Abnshrek

ScienceShot: Will the Genome Save the Banana? | Science/AAAS | News

The banana (Musa acuminata) genome and the evolution of monocotyledonous plants : Nature : Nature Publishing Group

I guess it can't taste any worse than a Cavendish, if they come up w/ something.. :^)

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

bananarama2

Well, isn't this just a red-hot topic? Other than the highly specific and headache inducing terminology, I believe the major focus of these two articles concerns bananas grown as food crops primarily, and to a lesser extent more ornamental varieties. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of hybridization in the more ornamental type of bananas (such as those popular on this site). The food focused varieties have been selected over the years to produce larger fruit of a sweeter flavor, and generally having fewer, smaller or even no viable seeds. The reproductive production of seed is the main way plants transmit valuable traits such as resistence to disease. I believe that is the main concern here, since, as stated in the articles, most commercially grown bananas are Cavendish related, and are grown vegetatively, not from seed. Vegetative clones end up sharing identical traits....good or bad....including susceptability to fungal diseases. Monoculture is never a good thing in terms of environmental survival and health, and the banana industry has utilized a monoculture model for decades. For those interested in bananas as ornamentals, I doubt there is much need for concern. For those that have to have sliced bananas on their corn flakes, might be a more serious concern over time. Nature has taken thousands of years to produce the world we enjoy, humans have managed to dismantle much of that in just over 200 years. I direct your attention to my "signature". Hope your winter is kind....take care!

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