Blog 4 Improving plants
Transgenic plants are plants that have been artificially
inserted instead of getting them through pollination. This makes it possible to
create new species that have an natural resistant against an bacteria or pest.
Plants that are artificially inserted are often called Genetic modified crops
or GM crops for short.
The now widely cultivated ‘Cavendish’ banana is also an
GM banana. This banana entered the market after the then most cultivated banana
the Gros Michel was wiped-out by the Panama disease. This was an fungus known
as fusarium wilt. This showed us that we need banana species that are genetically
modified but still today the banana
industry lacks good crossed banana species. And the now cultivated Cavendish
banana is also threatened by an new disease.
Luckily recently Brazilian scientists came with an new
banana specie. Brazilian scientists from the Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária e
Extensão Rural de Santa Catarina (Epagri) and Brazilian Agricultural Research
Corporation (Embrapa) have launched a new banana, the Belluna, which is, they
say, more resistant to destructive banana diseases than other commercial
varieties. The scientists have registered the Belluna with the Ministry of
Agriculture, paving the way for the banana to be sold commercially. “We have
three diseases that affect bananas in Brazil and in the world which are Yellow
Sigatoka, Black Sigatoka and Panama disease,” said Edson Perito Amorin, the
head of Embrapa’s breeding program. “Belluna is resistant to Yellow Sigatoka and
Panama disease and moderately resistant to Black Sigatoka. In terms of
resistance, it has a clear advantage over the varieties that are on the market
today.” The variety, said Embrapa, can be grown organically, without the use of
pesticides, due to its resistance. (Maura Maxwell, 2016)
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