No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaCosta Rica bananas and the fungus that threatens Global Harvests

Costa Rica bananas and the fungus that threatens Global Harvests

The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) last week declared a national emergency after detecting a fungus that experts say threatens global banana harvests. Panama disease Tropical Race 4, or TR4, is a strain of Fusarium wilt that causes death of banana plants. ICA says the fungus “forms resistance structures that allow it to survive for more than 30 years,” making containment difficult.

Fernando García-Bastidas, a Colombian phytopathologist, told National Geographic that eradication of TR4 “is almost impossible.” TR4, which had previously been kept out of Latin America, could have serious ramifications for countries that rely on banana production and exports. This includes Costa Rica, where 1% of the national territory is cultivated with bananas and exports are valued at $1 billion annually.

Banana production is directly responsible for 40,000 jobs in Costa Rica, according to the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry (MAG).

Here’s what you need to know about TR4.

What is TR4?

Panama disease Tropical Race 4 is a strain of Fusarium wilt. TR4 enters the plant’s roots and spreads, invading vascular tissue. The first symptom is irregular yellowing of older leaves, which later turn brown and dry out.

The disease poses no health threat to humans, and ICA says it is not dangerous to eat bananas or plantains from affected plantations. 

Source: New strain of banana fungus threatens world harvests

How can TR4 threaten a global supply of bananas?

To make money on exports, banana growers rely on a single variety to ensure uniformity and keep production costs low. Until the 1960s, that was the Gros Michel, which all but disappeared after a decades-long spread of what came to be known as Panama disease.

When Gros Michel was killed off, the Cavendish banana proved immune to the fungus strain.

Today, most of the world’s exported bananas are Cavendish, which are susceptible to TR4. And most of those bananas are clones, meaning a disease affecting one plant affects them all.

Source: New strain of banana fungus threatens world harvests

Why not switch to a new type of banana?

There simply isn’t a viable replacement. According to National Geographic:

Unlike in the earlier Panama disease epidemic, this time, there’s no ready replacement banana to bail out the industry. Although thousands of banana varieties grow around the world, only a few have the precise characteristics necessary to withstand the rigors of large-scale commercial cultivation, long-distance transport, and international marketing. A banana with those characteristics, a taste and appearance similar to the beloved Cavendish, and resistance to TR4 does not exist.

Trending Now

Chiquita Executives Convicted in Colombia for Financing Death Squads

Colombian justice on Wednesday sentenced seven former executives of the multinational banana company Chiquita Brands to more than 11 years in prison and a...

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly Vacation in Costa Rica with Baby

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly touched down in Costa Rica for a family getaway with their three-month-old daughter, Saga Blade Fox-Baker. Photographers caught...

Starbucks Expands in Guanacaste with New Store Opening in Tamarindo

Starbucks continues to strengthen its presence in Costa Rica with the opening of its second store in the province of Guanacaste, specifically in Tamarindo....

Costa Rica Food Culture: From Bar Bocas to Fast Food Chains

Once upon a time in Costa Rica, you could walk into a bar, order a beer, and receive a free boca – a small...

Venezuela Accuses El Salvador of Torturing Deported Migrants From U.S.

Sexual abuse, daily beatings, rotten food: The government of Nicolás Maduro on Monday denounced “torture” against Venezuelan migrants sent by the United States to...

Costa Rican Lottery Official Investigated in Money Laundering Case

Another money laundering case has shaken Costa Rica. Following a series of raids that dismantled a laundering network operating through legal and illegal lottery...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica