Until recently, only expensive chemical fungicides could destroy the fungus. Plant pathologists are researching, however, how to breed bananas that are genetically resistant to the disease, according to scientists at the American Phytopathological Society. Chemical control is available but expensive and generally not available for poor farmers who depend on this crop. According to a report prepared by Ploetz, the banana is among the most fascinating and important of all crops. It is a large monocotyledonous herb that originated in Southeast Asia.
Some plant biologists maintain that the banana was one of the first crops to be domesticated by man.
The banana easily is among the most popular of all fruits. Although it is viewed as only a dessert or an addition to breakfast cereal in most developed countries, it is actually a very important agricultural product. After rice, wheat and milk, it is the fourth most valuable food. Despite those figures, only 10 percent of the annual global output of 86 million tons enters international commerce. Much of the remaining harvest is produced by subsistence farmers for local markets in Africa, America and Asia.