First New Commercial Banana in 75 Years, ‘The Banana That Doesn’t Brown,’ On Time’s Top Inventions List, Available in Supermarkets Next Year

Agronomics backed [Tropic Biosciences](https://www.research-tree.com/newsfeed/article/agronomics-limited-investee-company-update-tropic-biosciences-1441481) has made it onto [TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025](https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2025/) list for developing the world’s first non-browning banana and the first new commercial banana variety in over 75 years. Available on shelves next year.

But the real breakthrough is that this gene-edited banana is part of Tropic’s wider effort to create crops resistant to devastating plant diseases. Bananas worldwide are currently threatened by a fungal blight (Panama Disease TR4) that’s wiping out plantations and endangering the global supply of the Cavendish, the single variety that makes up almost all exported bananas.

As most bananas are one of only four variants after a fifth already died out, the fruit is at extreme risk of an extinction event. Climate change is also putting growing regions at massive risk prompting further gene-editing by the company.

TIME calls Tropic’s invention “a potential lifeline for a crop on the brink,” and notes that the same technology could soon protect coffee and rice from similar diseases.

So I guess then we can continue with monocultures of clonal plants and high pesticide use then. That is, until the next strain of fungus blight comes along and wipes it all out. Plus no brown bananas for making banana bread or banana pancakes, fantastic. God, I hate the agro industry.

How will I know when it’s time to make bread though?

WTF? What value does this have? The darkening of the peel is what tells you exactly what level of ripeness the fruit is.

I’m more interested in the “Fusarium wilt”, where apparently they’ve found the mechanism but don’t have a cure. https://www.livescience.com/health/food-diet/banana-apocalypse-could-be-averted-thanks-to-genetic-breakthrough