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Modifying Bananas: From Transgenics to Organics?

Author

Listed:
  • James Dale

    (Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia)

  • Jean-Yves Paul

    (Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia)

  • Benjamin Dugdale

    (Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia)

  • Robert Harding

    (Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia)

Abstract

Bananas are one of the top ten world food crops. Unlike most other major food crops, bananas are difficult to genetically improve. The challenge is that nearly all banana cultivars and landraces are triploids, with high levels of male and female infertility. There are a number of international conventional breeding programs and many of these are developing new cultivars. However, it is virtually impossible to backcross bananas, thus excluding the possibility of introgressing new traits into a current cultivar. The alternative strategy is to “modify” the cultivar itself. We have been developing the capacity to modify Cavendish bananas and other cultivars for both disease resistance and enhanced fruit quality. Initially, we were using transgenes; genes that were derived from species outside of the Musa or banana genus. However, we have recently incorporated two banana genes (cisgenes) into Cavendish; one to enhance the level of pro-vitamin A and the other to increase the resistance to Panama disease. Modified Cavendish with these cisgenes have been employed in a field trial. Almost certainly, the next advance will be to edit the Cavendish genome, to generate the desired traits. As these banana cultivars are essentially sterile, transgene flow and the outcrossing of modified genes into wild Musa species. are highly unlikely and virtually impossible in other triploid cultivars. Therefore, genetic changes in bananas may be compatible with organic farming.

Suggested Citation

  • James Dale & Jean-Yves Paul & Benjamin Dugdale & Robert Harding, 2017. "Modifying Bananas: From Transgenics to Organics?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-13, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:3:p:333-:d:91357
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Declan Butler, 2013. "Fungus threatens top banana," Nature, Nature, vol. 504(7479), pages 195-196, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Gerhart U. Ryffel, 2017. "I Have a Dream: Organic Movements Include Gene Manipulation to Improve Sustainable Farming," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-9, March.

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