoculture is a problem

[Arccot]

And here is why I *never* *ever* buy Chiquita (new name for United Fruit Company) products: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Fruit_Company [wikipedia.org]

I can't understand this sort of thinking. Sure, if the company did this within the last 10 or maybe even 20 years, I would understand a boycott. But it happened almost 80 years ago. It's not the same company now. I would be surprised if more than a couple of people working for the company at the time were even still alive.

It's like boycotting Japanese products because of Pearl Harbor.

Re:Finally we may get some variety ...

[bgat]

The idea of eating summer fruits when there's snow on the ground might be novel, but hardly appropriate, or interesting.

I'll grant you the "novel" and "interesting" parts, but not "appropriate". I don't see the point in limiting variety in my diet, particularly in the midwestern USA in the wintertime--- when the only locally-grown produce is snow!

I hate a produce monoculture as much as the next guy, and I've even owned shares in a few local farmer's co-ops (and yes, their food does taste better when in season). But I'll take that along with my summer-fruits-in-wintertime disease anytime!

Re:monoculture is a problem

[LWATCDR]

Yea if you are boycotting Chiquita you dang well better be boycott Bayer, BASF, Mitsubishi, and Volkswagen to name just a few.

Re:Finally we may get some variety ...

[flyingfsck]

Uhh, tropical fruit have no 'seasons'. Also, what is wrong about importing fruit from the southern hemisphere? Given that most of the southern hemisphere is water and most people live on the northern land mass, supplying food out of season to the north is a major and lucrative source of income to the southern countries.

Re:Finally we may get some variety ...

[Moridineas]

As a side note, I do think the tendency for westerners to buy bananas out of habit is a disease.

Why is it a disease? I like bananas. Why should I not eat bananas? I understand that you want everyone to live according to your standards and morality, but really, why should I not eat bananas?

People have written essays and even books on why fruits and vetegables should be bought local, and then, only when in season. The idea of eating summer fruits when there's snow on the ground might be novel, but hardly appropriate, or interesting.

This is absolutely bonkers. My wife's family lives in Wisconsin. You want them to survive on local produce over the winter? You want them to hoard dry goods so they can eat 6 months out of the year? Not to mention the exciting selection of nutritional deficits that most of the world suffered from before cheap year round fresh food selections. Really, this type of judgmental viewpoint bothers me so much. I really see your "EAT THIS WAY OR YOU HAVE A DISEASE!" moralism as no different from right wingers who think homosexuality is a disease.

Conversely, seeing a California supermarket in the middle of summer selling bananas (and their customers lining up to buy them) when just about every type of fruit is ripe for the picking is, well, no less than absurd.

Are you just making this up as you go along? Watching people "line up" for bananas in a supermarket? Food scarcity hasn't exactly been a problem in America in a number of years, I would be very interested in where you've seen people "line up" to get bananas, while bypassing all other fruits.

Me, I typically shop at farmer's markets,

Good for you! We should all be more like you, thanks for holding yourself out there as an example of the Right Way to live!

Re:monoculture is a problem

[MobyDisk]

And hundreds of years ago the American Indians were forced off their land by evil British colonists. Boycott Americans until they return the land to the natives! This same heinous act was done by the Dutch, French, and Spanish too. Boycott Danish goods because they were made by the descendents of African slaves!

Only Klingons blame descendants for 7 generations.

Re:Oh noes!

[thue]

But the Africans do not use cloned copies of a single tree, which is what the Cavendish bananas are. So presumably only a part of the banana palms in Africa will be affected.

Re:monoculture is a problem

[Falkkin]

It's not that scientists are oblivious to negative ramifications -- it's economics, specifically tragedy of the commons.

If everyone else is cloning Tasty Profitable Banana, and you don't, you go out of business because either your bananas aren't Tasty or your bananas aren't Profitable. Therefore there's a penalty for maintaining variation, and the only potential benefit -- not having your whole crop wiped out by a blight -- isn't something you can bet on. Most likely, economic forces will drive you out of business long before your more varied gene pool can have any beneficial effect.

There's a benefit to society (and the entire banana-growing industry) if there is a diverse gene pool, but no individual business has an incentive to maintain such a gene pool.

Re:monoculture is a problem

[Anonymous Coward]

I see no problems in monoculture

The fungi, molds, viruses, bacteria, and insects of the world thank you for your support.

Re:monoculture is a problem

[BlackCreek]

Get a sense of perspective will you? It is not as if Chiquita stopped doing dirty operations a long time ago: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doe_v._Chiquita_Brands_International [wikipedia.org]

Re:monoculture is a problem

[Yath]

In other words, raise their standard of living, but not enough to suit you.

Re:Finally we may get some variety ...

[Yath]

People have written essays and even books on how they were given rides by little gray aliens.

Who are you to decide what's "appropriate"? Wow, people buying fruits they enjoy annoys you? Maybe you should mind your own business. It isn't "interesting"?! WTF? Who modded this tripe up?

Me, I typically shop at farmer's markets, but that doesn't preclude me from noticing that the increasing reliance by the general public on cheap third-world produce (Walmart for the dinner table!) can and does have unfortunate side effects.

You mean like creating additional markets for those third-world growers to sell their goods in? God forbid they should try to increase their standards of living!

Re:monoculture is a problem

[nuzak]

If a Japanese company built their business on the fact that they manufactured the bombs that destroyed Pearl Harbor, you might boycott them even though it happened 67 years ago.

I take it Mitsubishi is off your list then?

Re:Oh noes!

[hey!]

This is correct. There are hundreds, if not thousands of varieties of bananas. The reason we don't see them is that many of them aren't as good as the Cavendish; and none of the many varieties that are better store and ship well. So consumers in India and Central America will continue to have access to superior, locally grown varieties.

However -- this doesn't mean that we should blithely accept the extinction of an important food crop. This is a warning. What if it were rice? Or sweet corn?

The properties that make bananas vulnerable are shared by many other, more important food crops. Mainly these amount to one thing: the crop in question is economically attractive to plant on a large scale and ship around the world.

It's important that we look at this as both a lesson, and an opportunity to try out different strategies to respond. The global food supply is already under pressure from energy prices and population growth. It should be manageable over the coming decades, but we shouldn't trust our luck too much.

This also bears watching because bananas are an extremely important food source in areas where they grow. Even though this is not a variety that is used as a basic staple by anybody, the biology of banana diseases is very important.