The history of the banana is more complex than you could imagine (if you even thought about it).
Oceania communities began to selectively cultivate wildflowers more than 7000years ago Musa acuminataPlants are chosen for their unique characteristics. Over time the plant’s fruit gradually evolved into the famous sweet, seedless, conveniently-packaged banana we’ve all come to love.
Today, the majority of bananas we eat are clones from a single variety. It would not take long to develop diverse genetic strategies for managing diseases. One plagueTo reduce the global supply
An examination of the genomes of banana cultivars as well as their wild relatives revealed evidence that other banana plant relatives may have contributed to its evolution. There are also signs of three previously unknown species or subspecies.
It could help us find new ways to protect our existing cultivars from disease and pests.
Different varieties of bananas can have different numbers of copies of each chromosome. This makes it difficult to determine the evolutionary history of this delicious grass-like flowering vegetable.
Scientists used genetic sequencing techniques to identify 226 genetic fingerprints in banana leaf extracts. This team was able create a detailed family tree of the bananas’ ancestors by comparing domesticated and wild subspecies.
“Here are some examples of diploid cultivated bananas today that have been derived from wild bananas M. acuminataare hybrids among different subspecies.” Julie Sardos is a genetic resources scientistFrom the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT France
“At least three wild mystery ancestors could have contributed to the mixed genome thousands years ago, but they aren’t yet identified.”
Researchers believe that two of the three mystery ancestors may be the same as the ones who existed before them. Previous identificationsWe used a different genetic analysis method, but now we know more about the gaps in the family history of the banana trees and where the common genes are.
It means that there are banana species or subspecies out there that have never been recorded by scientists – although that doesn’t necessarily mean none of those types of bananas remain.
“Our personal convictions are that they are still in the wild, poorly described by science or not at all. In which case, they are most likely endangered.” says Sardos.
The team continued to look for these missing varieties and made comparisons with banana species we know and their respective locations.
One of them is most likely to be from the Gulf of Thailand, the West of the South China Sea and one from north Borneo. The other is from the Philippines and one from New Guinea.
The researchers say finding these missing ancestors is a matter of urgency – it will enable us to preserve the biodiversity that they offer, and ultimately enable better bananas to be cultivated in the future.
“Breeders should understand today’s domesticated diploloid bananas to be able to cross between cultivars. This study represents a major step in the identification of many cultivars in great detail.” says bioinformatics scientist Mathieu RouardCIAT and the Alliance of Bioversity International.
The research has been published in Frontiers in Plant Science.
