The banana you know and love — specifically, the Cavendish cultivar — faces a deadly threat. Fungal diseases are spreading across the globe, jeopardizing the future of this staple fruit. This isn’t the first time bananas have been at risk, but the current crisis could result in a repeat of history, where an entire banana variety is wiped out.
This isn’t a new problem. For decades, the global banana industry has been under siege. Two destructive diseases — Tropical Race 4 (TR4) and black sigatoka — have ravaged banana plantations, costing farmers hundreds of millions of dollars and threatening the availability of the world’s most popular fruit. But now, researchers have developed a new banana plant that could revolutionize banana farming and secure the fruit’s future.
The Yelloway
The new hybrid is called Yelloway One, and Gert Kema, a professor at Wageningen University, views it as a major breakthrough in banana cultivation. Working with companies like Chiquita and KeyGene, Kema has created a hybrid banana variety that is resistant to both TR4 and black sigatoka.
The process behind Yelloway One combines traditional crossbreeding methods with cutting-edge DNA analysis technology. By utilizing modern genetic tools with well-established hybridization practices, the researchers were able to select plants with traits like disease resistance quicker and more efficiently than ever before. The result is a plant that holds the promise of standing strong against the bananas’ menacing enemies.
“We’ve known for some time that conventional breeding can help us develop plants resistant to these diseases. Now we’ve proven it, and more importantly, we’ve demonstrated that by using the latest genetic tools, we can do it much faster than others. This is of great importance for the future of banana farming.”
History Repeating
Ironically enough, the reason why Cavendish is the dominant banana cultivar (accounting for around 99% of all banana exports) is that it withstood previous fungal diseases.
Before Cavendish, the global banana market was dominated by another variety: the Gros Michel, or “Big Mike.” Known for its rich flavor and sturdier peel, the Gros Michel was the world’s most popular banana up until the mid-20th century.
In the early 1900s, Panama disease — caused by a different strain of Fusarium known as Tropical Race 1 — began spreading across banana plantations in Central America. The Gros Michel banana, much like today’s Cavendish, was a monoculture crop, grown in massive plantations with little genetic diversity. Once the fungus infected the soil, it was impossible to contain. By the 1950s, the disease had ravaged banana farms across the globe, and the Gros Michel was largely wiped out from commercial production.
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The Cavendish fared well against Tropical Race 1, but pathogens don’t stand still, and they’ve found ways to affect Cavendish as well.
Banana production has been increasingly steadily, but threats loom closeby.
The Bananocalypse is nigh
TR4, a strain of the Fusarium fungus, infects the soil and can remain there for decades. It attacks the plant’s vascular system, causing the leaves to wilt and eventually killing the entire plant. No chemical treatment can eliminate the fungus from infected soil, making it a particularly tenacious threat.
Meanwhile, black sigatoka, caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis, is a leaf disease that spreads quickly in humid tropical environments. It causes dark streaks on banana leaves, reducing their ability to photosynthesize and dramatically lowering fruit yields. For decades, farmers have relied on frequent fungicide applications to combat the disease. But black sigatoka has evolved resistance to many of these treatments, adding to the strain on growers.
The combined impact of these diseases has been devastating, particularly for smallholder farmers in banana-producing regions such as Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. That’s why the development of disease-resistant banana varieties like Yelloway One are essential. Without them, we could go through a banana apocalypse without any cultivar capable of withstanding these pathogens.
A Collaborative Breakthrough
For millions of people whose food security depends on bananas, as well as the farmers whose livelihoods depend on bananas, this is a potential lifeline. Encouragingly, the researchers want to make this strain available to the world, not just to a select few companies.
“The fact that banana producer Chiquita is one of the partners doesn’t mean that other banana growers won’t have access to these new varieties,” says Kema. “We are collaborating with several organizations to ensure that this technology is available to other programs as well. Moreover, we are using the technology to develop or improve varieties for local markets.”
Yelloway One is still in its early stages of development, but its potential is already making farmers pretty excited. Currently, the plants are being grown in a greenhouse in the Netherlands, where they are being closely monitored. Field trials are set to begin soon in the Philippines and Indonesia, regions that have been hit hard by both TR4 and black sigatoka. These trials will be crucial in determining how well Yelloway One can perform in real-world conditions.
Also, this is more than just one hybrid type of banana.
The creation of this hybrid variety is part of a larger initiative, called Yelloway, aimed at developing a diverse range of banana varieties that are not only disease-resistant but also more resilient to changing environmental conditions. By introducing greater genetic diversity into banana cultivation, farmers will have more options for responding to both disease outbreaks and the unpredictable impacts of climate change.
Genetic Diversity is Critical
This type of approach could also be significant for other plants of economic interest.
Bananas are not unique in their reliance on monocultures, though they are perhaps one of the most vulnerable. In agriculture, monoculture refers to the cultivation of a single crop species across large areas. While this practice has certain advantages, such as easier management and consistent yields, it makes crops particularly susceptible to diseases. Without genetic diversity, once a pathogen finds a way to infect the plant, there are no natural defenses to stop it from spreading like wildfire.
This leaves farmers (especially small-scale farmers) extremely vulnerable, putting their entire livelihoods at risk.
“This development means a great deal to millions of smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America,” says Kema. “By introducing resistant and genetically diverse varieties, we can contribute to a more sustainable banana industry and reduce the impact of diseases.”
Kema says this is only the beginning. We should expect more resistant and innovative banana varieties to follow in the coming years. For years, the specter of TR4 and black sigatoka has loomed over the industry — now, we finally have a concrete response to them. Of course, there’s still a long way to go, but there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic. For now, all eyes are on the upcoming field trials in the Philippines and Indonesia, where the true potential of Yelloway One will be put to the test.