Fungus likely to take a hit on banana crops worldwide

If a banana is part of your daily breakfast fare, you may want to brace yourself for this news: A fungus is making its way across the globe, destroying banana crops and threatening to deplete the world's supply of the popular fruit.

The TR4 fungus, also called Fusarium wilt or Panama disease, has spread from Asia to Africa to the Middle East, and is now thought to have entered Latin America, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

The fungus affects the Cavendish banana, the primary variety grown for global trade, as well as some other types grown for consumption, according to the FAO.

The TR4 fungus is a mutation of a pre-existing fungus that that has broken out in the past, explains Dr. Michael Aide, professor and chairman of the Department of Agriculture at Southeast Missouri State University.

"They were able to breed bananas to have a resistance to it, but the fungus has mutated, and all those varieties are now susceptible," says Aide. "What makes it bad is that 95 percent of the bananas in international commerce come from that variety, and therefore it is spreading around the globe."

Aide says the TR4 fungus has a "cousin" that attacks soybean plants, but he doesn't expect it to be a problem for stable soybean crops in the United States because so few bananas are grown in the U.S.

However, as the U.S. gets most of its bananas from Latin America, consumers are likely to see the effects at their grocery stores.

"It's expected to devastate banana plantations all through South America. It would take two, three or four years for it to get all across Latin America, and it could make bananas a very expensive, exotic, holiday treat instead of an everyday shelf item," Aide says.

So far, the disease hasn't had an impact locally. Dennis Marchi, manager of Schnucks in Cape Girardeau, says banana prices at the store have not been affected, and the store has not had trouble obtaining bananas.

In the meantime, Aide says scientists are trying to breed a new variety of bananas that are not susceptible to the TR4 fungus. Once the fungus has moved into a crop, it cannot be controlled, and the fungus can live in the soil for years, says Aide.

The FAO has held international meetings and issued recommendations to raise awareness about the disease's warning signs and prevention, including quarantines and stopping the spread of infected soil via planting materials and vehicles.

"We live in a global market where most of our food comes from abroad," says Aide. "The U.S. is the largest importer and exporter of food, so this is all part of being in a global market."