A partnership between the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the University of Frankfurt is helping the Philippines produce Lakatan variety bananas that are resistant to ‘banana bunchy top virus' (BBTV).
The Philippines is one of the world's largest banana-producing nations, and the Lakatan variety fetches the highest prices, which explains its increasing popularity with farmers.
Lakatans, however, are particularly vulnerable to BBTV, one of the most serious diseases to affect bananas.
Spread by an aphid, once BBTV is established in an area it is extremely difficult to eradicate.
Now the use of gamma irradiation treatment is helping plant breeders develop a mutation that is resistant to BBTV, the Manila Bulletin reported.
'Results showed that gamma irradiation treatments successfully improved the resistance of Lakatan bananas to BBTV,' the Philippine Council for Agriculture Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) reported.
'Of the 7,366 regenerated plants screened for BBTV resistance, 29 lines were found to be highly resistant to the virus while improved agronomic traits included bigger, heavier, and sweeter fruits,' according to Dr Olivia P Damasco from the Institute of Plant Breeding.
The Philippines best performing export banana is still the tried and true Cavendish variety, but breakthroughs such as this may see the Lakatan begin to gain ground.
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