The Sterile Banana

For recitation this week, read the following article from the Conservation (https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/conservation/2008/09/the-sterile-banana/) and be prepared to discuss.

The Sterile BananaAs uniformity replaces diversity, some of your favorite fruits could be on the cusp of extinction. By Fred Pearce Pity the banana. Despite its unmistakably ph

Review Questions

Summarize the main issues bananas face.
Relate these effects and potential consequences clearly to one issue we’ve discussed in class.
Were you aware that plants could be reproduced or cloned using cuttings or a similar process called grafting? See links to the right to aid your understanding of these topics.
These techniques rely on the fact that plants can grow very differently than many animals. Provide another example of when cuttings or graftings are used and explain why humans prefer this method to wild or sexual propagation. Make sure to cite any sources used here.
The spread of sterile bananas is obviously something that would not have happened without human intervention. In this way humans can represent an unusual form of selection pressure. Give another example (and justify it!) of how humans promote traits that would likely not be selected for in natural populations. Make sure to cite any sources used here.
Does hearing that bananas are sprayed with fungicide multiple times a year surprise you or change your opinion on eating them? What are some other potential consequences this level of pest treatment may have?

Still interested?

The future of bananas

The banana as we know it is doomedEven though scientists and journalists have had concerns about our favorite starchy yellow berry for awhile now, the situation recently became far more urgent. The ICA, Colombia’s fish and wildlife conservation office, confirmed that a deadly species of fungus was detected in the northeastern part of the country.

How cutting works

Grafting and Budding Nursery Crop Plants | NC State Extension PublicationsThis publication provides information on budding and grafting techniques, which can be used successfully in commercial operations.