Love bananas? This popular variety may soon become extinct, scientists say

A dangerous new fungus is threatening to drive the world's most popular banana variety to extinction. This aggressive pathogen is targeting Cavendish banana crops, causing widespread devastation. If the disease continues to spread unchecked, experts fear it could lead to its extinction.

The Cavendish banana is the most commonly consumed variety in the world, making up about 47% of the bananas people eat, according to Business Insider.

While there are over 1,000 varieties of bananas, the Cavendish dominates the global market due to its resistance to some major banana-killing diseases, its long shelf life, and the fact that it yields more fruit per area of land than other varieties.

However, it's now facing a serious threat from a dangerous fungus known as Panama Disease (Fusarium wilt) tropical race 4, which infects the plant.

Credit: Wikipedia | Fusarium wilt

What threatens Cavendish bananas?

The Cavendish banana is currently under threat from a devastating fungus called Panama Disease (Fusarium wilt) tropical race 4 (TR4).

This infection begins in the roots of the banana tree, gradually spreading and preventing the plant from absorbing water or performing photosynthesis, eventually killing the tree.

What's going on with my banana, looks like insect damage but I see no insects. East TN Cavendish banana. pic.twitter.com/BqQPjR7rv9

¡ª paraone (@paraone) June 28, 2024

TR4, which likely originated in Indonesia and Malaysia, was first identified in Taiwan in 1989 and has since spread to countries like Australia, the Philippines, China, India, and Vietnam. In 2019, it reached Colombia, and by 2021, it was detected in Peru¡ªboth major banana-exporting regions.

If the Cavendish were to go extinct, it would be the second major banana extinction since the 1950s when the Gros Michel variety was nearly wiped out by a different disease.

However, scientists have been working for decades to find a solution to prevent the extinction of the Cavendish banana so there's still hope.

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