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
Crop Trust Crop Trust The Crop Trust, officially known as the Global Crop Diversity Trust, is an international nonprofit organization which works to preserve crop diversity in order to protect global food security. It was established through a partnership between the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and CGIAR acting through Bioversity International. In 2006, the Crop Trust entered into an agreement with the governing body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The agreement recognises the Crop Trust as an "essential element" of the treaty's funding strategy in regards to the "ex situ" conservation and availability