Researchers develop 'GM safety net' for banana industry

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has developed a genetically modified (GM) variety of Cavendish banana designed to help save the world’s Cavendish banana production.

The variety has been submitted for regulatory approval to the Australian Government and is the first Australian GM fruit to be submitted for assessment. If approved, it may offer a safety net against the Panama Disease tropical race 4 (TR4), which is threatening the banana industry.

Following six-year field trials in the Northern Territory, QCAV-4 bananas, which were developed in partnership with government and industry, have proven to be highly resistant to the disease. The disease has already affected Cavendish banana production in Asia and has started to do the same in South America and the Northern Territory/North Queensland.

QCAV-4 is a Cavendish Grand Nain banana that has been bioengineered with a single gene, RGA2, from the wild, south-east Asian banana Musa acuminata ssp malaccensis. Cavendish bananas already contain the RGA2 gene, but it is dormant.

The GM variety is currently being assessed by the Australian Government regulatory authorities, the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).

James Dale, QUT Distinguished Professor, and his team have been working on developing and growing genetically modified Cavendish bananas for than 20 years.

According to Dale, the Panama Disease TR4 is caused by a soil-borne fungus that stays in the ground for over 50 years. It has affected Cavendish plantations in many parts of the world and can affect the worldwide export industry.

Australia’s biosecurity rules have limited the spread of the disease on the Australian industry, but it has been found in northern parts of the country. Cavendish bananas account for 97% of banana production in Australia, where 95% of Australia’s bananas are grown in Queensland.

“Apart from providing a genuine protection against Panama Disease TR4 for the world’s export industry, QCAV-4 is a safety net for Australia’s $1.3 billion industry, which includes protected employment for 18,000 Queenslanders involved in banana production,” Dale said.

While regulatory approval by OGTR and FSANZ would support the environmental and food safety of QCAV-4, there are no plans to grow or sell QCAV-4 bananas to consumers in Australia at this time.