Bananas are the world's most exported fruit and the fourth most important food crop. India is the world's premier banana grower, producing over 20 percent of the world's banana output. Bananas remain an essential food of over 400 million people worldwide and are eaten raw, baked, fried, and boiled. Bananas are also used in traditional medicine. However, overexploitation and the destruction of forests due to slash-and-burn cultivation and urbanization in India are rapidly causing an extinction of wild banana species.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) officials warn that it may take a worldwide effort to save the wild banana's gene pool. "The Indian subcontinent has made an enormous contribution to the global genetic base of bananas," says NeBambi Lutaladio, FAO Agricultural Officer. "But due to ecosystem destruction, it is probable that many valuable gene sources have now been lost. That could cause serious problems because bananas, particularly commercial varieties, have a narrow genetic pool and are highly vulnerable to pests and diseases."
Most commercial bananas are of the Cavendish variety, which is resistant to the Panama disease that destroyed bananas in the 1950s. However the Cavendish banana is now being threatened by the black Sigatoka fungus. New banana hybrids resistant to the fungus must be developed, however this is a time-consuming task because seedless bananas must be bred from cuttings. Only one clone of a banana variety which has genetic resistance to the Sigatoka fungus remains at the Indian Botanic Gardens in Calcutta.
The FAO has called for an exploration of the wild bananas' remaining forest habitat, conservation efforts and research. Fortunately, small-scale farmers worldwide grow several different varieties of bananas that are not threatened by the Sigatoka fungus.
REFERENCES:
1. Concern at vanishing bananas. FAO.org, FAONewsroom press release, May 3, 2006:
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000285/index.html
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on October 27, 2006 01:56 PM
