GMW: Son of frankenbanana - the myth that never dies...

[Guest guest]

GMW: Son of frankenbanana - the myth that never dies...

" GM WATCH " <info

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 15:43:36 +0100

 

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

------

Son of frankenbanana - the myth that never dies...

 

The death of the banana (without the saving power of GM) is announced

via the world's media with extraordinary regularity.

 

Below are some examples of the latest outbreak of this GM myth plus a

couple of authoritative antidotes produced to counter previous

outbreaks.

 

1.UN FOOD AGENCY SAYS BANANAS NOT THREATENED

2.Bananas 'can't disappear by 2013'

------

*What's Offline? No, Seriously. Save the Bananas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/business/media/13offline.html

New York Times, United States - 12 Aug 2005

It's no joke, as Popular Science reports in a fascinating account this

month... Scientists, primarily in Europe, are trying to genetically

alter the Cavendish, to make it able to ...

 

*Some experts believe bananas may need Genetic Modification

http://www.freshplaza.com/2005/16aug/2_us_fungusbanana.htm

FreshPlaza, Netherlands - 9 minutes ago

....some analysts believe the only way our favorite bananas may be saved

from the fungus will be through genetic engineering.

 

*No, seriously, save the bananas

Checkbiotech.org (press release), Switzerland - 7 hours ago

http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=news & doc_id=11004 & start=1 & \

control=207 & page_start=1 & page_nr=101 & pg=1

By Paul B Brown. A two-pronged frantic race is under way to save the

banana.

 

*The Cavendish banana could be wiped out

http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1041233.php/The_Cavendish_ban\

ana_could_be_wiped_out

Monsters and Critics.com, UK - 21 hours ago

NEW YORK, NY, United States (UPI) -- The Cavendish, the version of the

banana that tops most US cereal bowls, is being wiped out by fungus...

 

*The Cavendish banana could be wiped out

http://www.physorg.com/news5802.html

PhysOrg.com, VA - 23 hours ago

Banana plantations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and Taiwan have

been destroyed by the fungus, which is spreading through much of

Southeast Asia, reports ...

 

*The Cavendish banana could be wiped out:-

http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=106861 & cat=Science

Webindia123, India - 23 hours ago

To save the banana, scientists are trying to genetically alter the

Cavendish to make it able to resist the fungus. They are also developing

another variety that they hope most consumers would find an acceptable

substitute...

------

1.UN FOOD AGENCY SAYS BANANAS NOT THREATENED

January 30, 2003

Agence France Presse [via agnet]

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8

 

ROME - The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation was cited as denying on

Thursday reports that commercial bananas are on the verge of

extinction, but called on growers to promote greater genetic diversity

to protect

the fruit.

 

Eric Kueneman, head of FAO's Crop and Grassland service, was quoted as

saying, " What is happening is the inevitable consequence of growing one

genotype on a large scale. "

 

But FAO said small-scale farmers around the world grew a wide range of

banana species not threatened by the disease currently attacking the

Cavendish type sold mostly on the world's supermarket shelves.

 

" The Cavendish banana, mostly found on western supermarket shelves, is

important in world trade, but accounts for only 10 percent of bananas

produced and consumed globally, " FAO said.

 

It said the vulnerability to disease of this single strain of banana

was " not unexpected " .

------

2.Bananas 'can't disappear by 2013'

The Nation, Thailand, Thursday, January 30, 2003

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page.news.php3?clid=3 & id=8260 & usrsess=1

 

A warning by Belgian scientists about the extinction by 2013 of the

world's most popular edible fruit, the banana, has bemused Thai

experts on

the fruit.

 

Though it is accepted that bananas are subject to natural threats,

Benchamas Silayoi, from Kasetsart University's Faculty of Agriculture,

said

it was impossible that the plant species - which is a staple food of

millions globally - would soon vanish from the Earth.

 

Benchamas said there was a world collection of the banana's germplasm

in Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. The objective of the world's

largest collection, which contains over 1,100 accessions, is to

conserve the plant.

 

" Once the bananas planted on Earth are eradicated by any threat, at

least the world has genetic materials from bananas in vitro that could

be

placed on Earth, " said one professor, who is an expert in the species.

 

Besides the huge collection in Belgium, there is an Asian banana

collection kept in the Philippines.

 

Moreover, Thailand has its own collection at Kasetsart University's

banana tissue culture lab.

 

A report of the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and

Plantain (INIBP), recently presented in New Scientist Magazine, warned

that the last common banana tree in the world would disappear within 10

years because of its " genetic decrepitude " .

 

The report claimed that the banana, which is a sterile mutant plant

species, cannot evolve to develop resistance to pests and diseases. The

extinction of bananas in Cuba was mentioned as an example.

 

Veerachai na Nakhon, director of the Botanic Garden Organisation,

agreed with the report that bananas have a tendency towards

extinction, but

not in 10

years.

 

" Not only bananas, all plant varieties take a long time to be wiped off

the Earth. It takes longer than a decade for a common species to become

a rare

species, then endangered, before reaching the status of extinction, " he

said.

 

His comment was echoed by Benchamas, who said that pests and diseases

could not make the plant extinct in such a short period of time. " Only

big bombs can do that, " she said.

 

Benchamas and Veerachai also took issue with the INIBP's contention

that genetically modified bananas were the only way to conserve the plant

species.

 

" It is too risky to modify the genes of edible fruit, " said Veerachai.

 

 

----------------------