03-01-2018, 10:18 AM
robguz,
I presume you are talking about Gabe.
I'm unsure of Gros Michel's resistance to BBTV, but regardless it is extremely susceptible to panama wilt disease so not really an option anyways as f. oxysporum is everywhere on the island and management is nearly impossible. Not to mention germplasm isn't readily available nowadays either due to the aforementioned.
While I agree that genetic engineering could eventually provide solutions for BBTV, you should know it is not the only answer.
In Australia through meticulous application of quarantine procedures they have enabled their banana industry to not only bounce back from previous losses to BBTV but also once again thrive.
There are a lot of reasons why the quarantine procedure works in Australia but would be difficult to execute in Hawaii, but that is not to say it isn't doable if tried.
I presume you are talking about Gabe.
I'm unsure of Gros Michel's resistance to BBTV, but regardless it is extremely susceptible to panama wilt disease so not really an option anyways as f. oxysporum is everywhere on the island and management is nearly impossible. Not to mention germplasm isn't readily available nowadays either due to the aforementioned.
While I agree that genetic engineering could eventually provide solutions for BBTV, you should know it is not the only answer.
In Australia through meticulous application of quarantine procedures they have enabled their banana industry to not only bounce back from previous losses to BBTV but also once again thrive.
There are a lot of reasons why the quarantine procedure works in Australia but would be difficult to execute in Hawaii, but that is not to say it isn't doable if tried.