Growing bananas in Israel is an important part of the country's agricultural sector, but faces the threat of total destruction. Worldwide, the disease devastated millions of hectares, resulting in losses of billions of dollars.

TR4 is a fungal disease that is an exceptional natural enemy of bananas and has survived all known fungicides. The only way to combat it is to quarantine affected plants that wither and die, while the farmer hopes that the rest of his plants have not been infected.

In the village of Shfeya in northern Israel, where most of the country's bananas are produced, the recommended measures were taken: ditches were dug around the affected area to isolate it from the rest of the plantation, and the site was covered with sheets of polyethylene.

Although TR4 is deadly for bananas, it cannot harm humans, and consumers need not worry. Even if the plant is infected, the fruit is still completely safe to eat.

“It can be considered a disease, but it is a fungus. It attacks the roots of the banana, and the plant dies, it has nothing to do with the quality of the fruit, ”commented Ofer Ariel, who represents local banana producers on the plant production council.

Navot Galpaz, a banana-based subtropical crop researcher, agrees: “It's very important to emphasize this. The fungus does not affect the fruit, and even if he did, this fungus only affects bananas. "It does not infect any other culture and, of course, cannot harm people."

The entire Israeli banana crop, which provides about 4 thousand people with livelihoods, is in danger.

Dr. Dror Mintz, head of the Institute of Soil Science and Water at the Volcano Center, said it sometimes takes 10-20 years for bananas or anything else to be planted again in the affected soil.