http://www.walletpop.com/2008/05/29/no-longer-going-bananas-plague-may-wipe-out-entire-fruit/

Quote :

"No longer going bananas: plague may wipe out entire fruitby Geoff Williams May 29th 2008 @ 8:30AM Filed under: Food, Health My daughters love bananas, especially Lorelei. She is four years old, which means there is much she doesn't like. She doesn't like fried chicken, or baked chicken, or any chicken unless they're in the form of chicken nuggets. She doesn't like hamburgers. She doesn't like lasagna or mushrooms or eggs. But among the few foods she loves that are nutritious, she does enjoy a good banana. And now I'm reading that in possibly as soon as five years -- maybe as long as 30 -- there will be no bananas left. Wiped out. Finished. No longer on the Earth. Or at least no longer edible. Johann Hari of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote an interesting story recently about Panama Disease, a fungus that's been killing banana trees for about a century now. What's truly chilling is that the disease is getting stronger, and there is no cure. (Incidentally, if you're really gripped with fear and full of interest in this, you should check out the book that Hari references, which came out on shelves several months ago, Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World by Dan Koeppel.) So what is Panama Disease, and what's the problem? Well, as noted, it's a fungus and was first reported in Australia in 1876. As best as I can decipher at a web page on Plant Management Network -- they get pretty heavy on the banana terminology -- and then wilting the leaves and eventually going to the youngest leaves. Eventually, the entire tree has dead or dying leaves. There is no cure, and that's the big problem. It destroyed a banana called the Gros Michel, which was very popular for the first five to six decades of the 20th century. Banana packagers loved it. The Gros Michel had a thick skin -- bananas didn't bruise easily, so they were easy to pack in crates, and they didn't need much climate control. I'm left wondering if the Gros Michel was slippery, since in black and white movies particularly, comedians are often slipping on banana peels. At any rate, the Gros Michel did make an impact on popular culture. For instance, according to a Wikipedia entry, the 1923 musical song, "Yes, We Have No Bananas," was inspired by a shortage of these Gros Michel bananas, also called "Big Mike" bananas, due to the Panama disease. By 1960, the Gros Michel banana had been replaced by the Vietnamese Cavendish banana, the banana we have today. Still quite delicious, but apparently not as yummy as what our grandparents were enjoying. The Cavendish banana had built up a pretty good resistance to Panama Disease, but according to Koeppel's book, which explains the history of the banana in-depth and how the term "banana republic" got its name, the fungus is back and stronger than ever. It may take five years, or thirty, according to the article in the Seattle PI, but the banana as we know it is probably doomed. I think I'm going to pass on mentioning this to my four-year-old"

[Edited on May 30, 2008 at 10:10 PM. Reason : .]

5/30/2008 10:09:11 PM

5/30/2008 10:20:24 PM

that shit is bananas b-a-n-a-n-a-s.

but forreal, i like bananas. i might just go out an by some right now.

5/30/2008 10:21:21 PM

genetic engineering ftw

5/30/2008 10:25:28 PM

they've had a couple stories on NPR in the past couple weeks about bananas
one on Fresh Air where they talked about the Banana Republics and all the fucked up shit that went on in Latin and South America because of the banana harvests
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19097412

and one on Science Friday a couple weeks ago (that i can't find) partially talking about this plague, and other banana stuff. Like, there are something like 200+ varieties of bananas, and in the US 99%+ that we eat are just one type, and all banana experts say it's not even one of the really good kinds.

5/30/2008 10:30:30 PM

well at least no one will be able to afford the ones that are left.

5/30/2008 10:47:25 PM

Bananas/bees/american chestnut/american elm/sudden oak death/emerald ash borer/hemlock woody adelgid...there'll be nothing left

5/30/2008 11:47:41 PM

i could live without them

sucks, but it is what it is

5/30/2008 11:51:03 PM

i hope not

I love bananas

I suck em down like coca cola

5/31/2008 12:05:29 AM

i don't want to have kids if they will be born into a world without bananas.

5/31/2008 12:08:16 AM

yeah, but what inevitably will follow bananas once they are gone?

that's right, SUPERBANANAS

5/31/2008 12:52:29 AM

So be it. Somehow I imagine they'll be ok and the growers will either figure out how to better protect the trees or we'll see the rise of a different type of nanner.

5/31/2008 1:21:44 AM

5/31/2008 1:49:59 AM

not gonna happen and dont let any nut try to convince you otherwise

5/31/2008 1:57:46 AM

BEE HAY ANNAS BEE HAAY EENN HAY ANNAS

5/31/2008 2:02:58 AM

Quote :

"and all banana experts say it's not even one of the really good kinds."

it's cheap and packs well. that's what producers and sellers want.

5/31/2008 2:10:17 AM

Quote :

"Bananas/bees/american chestnut/american elm/sudden oak death/emerald ash borer/hemlock woody adelgid"

you forgot about polar bears and pandas

5/31/2008 2:34:40 AM

This is the only time i've ever clicked on a thread, and the most intelligent response was from DNL.

http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/bananas.asp

5/31/2008 9:35:22 AM

glad to see that this isn't exactly true about them being wiped out. bananas are my favorite fruit.

5/31/2008 9:59:46 AM

the first post and the snopes link say the same thing

5/31/2008 10:05:31 AM

are you literate?

5/31/2008 12:30:27 PM

can you read?

they both say the "cavendish" banana is in danger of going away

but bananas as a species is pretty safe

the point being, we mainly buy cavendish bananas in the grocery store and soon those have the potential of not being around

[Edited on May 31, 2008 at 1:03 PM. Reason : the first post is just way more ignorant and apocalyptic than the snopes article]

5/31/2008 1:02:06 PM

that's pretty much the point.

5/31/2008 1:08:02 PM

no way

5/31/2008 1:25:21 PM

Doesn't bother me, never liked them for some reason. It'd be even better if they could get rid of watermelons

5/31/2008 1:46:30 PM

it'd be better if they could make a real seedless watermelon...instead of a "seedless" watermelon that just has small white seeds as opposed to white/black seeds

5/31/2008 1:48:31 PM

naner puddin

5/31/2008 9:08:55 PM

Bananas. Turns out they're not really good. They're so full of sugar its like begging for diabetes. I used to like them too, but it's another thing that ends up being shitty for you.

Quote :

"Carbohydrates Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Total Carbohydrate 51.4 g 17% Dietary Fiber 5.9 g 23% Starch 12.1 g Sugars 27.5 g Sucrose 5377 mg Glucose 11204 mg Fructose 10912 mg Lactose 0.0 mg Maltose 22.5 mg Galactose 0.0 mg"

5/31/2008 9:32:18 PM

ehh, you're gonna die either way


eat what ya want

5/31/2008 9:34:05 PM

^^full of sugar?? you know that FRUIT is made of SUGAR, right? wtf

5/31/2008 9:55:08 PM

Yes, and you're aware that there are quantitative differences in fruit, RIGHT?!!!

5/31/2008 9:59:36 PM

Just because it contains sugar, doesn't mean it's bad for you.

5/31/2008 10:01:00 PM

Look I know there's sugar in fruit, my point is that of the fruits bananas are nutritious in some regards but if you're packing them away regularly then you're getting too much sugar in your diet.

I suppose if someone bought you a bushel of sugarcane that'd be fine to eat too, yeah?

[Edited on May 31, 2008 at 10:03 PM. Reason : passion fruit]

5/31/2008 10:02:53 PM

Depends more on when you consume it, and on the person's dietary needs. Don't make assumptoions based on poor knowlege.

[Edited on May 31, 2008 at 10:13 PM. Reason : lots of sugar in the correct situation, can be very beneficial]

5/31/2008 10:12:31 PM

^^That is the worst logic ever.

Amount of sugar in one banana does not equal the amount of sugar in a bushel of sugarcane.

5/31/2008 10:35:38 PM

There sure are alot of retards on here tonight.

5/31/2008 11:20:32 PM

pot

kettle

black

5/31/2008 11:25:36 PM

I'm a diabetic.

I eat bananas when I can (I've fallen out of sync lately with my usual diet so my dietary habits suck now, but I'm speaking more about the months and months before that). I've found that the effective amount of carbs that actually end up hitting me (i.e. raising my blood sugar) in the average banana I eat is about 30-36 carbs. In a decent sized apple (the monster ones, not the smaller organic ones in the bags) it ends up being about 26-32 carbs. This is speaking effectively for what I give myself for insulin on my insulin pump. It may not line up 100% with reality, but it's pretty close. It's hard to match carbs for all different types of foods as they all break down and enter you system differently (like comparing italian food to a juice drink or something).

I've never been discouraged from eating a banana or any other fruit by any of the doctors at Duke which I see every 3 months, or the two nutritionists they keep at the place to answer questions for diabetics. It's never caused my blood sugar to too high too fast like a soda or some other sort of junk food, plus it has vitamins and such that are good for me.

I imagine you could say people eating a lot of bananas are eating too much fruit, but most people don't eat enough fruit to begin with (speaking for myself at least). A banana a day (or maybe two!) won't cause early onset of Type II diabetes (I'm a Type I but that's beside the point here) unless you're overeating in other areas or consuming lots of sugary drinks and stuff like that (sweet tea, non-diet soda, fruit juice). A lot of the fruit I've eaten will assimilate fairly quickly into my bloodstream and raise my blood sugar, but no one fruit is worse than any other or particularly "special" for having way more carbs than another fruit (unless it's something huge like a pineapple). I definitely can't agree with the notion that bananas are bad for you, unless you're eating something like four or more a day (in which case you're going to become Sally Struthers in a week). Bananas are definitely not something to overlook in favor of other fruits to eat.

All that bullshit aside and just clearing up the whole diabetic thing with the blood sugars (from my point of view), you can get Type II diabetes mostly from just being an overeating fatass or by having a genetic predisposition to it. If you kept a normal BMI and didn't have a genetic/family history of diabetes, your chances of getting Type II diabetes won't really just blow up sharply because you had an extra piece of fruit each day. The effect from all the candy, sodas, sweet tea, and other crap that we eat would definitely outweigh a few (or several) pieces of fruit.

And also, on bananas (back on topic): Those bastards are getting expensive nowadays, I remember when you could get them for like 30 cents a pound and such. I still buy them, I just go to Trader Joe's when I want them. Still like 39 cents a pound there or something.

Hopefully the ag school here at NCSU can contribute to some research that helps with disease resistance in bananas or something, even if one species/type of banana does end up getting wiped out by disease. I would definitely be sad if the disease just adapted and mutated and ended up destroying all the banana trees in my lifetime. Bananas kick ass.

[Edited on June 1, 2008 at 3:17 AM. Reason : This really wasn't meant as an attack either, I just don't like shady logic on stuff like this.]

6/1/2008 3:16:53 AM

^Yeah bananas have gone up, but I can still get one with something to drink for a snack and I notice the banana will be like 30 cents. Compared to a bunch for 30 cents that's not that great, but has anyone bought apples or oranges lately? GOD DAMN.

A single apple is like 2 dollars now, whereas I can buy a candy bar for 2 for a dollar. This is bullshit

6/1/2008 10:43:42 AM

I always see it as paying more for quality food improves my productivity and lessens my medical bills (and eliminates down time from being sick).

6/1/2008 11:13:38 AM

4011

6/1/2008 11:34:31 AM

1. eating too much of anything is not good for you, just have a good variety in your diet and you should be fine.

2. bananas were 29 cents a pound at super walmart last time i was there.

3. i hope this does not mean an increase in artificially flavored banana items, they never taste like actual banana, but like a urinal mint.

6/1/2008 11:57:22 AM

heh, i've always thought bananas were cheap.

6/1/2008 1:11:38 PM

6/1/2008 6:44:06 PM

BuBye Bananas - Never liked you anyway.....

6/1/2008 9:55:45 PM

blasphemy

[Edited on June 1, 2008 at 9:58 PM. Reason : cause they bruise easy? lol]

6/1/2008 9:58:08 PM

Nope - Because they are horrible

6/1/2008 9:59:46 PM

I hate getting bananas in Mario Kart, good ridance. you want the lightning bolts and turtle shells.

6/1/2008 11:54:37 PM

time to stock up on potassium supplements if i dont want killer foot cramps in 5 years

6/2/2008 9:11:06 AM

This thread made me crave banana bread so I stocked up on bananas at the supermarket tonight

6/2/2008 9:51:25 AM