A new plant grafting technique could save bananas

Scientists have developed a technique that could prevent crop diseases, including one that threatens bananas.

Grafting involves taking a shoot from a susceptible plant and placing it on the root of a disease-resistant plant.

The method was previously thought not to work on monocots [single-leaved] plants, but now it could be used to prevent disease in common crops or to alter their traits to make them easier to harvest.

Professor Julian Hibberd of the University of Cambridge said: "Right now the roots of the banana plant are affected by a disease and if we could graft disease-resistant roots onto the banana plant that would be a possible solution."

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