Panama disease leaves and progresses to younger leaves until the entire plant dies. Gros Michel was the only type of banana eaten in the United States from the late 19th century until after World War II. From the beginning, however, a serious disease was present in the banana plantations of Central America. The problem was first diagnosed in Panama after which it was named. Over several decades, the fungus spread from Panama to neighboring countries, moving north through Costa Rica to Guatemala and south into Colombia and Ecuador. The banana industry was in a serious crisis, so a new banana thought to
Brown blotch disease blotch disease causes large economic losses due to a perceived decrease in quality, even though it does not cause any health problems in humans. Brown blotch disease is observed in mushroom farms all over the world. In the UK, the Netherlands and France, 15% of the crop weight is affected by brown blotch disease, while in Italy it is even worse; in the worst years, 40% of the total weight of mushroom crops is affected by brown blotch disease in Italy. Because brown blotch disease affects all mushroom species, exotic mushrooms grown in eastern countries such as Japan, China, and