Rows of banana plants influenced by Panama illness pleasant competition 4. Photo: Andrew Daly / Australian Banana
Discussions around cavendish banana prices and supply in Australia have arisen after a recent study revealed a disastrous cavendish banana illness was approaching to strike a world’s biggest banana exporter, Latin America.
Below is an explainer that breaks down what a illness is, how Australia is affected and what supervision skeleton are in place to control a outbreak.
What is Panama illness pleasant competition 4?
A base from a banana plant influenced by Panama illness pleasant competition 4 Photo: Andrew Daly / Australian Banana
Panama disease is caused by a fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp cubense. It is a dirt micro-organism that infects a base complement of banana plants and establishes control of a plant by a vascular system.
The illness can't be tranquil or cured.
There are several races of panama disease, with pleasant competition 4 (also famous as TR4) of many regard due to a capability of infecting a renouned cavendish banana varieties flourishing in pleasant conditions.
A cranky territory of a banana plant branch display discolouration of a vascular tissue. Photo: Australian Banana Grower’s Counc
Panama illness pleasant competition 4 has widespread fast via Asia in the past half century.
The illness spreads from a transformation of putrescent soil, H2O or infested apparatus as good as root to base contact.
Fungal spores can tarry in a dirt for adult to 30 years.
Disease symptoms embody base yellowing, wilted leaves and branch splitting. Some plants might not uncover symptoms until fruit emerges.
Biosecurity Queensland warns growers not to cut or mislay plants that uncover signs of infection, as this triggers a mildew to furnish spores and increases a risk of swelling disease.
Implementation of on-farm biosecurity measures like wash-down and decontamination procedures are a many effective methods in a impediment of the spread of a disease.
How many Australian farms have been influenced by Panama illness pleasant competition 4?
Panama illness pleasant competition 4 was initial rescued in Australia nearby Darwin in 1997, where it ravaged a nation’s banana industry.
A second showing was done during a banana plantation in Tully, a city about 140 kilometres south of Cairns, in Mar 2015.
The illness was found during 3 apart locations on a Tully farm, with a initial find done in March, a second in Aug and a third in September.
In total, 14 plants showed symptoms of Panama illness pleasant competition 4 on a farm.
More than 16,000 plants in a closeness of a 3 putrescent locations were destroyed.
The Tully plantation has quarantined a infested areas and is still producing bananas from a remaining sections of a farm.
There are about 600 blurb banana farms in operation in Australia, with a incomparable farms located in North Queensland.
“The banana farms in North Queensland grow about 90 to 95 per cent of Australia’s banana production,” Australian Banana Growers’ Council Chief Executive Officer Jim Pekin said.
“Other banana prolongation areas are northern New South Wales, Western Australia during Carnarvon and Kununurra, and tools of a Northern Territory.”
What will a widespread of TR4 to Latin America meant for Australia?
Researchers from a new investigate published in PLOS Pathogens have warned Panama illness pleasant competition 4, that has wreaked massacre in south easterly Asia for a past half century, will eventually make a approach to Latin America, devastating the world’s supply of banana exports.
While a widespread of Panama illness pleasant competition 4 is alarming, a impact this latest investigate will have on Australia is minimal.
“Australian growers furnish bananas for a domestic marketplace and we’ll be stability to do that no matter what happens internationally,” Australian Banana Growers’ Council arch executive officer Jim Pekin said.
“We grow adequate bananas in Australia for a consumers so there’s no impact on Australian banana supply and prices from general banana production.
Mr Pekin said there were poignant biosecurity and investigate efforts underway internationally to control pleasant competition 4, and he hoped if it widespread to Latin America the impact would be limited.
While a tumble in banana supply from Latin America would outcome in a impending opening in a marketplace for banana growers in Australia, Mr Pekin pronounced work costs and altogether outlay would impede any large-scale outlay opportunities.
“While some Australian banana growers have determined niche markets overseas, it’s doubtful that Australia would ever turn a estimable banana exporter,” Mr Pekin said.
“The reason is that a cost of production, quite work costs, are most aloft in Australia than in other banana producing countries and it’s doubtful that large-scale exports would turn viable for us.
“Australian producers now grow about 370,000 tonnes of bananas any year that meets a needs of a domestic marketplace though is comparatively tiny in tellurian terms. In comparison, a vast banana exporting nation in Central America, such as Costa Rica, any year exports about 4 times a turn of a whole annual production.”
Biosecurity Queensland pronounced they do not expect Panama illness pleasant competition 4 will have any poignant impact on supply or cost of Queensland bananas.
Are banana prices approaching to increase?
Banana prices in Australia are not approaching to boost nor is banana supply approaching to be limited as a outcome of this new study.
“There hasn’t been any impact on banana prices or supply levels as a outcome of Panama TR4 being rescued on a one plantation in a Tully Valley,” Australian Banana Growers’ Council Chief Executive Officer Jim Pekin said.
“It’s been only over 9 months given TR4 was rescued on that plantation and North Queensland’s altogether banana prolongation levels are stability as usual.”
How is Queensland handling Panama pleasant competition 4 disease?
Since a find of Panama pleasant competition 4 illness on a Tully plantation in March, a Queensland supervision has invested $3.88 million in response, waived investigation fees, erected fencing around a quarantined Tully skill and conducted untamed pig control on a farm.
The Australian Banana Grower’s Council have been training banana growers to exercise clever on-farm biosecurity practices.
Biosecurity Queensland control unchanging notice in a segment surrounding the Tully farm, with roughly 480 propertys surveyed and 1,360 samples collected for evidence testing.
Biosecurity Queensland aims to work with a banana attention to urge supervision of a illness in a future.
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