I'm sorry Wuap...

[1337coug]

"Tropical Race Four, a soil-born fungus, has been destroying bananas across the world. It kills the plant and makes bananas smell like garbage. That deadly fungus is expected to hit Central America, which is where we get all our bananas from."

Could this be the end of bananas?

http://gizmodo.com/5724863/a-fungus-...of-our-bananas

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/01/10/110110fa_fact_peed?mbid=social_release

[Indy Coug]

ConDolences

[wuapinmon]

I've been warning about this for years; Ugandans get almost 70% of their calories from bananas. The calamity that will follow the banana failure is an annoyance to us. People in Africa and Asia will die over competition for supremely scarce resources. I'm more concerned with Sigatoka and Panama Disease.

But, never fear, there are other varieties with immunity to the current diseases. However, I'm not sure how quickly the world will adjust to bananas with seeds. And their commercial viability will not help the indigent subsistence people who will starve....crushing population pressure, more and more each day, every time the Gates Foundation inoculates someone with a concurrent investment in agriculture.......

[pellegrino]

I've been warning about this for years; Ugandans get almost 70% of their calories from bananas. The calamity that will follow the banana failure is an annoyance to us. People in Africa and Asia will die over competition for supremely scarce resources. I'm more concerned with Sigatoka and Panama Disease.

But, never fear, there are other varieties with immunity to the current diseases. However, I'm not sure how quickly the world will adjust to bananas with seeds. And their commercial viability will not help the indigent subsistence people who will starve....crushing population pressure, more and more each day, every time the Gates Foundation inoculates someone with a concurrent investment in agriculture.......

Can nothing be done? Is the day of the Cavendish over?

[Donuthole]

Sounds like the problema is both grande y Chiquita.

[wuapinmon]

Can nothing be done? Is the day of the Cavendish over?

It's a delaying action, but it's not in the Americas yet (to my knowledge, and I follow this stuff for my research). Improper husbandry practices by unskilled workers switching employers spread most pathogens around.

[Coach McGuirk]

Is Tropical Race Four also known as FlynHawiian30?

[pellegrino]

It's a delaying action, but it's not in the Americas yet (to my knowledge, and I follow this stuff for my research). Improper husbandry practices by unskilled workers switching employers spread most pathogens around.

sounds like a grant from Bill and Melinda could help with this. Write a proposal.

[Uncle Ted]

It's a delaying action, but it's not in the Americas yet (to my knowledge, and I follow this stuff for my research). Improper husbandry practices by unskilled workers switching employers spread most pathogens around.

This reminds me of an interesting article I read a while back about the unfortunate sex life of the banana

The humble banana almost seems like a miracle of nature. Colourful, nutritious, and much cherished by children, monkeys and clowns, it has a favoured position in the planet’s fruitbowls. The banana is vitally important in many regions of the tropics, where different parts of the plant are used for clothing, paper and tableware, and where the fruit itself is an essential dietary staple. People across the globe appreciate the soft, nourishing flesh, the snack-sized portions, and the easy-peel covering that conveniently changes colour to indicate ripeness. Individual fruit—or fingers—sit comfortably in the human hand, readily detached from their close-packed companions. Indeed, the banana appears almost purpose-designed for efficient human consumption and distribution. It is difficult to conceive of a more fortuitous fruit.

The banana, however, is a freakish and fragile genetic mutant; one that has survived through the centuries due to the sustained application of selective breeding by diligent humans. Indeed, the “miraculous” banana is far from being a no-strings-attached gift from nature. Its cheerful appearance hides a fatal flaw— one that threatens its proud place in the grocery basket. The banana’s problem can be summed up in a single word: sex.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

wuap's new permanent avatar.