Scientists see hope in race to save the banana

Bananas are a billion-dollar industry that is at risk from disease. (Image: 123rf)

Fri, 11 Oct 2024

By H. Claire BrownTwo diseases threaten to wipe out the banana as we know it, and scientists are racing to breed a fruit of the future. It’s starting to look like they might succeed by the end of the decade — and, in their best-case scenario, consumers won’t even notice.Chiquita Brands International in September said it bred a new banana called the Yelloway 1 that is resistant to one of the major diseases and shows promise in resisting the second. Meanwhile in Australia, researchers have developed a disease-resistant genetical...

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