In Australia the battle against an ailment that can destroy bananas is undergoing a major change. The disease, also known as Panama disease that is which is caused by a deadly fungal pathogen that has caused an extremely serious threat to the global production of bananas, affecting particularly the Cavendish kind that is the most popular. This pathogen, which is capable to survive in a range of environments, targets the banana plant through its roots which are aided by the wounds caused by insects.

The discovery was made by James Dale’s group which has created an original genetically-modified (GM) banana to be approved for commercial expansion. The development came in an attempt to mitigate the damage that was caused by Panama disease, which before destroyed all Gros Michel banana variety. Dale’s group focused on the introduction of an fungus-resistant genetic material, RGA2 in the Cavendish bananas. The result was the development of the QCAV-4 fruit. Despite the challenges of conducting field tests due to limitations on introducing the Panama fungus to Queensland The QCAV-4 fruit was able to successfully pass test of taste and has been approved by the regulatory authorities to be released commercially.

Furthermore, Dale’s work goes beyond resistance to disease. He’s developed biofortified fruit that have a higher percentage of provitamin A in order to combat nutritional deficiencies in nations such as Uganda. They are distinguishable in their golden hue, could help save the lives of a lot of kids suffering with vitamin A deficiencies each year.

In the midst of the first time a GM banana hits the market, there are still questions regarding the acceptance by people of GM fruit regardless of its potential to tackle worldwide challenges in agriculture.

Information Source: The Head Topics