This news will sadden many:the Cavendish banana, one of the most popular and consumed fruits in the world (it is the most marketed variety), is threatened by two fungi of such virulence that the fruit might not resist. The culprits:black Sigatoka which attacks the leaves and roots of banana trees and, even more dangerous, TR4 (Tropical race 4), fatal for the fruit because bananas cannot genetically resist them.
This is not the first time such a crisis has occurred. In the 1940s, another variety of banana, the Gros Michel (which was the most consumed at the time) had also been the victim of TR4, which had caused its total disappearance. Well, we do not despair, because even if the Cavendish is the most common on our markets, there are still nearly 1,000 varieties of banana. Clearly, the Cavendish banana could well disappear (even if the experts are doing everything to avoid it), but the succession will certainly be ensured by another variety, as has already been the case with the Gros Michel. There is therefore little chance that we will be deprived of bananas for a long time!
