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It's not easy being yellow: bananas now face two separate fungal epidemics, which threaten to pluck the fruit off of our tables. Fortunately, researchers have now sequenced banana DNA, producing the genome of a banana variety that may hold the secret to defeating the diseases. The report is in the journal Nature.
香蕉長成黃色也不簡單：現在流行真菌病毒，會嚴重威脅到香蕉產量。幸運的是，研究人員已經重組了香蕉的DNA重組，獲得變種香蕉基因，這組基因或許隱含著預防疾病入侵的秘密。這份研究報告發表在《自然》雜志上。
Today, half of all bananas, including the ones you probably buy, belong to the Cavendish variety, whose popularity stems in part from having no seeds. But this trait also removes sexual reproduction from the equation. The bananas are thus all genetically identical—and identically vulnerable to the two fungal epidemics, Panama disease and black leaf streak disease.
如今有一半的香蕉，包括市場上銷售的，都屬于板煙香蕉品種，這種香蕉因為無子而大受歡迎。這種特性也從生存法則上消除了有性生殖。因此所有的香蕉基因全部一樣，同樣全部不受兩種真菌病毒的侵害：黃葉病毒和黑色條斑病毒。
Researchers sequenced the genome of a banana variety called DH-Pahang, whose genes contributed to the Cavendish. While the genome shows where this fruit fits in the history of plant evolution, it could also help researchers understand why DH-Pahang, unlike its descendant, is resistant to the funguses behind both Panama and black leaf streak disease.
研究者重組了一種叫做“DH-Pahang”香蕉變種基因組，這種基因是培育出板煙香蕉品種的關鍵。既然基因組能顯示出水果在植物進化史上的地位，那么也能幫助研究人員了解為什么DH-Pahang能夠抵抗黃葉病毒和黑色條斑病毒。
Knowing the genes responsible for this resistance could help breeders create stronger, more resistant bananas. Which has a lot of appeal.
了解基因對抵御這種疾病的作用，就能幫助果農培育出更結實，抗病能力更強的香蕉。這有很大的吸引力。
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