A disease that threatens the world’s most _________________ – the banana – has arrived in
______________. As a result, officials in Colombia have declared a state of ____________.
Bananas are among the ________________ food crops in the world, along with wheat, rice
and corn. That _____________ comes from the United Nations (UN).
_________ years ago, the UN warned that a disease called Tropical Race 4, or TR4 , could
destroy “much of the world’s banana crop.” The disease first appeared in ______ in the
1990s. It later spread to _____________ and the _____________ East.
There are as many as ____________ kinds of bananas grown in more than
__________________. The TR4 disease only affects the ______________ and common kind
of _____________ – the Cavendish.
It is ___________ and more cost-effective for growers to produce ___________ kind of
banana. Growers in Colombia and many other places choose Cavendish bananas. This variety
can be shipped to countries around the world without ripening ______________
_________________ watchers say there is still time to find another kind of banana to grow.
Not that long ago, the Gros Michel, also known as Big Mike, was the _______________
popular banana. Big Mike was destroyed in the _______ by the same disease that is now
threatening Cavendish.
Randy Ploetz is a retired ____________ from the ____________ of Florida. He studied
_____________________ diseases. He said of the recent spread of TR4, “I don’t think it’s
going to impact the availability of the Cavendish in ___________ anytime soon.”
He added that ___________________ affected by the TR4 disease have planted __________
kinds of Cavendish or moved to uninfected farmlands. But those bananas are not as
_______________ , and they later become infected, too.
In Colombia, officials are taking special measures to _______ the disease from spreading.
Officials have removed plants infected with the disease and covered soil with
________________ sheets to prevent spread of the disease. Officials have also
__________________ at entrances to affected banana farms where they disinfect the trucks
that travel between the farms and ports. The country’s ____________________ are also
guarding banana farms to keep thieves from ______________________ through their clothes
and shoes.
So far, the disease has been found on ______ farms near Colombia’s border with
_____________. Officials say the affected area is still _________ and is not hurting the
country’s banana _____________
Colombia's agriculture ___________ , Andres Valencia, told the Associated Press, “We will
___________________________ towards stopping this disease from spreading to the rest of
Colombia.” He said growers will one _______ have to plant other kinds of bananas that are
more _____________ resistant.
Gert Kema is a plant scientist who __________________. He agrees that the banana
____________ needs to diversify. He says there are many types of ____________ and
peppers grown around the world, for example. Bananas should be _________________.
I'm Ashley Thompson.