possible solution #1

Contain the epidemic

Containing the epidemic means limiting the spread of the TR4 disease so other countries will not be affected. However, quarantining the disease does not eradicate it nor does it prevent it from contaminating the soil elsewhere.

Containment of outbreaks:

don't replant

Do not replant with susceptible varieties.

don't chop the plants

Leave plants to die in place – no chopping!

inject to kill the plants

Inject infected plants and adjacent healthy plants with glyphosate to kill them.

fencing

Fence infected areas to restrict movement of machinery, workers, and equipment.

Dr. Gert Kema is an expert in global plant production from the Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands. Dr. Kema explains that although it is possible to contain the disease (if done under strict control), it is not going to prevent the Panama disease from arriving somewhere else from contaminated soil on boots or via an infected plant. Ultimately, there is no way to salvage your production once you have got the disease.

prevention and farm hygiene:

clean farming tools

Use clean farming tools and equipment. Remove all plant material and soil from all machinery, equipment, vehicles, footwear, and clothes upon entry to the farm.

Avoid sharing farm machinery and equipment with other farmers. A common way of spreading Panama disease is through soil left on equipment.

possible solution #2

Genetically modified organism (GMO)

In Humpty Doo, Australia, James Dale — Queensland University of Technology professor — tried to create a TR4-resistant banana.

1 first findings

By 2004, Dale isolated a single resistance gene RGA2 from a wild banana (Musa acuminate malaccensis). Musa acuminate is a Southeast Asian banana species. Many of the edible dessert bananas are from the Musa acuminate species. And more importantly, Musa acuminate malaccensis is naturally resistant to TR4 due to its single gene called RGA2. With this finding, Dale inserted the RGA2 into the Cavendish plant.

2Trial is completed

By 2015, Dale completed his three-year trial and publish his findings in the journal Nature Communications. These are his findings:

Between 60 to 100 % of the plants without the resistance gene are killed or infected with TR4.

Of the 5 plant lines with the added RGA2 gene, 4 of them had infection rates below 30% and 1 line showed no signs of disease at all.

3Final study

After his successful trial, Dale did another study in Humpty Doo. This time, Dale tested on an area that is ten times larger than the original site. Dale hopes to see the modified Cavendish selling by 2021 as the first genetically-modified banana ever sold in Australia. However, selling this banana is another challenge due to the various GMO restrictions around the world.

4GMO restrictions

In the European Union, only 64 GMO crops are approved to be sold — all of them are different versions of cotton, maize, oilseed rape, soybean or sugar beet — with a majority of them going into the animal feed. In other words, even if some GM is approved, the majority of them aren’t food for people to consume — like the ones which Dale is trying to get approved.