Banana pepper faces greater extinction risk

Wild plants are believed to be the savior of pepper bananas that are in the list of endangered species with 5 remaining trees in nature.

A wild banana that grows in Madagascar is in danger of extinction because there are only 5 mature trees in the wild. Scientists are calling for conservation of this banana species because it can hold the secret against disease to help bananas from disappearing in the future, BBC reported yesterday.

Madagascar bananas have good resistance to drought and disease.(Photo: BBC).

Most bananas consumed in the world are Cavendish bananas or pepper bananas, which are very vulnerable to pests and diseases. Researchers are rushing to develop new banana varieties that are both delicious and resistant to Panama wilt. The Madagascar (Ensete perrieri) banana evolved alone on the island far from the mainland and has many special characteristics.

Richard Allen, senior conservation advisor at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew in London, said Madagascar's bananas are resistant to drought or disease."This banana is not infected with Panama, so it may have a genetic trait that helps fight disease. We could not know it before conducting the study, but we will not be able to study if the banana tree is not solved. save, " Allen said.

The team from the botanical garden looked for banana trees in Madagascar and found it almost extinct in nature. They hope to add Madagascar bananas to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red Book to help draw attention to the status of this banana."The conservation of wild bananas is important because it has a large seed, providing the opportunity to find improved genes for banana plantations," said Dr. Hélène Ralimanana of the Madagascar Kew Conservation Center.

Banana plants reproduce by asexual method. Seedlings grow from a part of the mother plant. Therefore, if a plant is infected, the disease will quickly spread throughout the population. The disease of Panama, which harms bananas, is only rampant in Asia, but if it spreads to the Americas, it could erase banana plants all over the world. This happened to the Gros Michel bananas in the 1950s.