Category: News & Media

With thanks to Foodbank  26% The number of food relief recipients in Australia under the age of 19. 710,000 The number of Australians Foodbank provides relief to every month. 227,300kg The amount of bananas donated since January 2018. It can be easy to take for…

Images supplied by Barry Sullivan Under the Microscope profiles the industry’s emerging and exotic diseases. Sometimes you just need the facts, fast. What is bunchy top? Bunchy top is one of the most devastating viral diseases worldwide. It is known for causing a ‘bunched’ appearance of new…

Battling Bunchy Top is an ongoing challenge for Australia’s banana industry and 2018 has been another interesting year for projects in South East QLD and Northern NSW.  Project leader Barry Sullivan has this update. Northern New South Wales  Work has continued in Northern New South Wales, despite the…

Tony Pattison, Hazel Gaza, Paul Dennis and Henry Birt The microbes in our bodies, and the discoveries of how important these are for our wellbeing, provide us with new insights for agriculture and banana research. Our bodies host an incredible 30 trillion microbial cells that help to keep us strong and…

By Hazel Gaza and Tony Pattison Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, South Johnstone Nitrogen application is an important component to profitable banana production. The nitrogen applied to soil is taken up by the roots and used to produce chlorophyll in the leaves, giving them their green colour. The more chlorophyll in…

Australia’s subtropical banana experience was shared with experts from across the world at ProMusa 2018.  The conference, part of the 30th International Horticultural Congress, was held in Turkey and featured presentations from Matt Weinert, of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, and Doriana Mangili, from the…

By Tony Pattison Filipino banana growers differ greatly in how effectively they manage Fusarium Wilt (Panama Disease) of banana. In a nutshell, the farms that were most effective in managing the disease were typically those with more resources to allocate to the problem. These stark contrasts in…