G07: Sciences Chemistry: Fungicides

Fungicide, also called antimycotic, any toxic substance used to kill or inhibit the growth of fungi. Fungicides are generally used to control parasitic fungi that either cause economic damage to crop or ornamental plants or endanger the health of domestic animals or humans. Most agricultural and horticultural fungicides are applied as sprays or dusts. Seed fungicides are applied as a protective covering before germination.

A fungicide is a specific type of pesticide that controls fungal disease by specifically inhibiting or killing the fungus causing the disease. Not all diseases caused by fungi can be adequately controlled by fungicides. These include the vascular diseases Fusarium and Verticillium wilt. Diseases caused by other types of organisms, disorders caused by abiotic factors, and insect damage are not controlled by fungicides. Thus it is essential to first determine the cause of symptoms before applying a fungicide.

Fungicides are pesticides that kill or prevent the growth of fungi and their spores. They can be used to control fungi that damage plants, including rusts, mildews and blights. They might also be used to control mold and mildew in other settings. Fungicides work in a variety of ways, but most of them damage fungal cell membranes or interfere with energy production within fungal cells.

Let's cut to the chase. It is highly unlikely that the banana will go extinct, despite what you might have read elsewhere. The feared fungus Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4) has officially breached Colombia's banana plantations, according to an August 12 report in Science. There is no known way to cure the fungus, which kills banana plants by choking their vascular systems. This is definitely very bad. Colombia is the fourth-largest exporter of bananas in the world, according to Reuters. But it's not the banana apocalypse, bananapocalypse, or even Bananageddon that has been predicted by a new crop of yellow journalism.