A serious virus threatens the most popular variety of banana found in US supermarkets, the Cavendish. This plant disease causes concern worldwide among growers, distributors and consumers.

See link below for a host of great information from the University of Hawaii.

Photo courtesy of:
University of Hawaii at Manoa
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/bbtd/index.asp

I’m also including an NBC article that discusses information obtained from Randy Ploetz, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida. I am confused by the article’s conclusion, a statement from Ploetz that seems contradictory. “Bananas won’t go away and there are better tasting ones out there. But the Cavendish is under attack right now, and there’s nothing to replace it.”

NBC: Fungus Threatens Banana Supply: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/fungus-threatens-banana-supply-n85971