CRISPR & The Cavendish Banana – Quite A Few Lessons For Both Journalists' & Researchers From The Exact Same Story Line!

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Those are the discoveries of the year 2019 for me!

I am writing, prompted, not inspired, by Amy Maxmen's story, "CRISPR Might Be The Banana's Only Hope Against A Deadly Fungus" (24 September 2019, Nature, nature.com). Ms Amy begins her story:

The race to engineer the next-generation banana is on. The Colombian government confirmed last month that a banana-killing fungus has invaded the Americas.

That is 2 times incorrect! One, the genetic engineering for the NextGen Banana started 22 years ago – the NextGen is too slow! Two, the Colombian government announcement is delayed by 26 years, according to my list:

2003, "Defenseless banana 'will be extinct in 10 years'" – Robert Uhlig (16 January, TheTelegraph, telegraph.co.uk).

2005, "... on a crash course toward extinction" -- Dan Koeppel (19 June, Popular Science, popsci.com).

2009, "Bananapocalypse" – Plenty Magazine (Mother Nature Network, mnn.com).

2013, "Fungus threatens top banana" -- Declan Butler (11 December, Nature, nature.com).

2014, "Welcome To The Bananapocalypse" -- Michael Zelenko (08 March, VICE, vice.com).

2015,- "Bye, Bye, Bananas" -- Roberto A Ferdman (04 December, Washington Post, washingtonpost.com).

2016, "Worldwide Banana Crisis Sparked By Panama Disease" -- Ada Carr (15 July, The Weather Channel, weather.com)

For both journalists and researchers, good research is imperative.

How have scientists been so wrong about the Panama disease!

I myself wrote about the rumored end of the banana almost 2 years ago: "Science & The End Of The Banana. Part 1, The GMO Solution" (25 October 2017, Gaia Con Gaia, gaiavsgaia.blogspot.com),

Ms Amy says, "Scientists are using a mix of approaches to save the banana." I wonder why her report does not mention PH research by Agustin Molina and his team in Mindanao where in fact in 2014, banana exports peaked (31 October , "Science & The End Of The Banana. Part 2, The Banana Boat Song. Day-O!" Gaia Con Gaia, 4.bp.blogspot.com).

In the last 2 years, 2 banana armies have been fighting for supremacy (06 November 2017, "Science & The End Of The Banana. Part 3, Understanding The Banana Afocalypse," Gaia Con Gaia, gaiavsgaia.blogspot.com), to produce a Panama disease-resistant cultivar:

GMO Banana Army – via genetic modification.They need much more funds and a lot more time!

Nature's Banana Army– via natural selection, from the wild. Same motive, different methods. Mr Molina's team has already found that golden cultivar; they have assigned a code name: "218."

Nature works best!

So where lies the difference? In the manner of producing the disease-resistant banana cultivar: one group tried to modify the genes of the banana, dreaming of a genetically modified outstanding or GMO banana, which requires decades of experimental work; another group tried to find a Mother Nature-proven resistant banana individual, which requires only a few years of field work; this is our Nature's Banana Army.

"CRISPR might be the banana's only hope against a deadly fungus," says Ms Amy. She is completely wrong!

That hope is not CRISPR. Come visit the Philippines, Ms Amy.
We will be glad to introduce to you "218"!@517

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