OVERVIEW
The Panama disease infects and kills banana plants — specifically the Cavendish banana — across Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa. There are several races of Panama disease; one of which is called the Tropical Race 4 (TR4). The Tropical Race 4 is a strain of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum that lives in the soil undetected and is unaffected by pesticides. Once the fungus attacks the roots of the plant, it then causes the banana plant Fusarium wilt, which is also known as Panama disease.
Aftermath
The soil then becomes useless for growing any future banana plants, because the fungus remains in the soil. As a result, more than 10,000 hectares of the Cavendish banana plant, which accounts for 95% of all commercially sold bananas, has been destroyed. The global outbreak of the Panama disease affects the banana industry in many countries, including the USA's $44 billion banana industry. For example, due to the damage of the TR4, Indonesia is losing $120 million annually. Although there are proposed solutions, none of them are easy at all.
