Bananas are an important fruit. Millions of people depend on
depend on
JACKF—GETTY IMAGES
to need
(verb)
When Joey graduates from college, he will no longer depend on his parents for money.
them for food and money. But bananas are in trouble. They are being attacked by a disease called Tropical Race 4 (TR4).
TR4 is a fungus. It lives in the soil. When TR4 strikes
strike
MIKE MAREEN—GETTY IMAGES
to hit; to suddenly harm
(verb)
Hurricanes regularly strike the island.
, a banana plant turns yellow, dries up, and dies.
A banana plant is infected by Tropical Race 4. When this happens, the plant turns yellow, wilts, and dies.
COURTESY QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIATR4 is showing up on banana farms around the world. It is killing banana plants in Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and the Middle East. “[TR4] can easily spread,” Fazil Dusunceli told TIME for Kids. He works for the Food and Agriculture Organization. “It is very problematic.”
An Uncertain Future
People are coming together to save the tropical fruit. Some scientists are even working to create new banana plants in a lab
lab
WESTEND61—GETTY IMAGES
laboratory; a room used for scientific research
(noun)
The scientist used a microscope in the lab.
. These plants would not be harmed by TR4.
A farmer in Costa Rica tends to bunches of healthy bananas.
COURTESY CHIQUITABut not everyone is worried. Andrew Biles works for Chiquita. That is one of the biggest banana companies in the world. “I think there’s a great future for bananas,” he says.
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