Canshuurka Cabbirka Cavendish: Xanuunka Panama oo Dhulka ku dhacay 11-aad ee Beeraha Queensland
Xanuunka dhulka ku dhaca Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4) ayaa mar kale ku soo biiray beeraha cabbirka Cavendish ee dalka Australia, isagoo ka dhigaya 11-aad ee beeraha la xaqiijiyay inay ku dhacday. Xanuunkaas oo aan la burburin karin, wuxuu ku dhacayaa dhulka muddo sano badan, waxaana u baahan in la helo cabbir cusub oo ka hortagga.
Dhibaatooyinka Beeraha iyo Xaaladda Hadda
Leon Collins, oo ah hoggaamiyaha hay'adda beeraleyda cabbirka Australia, wuxuu sheegay in beeriisa ku yaalla dhinaca koonfureed ee Cairns uu noqday midka 11-aad ee la xaqiijiyay in TR4 ku dhacay. Wuxuu yiri: 'Maalmahan qaar waxaad u aragtaa inaad ku jirto dagaal aad u adag, waa mid ka dhacay.'
Beeraleyda gobolka Tully ayaa muddo todobo sano ah ku jira dagaalka xanuunkaas, iyagoo isticmaalaya tallaabooyin adag oo amniga dhulka lagu ilaaliyo. Haddana, xanuunka wuxuu sii socday, isagoo ku dhacaya beeraha cabbirka Cavendish, oo ah kuwa ugu badan ee Australia iyo adduunka laga soo saaro.
Tillaabooyinka Cusub ee Ka hortagga
Sannadkii 2024, baraha Qaranka Australia ayaa ogolaaday in la soo saaro cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbir
Baraha Qaranka Australia ayaa ogolaaday in la soo saaro cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabb
Dhaqan-dhismeedka Cabbirka Cabbirka
Naomi Abbott, oo hoggaamisa barnaamijka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka c
Baraha Qaranka Australia ayaa ogolaaday in la soo saaro cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabbirka cabb
Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4) has now infected an 11th banana farm in Queensland, marking the latest blow to Australia's Cavendish banana industry. The soil-borne fungus, which cannot be eradicated and whose spores persist in the ground for decades, continues to spread along the Tully River, threatening a crop that accounts for more than 97 per cent of fruit produced in the country.
Farmers Brace for the Worst
Leon Collins, chair of the Australian Banana Growers' Council, said the latest detection on his farm south of Cairns is devastating. For more than a decade, growers along the Tully River have been living with TR4, watching it slowly advance down the waterway despite strict biosecurity measures. Collins described the situation as heartbreaking, noting that some days feel like a losing battle.
The fungus attacks Cavendish varieties through their roots, eventually killing the plants. Collins hopes the wider industry will be spared the same fight, but the 11th local detection means he is now in the trenches alongside other affected growers. Strict biosecurity protocols have so far contained TR4 to the Tully district, but the threat remains ever-present.
Scientists Race to Develop Resistant Varieties
In 2024, researchers at the Queensland University of Technology received federal approval to commercialise QCAV-4, the world's first genetically modified banana bred to resist TR4. The fruit looks and tastes identical to a standard Cavendish, with the only difference being an added resistant gene. Trials have been conducted in the Northern Territory, where the disease has been established since the 1990s, but no commercial production is currently underway.
Meanwhile, Naomi Abbott of North Queensland Banana Research is pursuing a different path using crossbreeding methods developed in collaboration with FIA, a Honduran banana breeding program. She expects to have her first Cavendish line available by 2028, with 30 to 40 hybrids in the pipeline. Queensland's Department of Primary Industries has also identified seven resistant Cavendish lines, though they all carry a yield penalty of 60 to 90 per cent compared to the industry standard.
Public Skepticism and Industry Hopes
Despite the urgency, public acceptance of genetically modified food remains low. The Office of Gene Technology Regulator's 2024 report found that only 32 per cent of respondents were willing to eat GM fruit and vegetables. Dr Anthony James from QUT's Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy said growers in the Tully Valley would welcome more extensive trials to understand whether the new varieties are comparable to current ones.
Adrian Crema, a Tully banana farmer who has not yet been affected by TR4, expressed cautious optimism about the research progress. He described hearing about the new varieties as the most exciting thing he had heard all year. Collins echoed the sentiment, stating that plant breeding is the industry's saviour and that the combination of GM and traditional breeding approaches offers the best chance of overcoming the disease.
Ilaha iyo xuquuqda sawirka
Sawir: ABC Australia Xigasho
