Only CRISPR Gene Edited Tool Can Save Cavendish Banana From Extinction.
Banana Killing fungus TR4(Fusarium wilt tropical race 4) started killing the world top most variety of Banana Cavendish throughout the world including Asia, Australia, America. Cavendish banana is the most popuar banana variety in the world and its going to be wiped out from existence if no solid step taken place.
Image Credit :
https://pixabay.com/photos/bananas-fruit-yellow-healthy-1119790/
No Fungiside can stop TR4 as the fungus also infect the soil up to 30 years. So making TR4 resistance Cavendish is a urgent need as Cavendish variety of banana is sterile and propagated by cloning .So no conventional methods of breeding TR4 resistance into the Cavendish is not possible. Only solution is to edit the gene of Cavendish by CRISPER.
Australian scientists Dale was trying to edit the gene of Cavendish variety by using CRISPR from the wild banana Musa acuminate malaccensis which have the resistance power against TR4 into the Cavendish plants and its showed a promising results after testing in field.
Apart from Australian researchers the others from UK and Keneya also trying to edit the gene of Cavendish to boost its immune system against TR4 fungus.
Major challenges to make these gene editing technology successful is from government of countries as many countries didn't permit these GMO food.
But no other varieties of banana didn't have huge production rate and quality test like Cavendish.
So governments have no option to accept these CRSPR gene edited Cavendish banana.
It will take some time to brings these gene edited Cavendish into the market.