• Scientists discover gene that could save bananas from deadly Panama disease A wild bananaâ s hidden gene may hold the key to saving the worldâ s favorite fruit from a deadly disease. • Scientists have uncovered a powerful source of natural disease resistance in a wild banana, offering new hope for protecting the global banana supply from a dangerous fungal threat. • Researchers at The University of Queensland, led by Dr. • Andrew Chen and Professor Elizabeth Aitken, identified the specific genomic region responsible for resistance to Fusarium wilt Sub Tropical Race 4 (STR4), a destructive strain of Panama disease. • Fusarium Wilt and the Threat to Cavendish Bananas “Fusarium wilt – also known as Panama disease – is a destructive soil-borne disease which impacts farmed Cavendish bananas worldwide through its virulent Race 4 strains,” Dr. • This fungus attacks the plant through the soil, causing it to wilt and die.
Article Summaries:
- Scientists at the University of Queensland have identified the precise genetic region in a wild banana that confers resistance to Fusarium wilt Subtropical Race 4 (STR4), the most destructive strain of Panama disease threatening Cavendish bananas worldwide. By crossing the wild diploid Calcutta 4 with susceptible varieties and using genome sequencing and bulked‑segregant analysis, researchers mapped the resistance trait to chromosome 5. The discovery, the first detailed genetic dissection of STR4 resistance from this subspecies, provides a clear roadmap for breeding future commercial bananas that are both tasty and naturally protected against the fungal pathogen.
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