Will bananas be extinct in 10 years?

Question

I heard that this is true. Why?

Answer 1

No. But what you may have heard was that the prices of bananas are extremely high.

Answer 2

I read this in the paper a few months back, and I believe it has something to do with a blight hitting the banana plantations. Not a big deal though, because the same type of thing happened between 1900 and the 1940's, which caused a banana extinction.

The bananas that were popular as food in the US and other countries were completely wiped out. Your grandparents ate a banana with a completely different taste, texture, and smell than the bananas we enjoy today.

Our children and grandchildren will also enjoy a banana that is different from the ones we know, but they will still be able to enjoy bananas, as there are many different varieties available for human consumption.

Answer 3

While in no danger of outright extinction, in the next 10-20 years the most common edible banana cultivar 'Cavendish' could become unviable for large-scale cultivation. The predecessor to 'Cavendish', the cultivar 'Gros Michel', has already suffered this fate. 'Cavendish' is an extremely popular fruit in Europe and the Americas; unfortunately, like almost all bananas, it lacks genetic diversity, which makes it vulnerable to diseases. These diseases threaten both commercial cultivation and the small-scale subsistence farming of bananas.

Answer 4

It may be a scare story of some sort. I've never heard of such a thing. They are probably looking at diseases and fungus,and bananas are prone to getting them.

Bananas are a cultivated plant. Originally, it was a seedy fruit that was barely edible.
Ah! Have it! Here's a page on the subject.

Answer 5

If it's left to the Euro common market they will.
A recent meeting of this illustrious group decieded that bananas should be 'straight' I think they were debating the shape rather than the gender!
So after debating this very important issue for a few days in a very expensive hotel, the exact required shape was agreed !
You will in future grow your bananas straight, if not we will not buy them!
Has the world gone mad??

Answer 6

Because they are a rhizome, each root or system is connected to the other. If one banana tree were to fall prey to some deadly parasite or disease, it would spread to the rest of the crop.

Same concept with bamboo. It's also a rhizome that is aggressive and spreads wildly. But if one plant become sick and dies, the rest of the root system connected to that one plant will contract the same disease and die out.

So, yes, there is risk that it can happen.

Answer 7

Yes, unless scientists can come up with another way to grow them (like cloning)...Currently bananas grow from rhizomes (like a bulb is the only way I can describe it simply), and do not produce seeds to create MORE rhizomes, so if one rhizome= one tree, then there's no way to make more trees from that rhizome and once it dies, that's it!
So basically unless they can clone them, when these banana trees die, THAT IS THAT!

Answer 8

It better not be true. I love bananas.

Answer 9

I did hear that, here is a source for you to read, im sure there will always be bananas cuz they can grow them in greenhouses. read this article

Answer 10

I hope not as i will be lost without my bananas?