experienced a 43% compound annual growth rate from 2008 to 2016, to represent 36% of banana exports. Breeding Mutation breeding can be used in this crop. Jankowicz-Cieslak & Ingelbrecht 2022 provides lab protocols from cutting knife to sequencer to computer code for screening mutants. Aneuploidy is a source of significant variation in allotriploid varieties (the ABBs and AABs). For one example, it can be a source of TR4 resistance. Jankowicz-Cieslak & Ingelbrecht 2022 provides lab protocols to screen for such aberrations and for possible resulting disease resistances. (See .) Production and export In 2017, world production of bananas and plantains combined was 153 million tonnes, led by India and China with a combined total of 27% of global production. Other major producers were the Philippines, Colombia, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Brazil. As reported for 2013, total world exports were 20 million tonnes of bananas and 859,000 tonnes of plantains. Ecuador and the Philippines were the leading exporters with 5.4 and 3.3 million tonnes, respectively, and the Dominican Republic was the leading exporter of plantains with 210,350 tonnes. Developing countries Bananas and plantains constitute a major staple food crop for millions of people in developing countries. In many tropical countries, green (unripe) bananas used for cooking represent the main cultivars. Most producers are small-scale farmers either for home consumption or local markets. Because bananas and plantains produce fruit year-round, they provide a valuable food source during the hunger season (when the food from one annual/semi-annual harvest has been consumed, and the next is still to come). Bananas and plantains are important for global food security. Pests, diseases, and natural disasters Although in no danger of outright extinction, the most common edible banana cultivar Cavendish (extremely popular in Europe and the Americas) could become unviable for large-scale cultivation in the next 10–20 years. Its predecessor 'Gros Michel', discovered in the 1820s, suffered this fate. Like almost all bananas, Cavendish lacks genetic diversity, which makes it vulnerable to diseases, threatening both commercial cultivation and small-scale subsistence farming. Within the data gathered from the genes of hundreds of bananas, Botanist, Julie Sardos, of the Bioversity International research group, along with her colleagues found proof that at least several wild banana ancestors exist that are currently unknown to scientists, which could provide a means of defense against banana crop diseases. Some commentators remarked that those variants which could replace what much of the world considers a