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Banana VirusBanana Virus May Destroy Crop
Discovery Earth Alert, April 24, 2000
An outbreak of banana bunchy top virus may destroy at least half the banana crop on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported Saturday. The virus was discovered last Sunday by farmers in Kauai, and the extent of the disease was not yet known. The virus is spread by aphids that eat the leaves and spread the disease from tree to tree. Banana bunchy top virus cannot affect humans, but is fatal to banana trees. Bananas from trees infected with the virus are safe to eat, according to the Star-Bulletin. In 1998, more than 25,000 banana plants in the region were destroyed after an outbreak of the virus. Hawaiian officials had believed that the disease was eliminated from the area.
