Wait, Are Bananas Going Extinct?
Bananas are one of the best trail snacks around, but for how long? The common Cavendish banana is at risk of going extinct due to a viral fungal infection called Panama Disease Tropical Race 4 (TR4). You heard that right, a specific kind of banana could face extinction, as scientists are nowhere close to solving the problem, according to author Dan Kroeppel.
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Humans ingest over 100 billion bananas a year, a large majority of which are Cavendish bananas. That could change as TR4 attacks these banana plants, according to Business Insider. TR4 was first discovered in Taiwan and has spread to many of the world’s largest banana-growing countries such as Australia, India, and China.
TR4 first attacks the roots of the banana tree and spreads throughout the rest of the plant, affecting the tree’s ability to absorb water and preventing it from photosynthesizing. Scientist Dan Bebber told the New York Post, “once it’s in a country it’s very hard to get rid of it.”
Scientists have been watching the threat of disease and the impact it will have on the world’s banana supply for years now. According to a 2020 article from Time, 99% of exported bananas are Cavendish bananas.
Next time you grab a banana before heading out on an outdoor adventure, feel grateful for that self-contained piece of healthy food, because it may not be around forever.
