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A comment on The Cavendish banana is under threat from a fungus.

Re:The Cavendish banana is under threat from a fungus by kartan on Saturday October 07, 2017 @11:17PM (#15426824)
A world without diversity is fragile. This is true for vegetables, cattle and even us. Genetic diversity is a barrier to the spread of virus, bacteria and other parasites that cause diseases.

'"Another danger of a more homogeneous global food basket is that it makes agriculture more vulnerable to major threats like drought, insect pests and diseases, which are likely to become worse in many parts of the world as a result of climate change." As the global population rises and the pressure increases on our global food system, so does our dependence on the global crops and production system that feeds us.'

* "Crop diversity decline 'threatens food security'. BBC news" http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26382067

* "REPORT on plant breeding: what options to increase quality and yields? Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT" http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//...

* "Increasing homogeneity in global food supplies and the implications for food security" http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/02/26/1313490111

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Cavendish banana is under threat from a fungus by toomanybeersies on Sunday October 08, 2017 @12:49AM (#15427017)
It's not just the food supply.

Plantation forestry consists of genetically identical trees grown for miles and miles. Not only would the economic effects of an introduced fungus be bad, but the ecological effects of having entire forests die off could be disastrous.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Cavendish banana is under threat from a fungus by adrianN on Sunday October 08, 2017 @05:11AM (#15427529)
As far as biodiversity goes, those "forests" are already pretty much dead.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Cavendish banana is under threat from a fungus by toomanybeersies on Sunday October 08, 2017 @03:01PM (#15429427)
Unsurprisingly, pine trees with all the lower branches stripped, laid out in a 5x5 metre grid, are not a great environment for promoting biodiversity.
[ Parent | on HN ]