End of BANANAS? Scientists warn favourite fruit could become EXTINCT

Daily Star ^ | July 5, 2018 | Martin Coulter

[BBell]

[Fiji Hill]

One thing that I have never seen is a straight banana

[az_gila]

Just be careful the franken-banana isn't a cross with a lamb. You will get the Liverpool lambanana -

Sometimes they can be changed genetically to different colour patterns...:^)

[Fiji Hill]

This article is nothing but banana oil.

[jobim]

This article is a travesty. It’s a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.

OK. As your new president I make my first national decree, which is that each citizen shall change underwear daily.

And so that we can check, you will wear it on the outside.

[BobL]

They’re high in carbs, so no big loss for most people.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

I used to gig at bar where every Thursday was Wear Your Underwear on the outside. The bar did well on what was usually a dead night at other bars.

[Zack Attack]

Aw. Can’t find my picture of Panic Monkey.

[LadyDoc]

Bananas are a major source of calories in parts of Africa, and a major fruit export from Central America and the Philippines.

Genetically, all bananas are genetically similar...to grow trees you plant shoots, because they don't have seeds.

They are worried about pests destroying all bananas. Finding strains with resistance is a big deal.

And they are working on GM plants too.

[TonyM]

How will democrats be rewarded in the future for completing a step when there are no more bananas to eat?

[BwanaNdege]

Genetically, all bananas are genetically similar...

Humans share 50% DNA with bananas

Eat a banana of the variety typically sold in American markets, then a plantain, then one of the short, fat, thin-skinned deliciously sweet kinds seldom sold here. Then tell me they are all the same.

Kinda like saying that iguana, rattlesnake and capybaras "all taste like chicken".

[njslim]

So its “Yes, we have no bananas...”

[Atticus]

That was one of my favorite TV shows growing up in the 70s!

[trebb]

Monkeys to follow shortly thereafter.....

[Stormy_2021]

I’ll give you my banana when you pry it from my cold, dead hands...

[LadyDoc]

There are small variations only. When a disease hit the plantations here in the Philippines a couple years ago, they replaced the crop with a different strain. That is what they are trying to do in the articles.

And yes, there are many variations, but the example would be like Great Danes, Pekingese, and beagles...very different but still the same species.

[bmwcyle]

Did you have a nice flight?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-AcR14Km8

[Moonman62]

So its “Yes, we have no bananas...”

...

This disease is decades old and that song supposedly was inspired by a shortage about 100 years ago.

[Moonman62]

The article is a bit dramatic. According to Wiki, using tissue cultures to make clones is having success:

Unfortunately, the clonal reproduction of banana has led to a consequential lack of other varieties. Efforts are being made to produce resistant varieties, but with bananas being triploids which do not produce seeds, this is not an easy task. Creating clones from tissue cultures, rather than suckers, has proven somewhat successful in breeding resistant varieties, however, these tend to have decreased success in stress-tolerance, yield, or other beneficial traits necessary for commercial varieties. Nevertheless, these efforts are leading to the best control measure for Panama disease of banana.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

How about “I Like Bananas Because They Have No Bones”, or “30,000 Pounds of Bananas”?