This is a rather depressing report on the spread of a blight that threatens bananas, worldwide! This may not seem particularly important to some people, but in many tropical areas bananas are a starchy staple and important part of their diets on a par with potatoes for those of us in the northern temperate zone. The root of the problem is that bananas, at least the widely planted varieties, are based on a limited genetic base. As the report points out, this will make it easy for this plant disease to spread. Everyone knows that basing a crop on a limited genetic base is dangerous, but it seems it takes a disaster or near disaster to get a breeding program going. HT to AoB blog. ![]()
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