Chapter 1
Botany and berry weird science
Chapter 2
The banana wars and geopolitical slip-ups
Chapter 3
The great extinction and the Cavendish clone
Chapter 4
Global banana culture and surprising uses
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret life and global drama of the banana
Ch 3 · The great extinction and the Cavendish clone
artiteacher The Threatened Cavendish Clone
They share one DNA from root to leaf, A single fungus brings them down to grief.
artiteacher Without genetic diversity, a single specialized pathogen can easily spread globally to wipe out entire cloned harvests.
artiteacher A farmer holds a bunch of yellow Cavendish bananas in a lush plantation.
Fun Fact
Candy chemistry: The flavor chemical isoamyl acetate was synthesized in the 19th century, perfectly mimicking the sweet, punchy taste of the now-extinct Gros Michel banana.
Glossary
monoculture (noun)
The cultivation of a single crop or plant variety in a given area. During the 1950s, this practice left global Gros Michel banana crops highly susceptible to catastrophic fungal blight.
The cultivation of a single crop or plant variety in a given area. During the 1950s, this practice left global Gros Michel banana crops highly susceptible to catastrophic fungal blight.
Quiz
What is the agricultural term for planting only a single crop variety over a massive area?
Quiz
Why does artificial banana candy taste different from modern supermarket bananas?
Quiz
What is the name of the new fungal strain currently threatening Cavendish bananas?