FUSARIUM WON'T
Cavendish Bananas
Make up 99% of all bananas sold commercially for export to countries.
50 Billion Tonnes
Of cavendish bananas are produced globally each year.
The Problem.
Amongst the deadliest pathogen to the Cavendish cultivar is the Fusarium oxysporum cubense Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4) which causes Fusarium wilt (Panama Disease). The disease restricts the flow of nutrients and water via the plant's vascular system.
The plant WILTS and DIES.
400 million people in the world depend on bananas for food security, and in some rural areas, a quarter of calorie intake every day comes from bananas. The banana industry also supports over two million jobs. If the banana industry were to collapse, half a billion people whose meals and livelihoods depend on Cavendish bananas would face severe starvation and poverty.
Current solutions to Foc TR4 are insufficient to stop its spread around the world and rely on unsustainable methods to curb its impacts.
The Challenge.
The spores of Foc TR4 are too difficult to realistically exterminate. This challenge led us to approach the task of tackling Fusarium WIlt by defending the banana root rather than by attacking the fungus.
Our Mission.
Our project works to prolong the survival of the Cavendish cultivar, but more so to reject the short-sighted agricultural practice of simply replacing disease-susceptible strains. We want to push for the pursuit of a more sustainable solution, perhaps through the restoration of genetic diversity, but Cavendish is running out of time - our role in this effort is to buy time. To do this, we'll prevent Foc infection through different engineered systems implemented into a B. subtilis soil probiotic.
Treatment
We plan to integrate our engineered bacteria by incorporating it into the rhizosphere of banana saplings. To do this, we'll design a liquid inoculant containing our bacteria and fertilizers such as kelp and earthworm castings.
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Description
Implementation
Team