Research may save future banana cultivation

Image by EpSos.de, courtesy of Creative Commons

Sofia Galiano/Staff Writer

Bananas are the cheapest fruit in the produce aisle today, but due to climate change and the lack of genetic diversity among the banana crop, the price to produce and export this fruit is increasing.

This is according to Brian Machovina, a researcher of the Department of Biological Sciences, who studied the impact climate change will have on banana plantations in Latin America within the next 50 years, although the effects of extreme weather can already be seen.

“It’s starting to affect banana crops right now,” said Machovina.

Machovina presented his study, “Climate change driven shifts in the extent and location of areas suitable for export banana production,” at a conference hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Ecuador last month.

In the meeting, Machovina modeled the future of Ecuador’s banana plantation in the midst of climate change alongside Germán A. Calberto Sánchez, associate scientist on commodity crops and climate change at Bioversity International.

He said the purpose of the presentation was to provide Ecuador with information so they can determine the future of their banana crops.

However, Machovina informed the U.N. that Ecuador will not suffer climate change as severe as other countries in Latin American.

“They were pleased to hear that,” he said.

Banana crops are a $2 billion industry and Ecuador is the number one exporter in the world, distributing three times as many bananas as the second largest exporter, Costa Rica.

Machovina said a shift in the banana industry will cause other large industries in Ecuador such as cardboard box suppliers and plastic bag producers to suffer.

“We are all predicting what is going to happen,” said Dr. Krishnaswamy Jayachandran, graduate program director of Environmental Studies.

Dr. Jay said although there is not a lot of data on how climate change affects agriculture, researchers know enough to find solutions for issues coming in 2050.

He said elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere occur because of climate change, and this in turn discourages plant growth.

Because crops have not adapted to increased CO2 levels, Dr. Jay said research needs to be done to create a crop that can resist climate change.

Machovina, who also supports genetic modification among bananas, said farmers will need to find areas suitable for banana cultivation or pay the consequences.

He said farmers may begin to grow conventional bananas in Mexico where there is “free”, heavy rainfall, while drier areas like Peru offer opportunities for organic banana growth.

Otherwise, farmers will need to install costly irrigation systems to counter warmer temperatures like Costa Rica, who is undergoing its first drought since the 1880s in its banana growing region.

He said in the face of climate change, the opportunity to develop climate-resilient bananas using GMO technology is present, which in turn will diversify the banana crop and build a resistance against fungal disease.

He said conventional banana farmers use chemical sprays to control Black Sigatoka, a fungus that attacks the leaves of all banana plantations, which takes up 40% of farming costs.

However, Tropical Race 4, an advanced strain of Panama disease that grows on the roots of banana crops, is a fungus that is likely to destroy the banana plantation and there are no chemicals to control it.

Therefore, a diversified banana crop will be able to resist the fungi that have already wiped out crops in Asia, Africa and Latin America, while reducing chemical use on crops.

He said although GMOs are controversial in society, they are supported in the scientific field as they present a viable solution to sustainable agriculture.

“I think it’s a way to shift farming with chemicals, to farming with biology,” said Machovina.

 

-bbc@fiusm.com

About the Author

Sofia Galiano
: News Director Assistant, former BBC Managing Editor. I'm a senior journalism major and psychology minor. I wrote for the South Florida Times through the Liberty City Link in spring 2014 and have written for The Beacon since fall 2013.

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