《中英對照讀新聞》A Banana-Killing Fungus Has Reached Latin America 「香蕉殺手菌」已擴展至拉丁美洲

拉丁美洲國家首次檢測出「香蕉殺手菌」；哥倫比亞當局證實驗出黃葉病熱帶4號（TR4）後，已於8月8日宣布全國進入緊急狀態。圖為墨西哥一處正在收成的香蕉種植園。（美聯社檔案照）

◎劉宜庭

Bad news for banana lovers: A fungus that’s particularly adept at killing the fruit has finally reached Latin America — a major supplier of the world’s bananas — as scientists long feared it would.

香蕉愛好者的噩耗：正如同科學家長久以來所擔憂的，特別擅長殘害香蕉的一種真菌，最終仍擴展至全球香蕉主要供應地之一的拉丁美洲。

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Recently, officials in Colombia declared a national emergency after confirming the presence of this deadly fungus, known as Fusarium oxysporum Tropical Race 4 (TR4), in the country, according to the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA).

哥倫比亞農業研究所（ICA）證實，哥國官員確認這種極其有害的真菌黃葉病熱帶4號（TR4）存在該國後，近期已宣布全國進入緊急狀態。

This is the first time the fungus has been detected in Latin America. However, the fungus isn’t new — for decades, it has been devastating banana plantations in Asia, Australia and East Africa. Although this fungus isn’t harmful to humans, it is a "serious threat" to banana production, according to the United Nations.

此為拉丁美洲首次檢測出「香蕉殺手菌」。不過，這種真菌並非新發現，它數十年來已經毀滅了許多位於亞洲、澳洲及東非的香蕉種植園。聯合國指出，這種真菌雖對人體無害，卻能對香蕉生產構成「嚴重威脅」。

The fungus attacks the plant’s roots and blocks its vascular system — the network used to transport water and nutrients — and ultimately kills the plant. Once the fungus finds its way into soil, it can’t be treated with fungicides, and it’s very difficult to remove.

這種真菌會攻擊香蕉的根部，阻斷其運輸水和養分的維管束系統，最終造成整株植物死亡。一旦這種真菌存在於土壤，就不能單純依靠殺菌劑治療，它極其難以根除。

新聞辭典

Colombia：名詞，（南美洲國家）哥倫比亞。例句：Colombia has quarantined and destroyed affected areas in an effort to fight the fungus.（哥倫比亞已經隔離及摧毀受災區，以對抗這種真菌。）

fungus：名詞，真菌、黴菌。例句：The fungus attacks the most commonly exported banana, the Cavendish banana.（這種真菌會攻擊最常見的出口香蕉品種「華蕉」。）

banana：名詞，香蕉。例句：Cavendish bananas reproduce asexually, meaning that the plants are essentially clones of their parents. （華蕉屬於無性繁殖，意指這種植物本質上是其親代的複製生物。）

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