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Disease-resistant banana genes could accelerate effort to save Cavendish from extinction

Significant progress has been made in accelerating the development of banana varieties with resistance to the Fusarium fungus. Fusarium causes ...
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Cavendish banana faces extinction. Can scientists save this staple before it’s too late?

Katy Askew | 
Pests and diseases are threatening Cavendish bananas with extinction. Dutch university Wageningen and plant research company KeyGene are jointly joining ...
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Podcast: Treating blindness with CRISPR; customized cancer drugs; Beyond Meat v. critics; saving bananas from extinction

Cameron English, Kevin Folta | 
As genetic engineering reshapes intimate aspects of our lives, is the public on board? ...
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France introduces banana resistant to black Sigatoka—deadly disease that can cut fruit yields 50%

Katy Askew | 
A new variety of banana that is resistant to black Sigatoka and can be produced using organic and agro-ecological production ...
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Can CRISPR gene editing save the Cavendish banana from extinction?

Hasan Chowdhury | 
When it comes to tropical fruits, Norwich [UK] probably isn’t the first place that springs to mind. But here ...
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Viewpoint: Biotechnology could save our favorite banana. Will anti-GMO activists stand in the way?

Steve Savage | 
Anti-GMO intimidation could plunge banana-producing communities into poverty ...
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Uganda faces heavy losses without GMO banana, economist warns

Christopher Bendana | 
A leading Ugandan economist is warning of heavy financial losses among banana farmers if they don’t soon adopt a genetically ...
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World’s favorite banana faces extinction. Are GMOs, CRISPR the final hope?

Amy Maxmen | 
The race to engineer the next-generation banana is on. The Colombian government confirmed [in August] that a banana-killing fungus has ...
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Climate change boosted banana production for 60 years, but hotter temperatures could finally cut yield gains

Climate change could negatively impact banana cultivation in some of the world’s most important producing and exporting countries, a study ...
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Viewpoint: Our favorite Cavendish banana may be heading towards extinction—Scientists say only a biotech solution, blocked by anti-GMO activists, can save it

Steve Savage | 
Shall we just resign ourselves to the eventual demise of the banana, or take steps to save it? ...
Bananas by Steve Hopson

Banana-destroying fungus hits South America. Is genetic engineering the solution?

Myles Karp | 
A fungus that has wreaked havoc on banana plantations in the Eastern Hemisphere has, despite years of preventative efforts, arrived ...
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Suspected Fusarium wilt infection in Colombia threatens global banana supply, but fungus-resistant GMO fruit on the horizon

Erik Stokstad | 
In a long-feared development, an extremely damaging disease of bananas has apparently reached Latin America. Late last week, the Colombian ...
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CRISPR could save banana, major food source for 500 million people, from deadly disease, climate change

Joan Conrow | 
CRISPR/Cas9‐based genome editing is offering new hope for protecting a critical food security crop by developing climate-smart banana varieties. Research ...
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Uganda GMO banana research progresses despite legal uncertainty

Lominda Afedraru | 
The Ugandan researchers who have been working since 2005 to breed more nutritious bananas say their progress won’t be hindered ...
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Vitamin-A fortified GMO banana may finally debut in Uganda in 2021, 16 years after research began

Lominda Afedraru | 
Ugandan scientists are eying a 2021 release date for genetically modified bananas fortified with vitamin A, provided the nation passes ...
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Kenya can achieve food security if government invests in agricultural technology

Florence Wambugu | 
Kenya relies on only 10% of her landmass for food while 89% of the country’s landmass, home to 36% of ...
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Cryopreservation: Scientists protect diversity of Uganda’s staple crops with cold storage

Christopher Bendana | 
Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) is using liquid nitrogen to conserve banana cell lines .... to combat disease and ...
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Talking Biotech: What’s keeping disease-resistant GMO bananas from Ugandan farmers?

Ugandan researcher Nassib Mugwanya: GMO bananas are the best tool we have to save bananas from bacterial wilt, but Uganda's ...
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Uganda’s researchers ready to taste test their GMO vitamin A-enriched banana

Lominda Afedraru | 
The East African cooking banana is one of the major food crops eaten by the people living in central Uganda ...
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Viewpoint: African farmers blocked from using life-saving GMO bananas by European activists

Kevin Folta | 
Anti-biotech groups funded by Western activists campaign against the commercialization of GMO crops in Africa, such as a new disease-resistant ...
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Talking Biotech: Uganda farmer-scientist on benefits of GMO disease resistant bananas

Clet Masiga, Kevin Folta, Patricia Nanteza | 
Kevin Folta in Uganda interviews scientists and farmers about bananas resistant to crop disease and the likelihood of commercialization ...
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