"Bananageddon!"

For once, genetically modifying foods could be argued to be a good thing. Bananas, much like navel oranges, are infertile hybrids cultivated by humans.

In 2007, Ugandan field trials of the first Leuven uber-banana were announced, although public distaste of the idea of GM foods may impede its long term success. And in Honduras, researchers have developed a banana cultivar named ‘Goldfinger’ through traditional selective breeding methods. Although it has enjoyed some public acceptance in Australia, it suffers from the drawbacks of a distinctly different, non-Cavendish flavour, and a longer maturation time. If nothing else, these advances offer hope that science will one day overcome the unfortunate sexual inadequacies of the banana

They still have a long ways to go before they get the prefect, edible banana that is fertile. So, in this case, which is probably rare in the instance that a GM food is a good idea.

Stuck with the clunky, inefficient cloning of asexual reproduction, the sterile banana is at a serious disadvantage in the never-ending biological arms race between plant and pest. Indeed, it is a well-established fact that bananas are particularly prone to crop-consuming insects and diseases. A severe outbreak of banana disease could easily spread through the genetically uniform plantations, devastating economies and depriving our fruitbowls. Varieties grown for local consumption would also suffer, potentially causing mass starvation in tropical regions.

Think of the potato famine. Can we avoid Bananageddon?!

reply to post by AMANNAMEDQUEST


The Unfortunate Sex Life of the Banana

reply to post by chr0naut


I don't find your off topic post apeeling. Teasing, if I am reading it right, since bananas depend on humans so much and they're not easy to cultivate, if disease or insects wiped the crops out. A lot of the tropics would starve right?

reply to post by AMANNAMEDQUEST

I think I've just had an epiphany!
If we could just cross breed bananas with some nut tree,
then the bananas would have nuts on them too!
Reproduction issues solved!

I'm all for natural selective breeding of fruits and vegetables.

GM is never a good idea. Ever.

Ever.

reply to post by AMANNAMEDQUEST


Dear AMANNAMEDQUEST,

I found that fascinating. I read a link to the sex life of bananas and actually learned something. Thank you.

Originally posted by AMANNAMEDQUEST
reply to post by chr0naut

 

I don't find your off topic post apeeling.

Teasing, if I am reading it right, since bananas depend on humans so much and they're not easy to cultivate, if disease or insects wiped the crops out. A lot of the tropics would starve right?

Sorry if you didn't get the comedy (probably my not presenting it well).

Although I am originally from Australia and was aware of how much Australia's "Gold Coast" economy was dependent upon such an artificially sustained crop.

That being said, the banana has in fact seemed to have a strong survivability, perhaps because of the efforts of its human "carers" who are pursuing further hybridisation of the banana.

Even the male human chromosome is showing some fragility due to accumulating errors, leaving, at some estimates, only 50 thousand years for the human species as we know it. Yet I'm sure that nature is in the process of "providing" for the chromosomal loss by the increase of successful "intersex" human mutations.