Banana to be Sequenced

GodsMadClown writes "New Scientist reports that a global consortium plans to sequence the genetic code of a wild banana from east Asia. Because bananas are triploidal instead of diploidal, they are only able to reproduce asexually, which means that it adapts slower than organisms reproducing sexually. 'One rule of joining the consortium is that any invention developed through the project and protected [by patent] will be made available to smallholders through a royalty-free license,' says Emile Frison, director of the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain."

Comments

Re:Doom and gloom in the world of nanas

[Solitary Angel]

Actually the banana plant is the worlds largest herb... the banana is still fruit ;) And they cross breed bananas all the time. You can buy Apple Bananas which are smaller, fatter and sweeter... Ahh the knowledge I have gained from having a dad who sells bananas :)

Abrosial Wild bananas

[Zukix]

What crazy westerner decided that everyone prefers the typical banana? I happily munched wild bananas while trekking in Northern Thailand and goddam they're like a different fruit. Unimaginably sweet, fragrant...amazing - like nectar. Not the bland lumps sold in UK supermarkets. They are small (offending western male self-perception) and probably don't travel well so thank-you evil corporations for 'deciding' that we prefer this genetically weak alternative so they can make a buck. I hope they DO die out and we 'stuck' with REAL bananas. Zu.

Triploidy \neq Asexual reproduction

[MoobY]

It is not simply true that triploidal plants and animals have to replicate asexual. Cultivated bananas indeed do have 3 chromosomes of each of the 11 different chromosomes available. During meiosis, when two possible parent plants are creating gametes (think of sperm and eggs) by splitting cells with 3 chromosomes of each type into cells with either 1 or 2 of the 3 chromomes.

In the next step, such gametes need to be fertilized, i.e., 2 cells, just like a sperm cell and egg cell, need to be fertilized and merged together. If this results in a cell with 3 chromosomes of each chromosome type, a new banana child can grow from this. But since gametes contain 1 or 2 of each type of chromosome, and they have 11 such types, there is only a 1/2^11 change that this sexual reproduction is succesful.

Note that this only applies to the cultivated banana, as we know it from the super market. And you've probably never eaten a banana with pits in it. Bananas with pits exist, but there's only one in about 2048. These bananas can be used to create new banana trees, and they're different from their not-succesful bananas in that they are a lot smaller, and not edible, if compared to common cultivated bananas.