A team at the University of Queensland is taking the next step in their search for a banana that resists the global scourge of Panama disease.
Led by Professor James Dale, they have already produced a genetically modified Cavendish that can stand up to tropical race 4 – the worst form of the soil-borne fungal disease.
Their work caught the attention of US firm Fresh Del Monte, who have now chipped in research money to take its resistance to another level – this time tweaking the DNA code of an ordinary banana with a pair of tiny gene snips, in a process known by its acronym CRISPR.
“While our success in developing a disease-resistant genetically modified line of Cavendish is a world-first achievement, this funding will enable us to develop…
