The Cavendish banana accounts for nearly all bananas exported internationally and descends from a single cultivar propagated through cuttings rather than seeds. Because every Cavendish plant is genetically identical, a disease that infects one plant can potentially devastate the entire global supply. A fungal disease called Tropical Race 4 has already destroyed plantations in Southeast Asia and Australia and is spreading to other regions.
Which choice most logically completes the text? The passage suggests that genetic uniformity in commercial crops _______
- Acheck_circle
creates vulnerabilities that can be exploited by a single pathogen
- B
guarantees stable consumer prices indefinitely
- C
provides robust protection against newly emerging diseases
- D
is unrelated to the spread of agricultural diseases
Explanation
Identical plants leaving the entire crop susceptible to one disease supports B. A and D contradict the passage; C is unsupported.