The spread of Panama disease is threatening one of the world’s most popular fruits, and unless drastic steps are taken to address the issue, this fungicide-resistant pathogen could wipe out the banana industry entirely, according to a recent PLOS Pathogens study.

According to Science Alertand ABC News Australia, Panama disease has already spread across South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Australia, despite efforts to keep it quarantined. Now, experts believe it is only a matter of time before it makes its way into Latin America.More than 80 percent of the world’s Cavandish bananas come from this part of the world, with more than one-third of the billion-dollar global export market coming from Ecuador alone. The disease, which previously brought the Gros Michel species of banana close to extinction during the 1960s, could soon decimate the most popular type of the fruit on the market today.

Cavendish bananas, which the Wageningen University and Research Centre scientists behind the new study explained were previously maintained as “interesting specimens” at botanical gardens in the UK and at a private collection in Honduras, were identified as resistant substitutes to the Gros Michel bananas. Now, however, they face a similar threat from Panama disease.

It may be time to build a better banana

This threat comes from a new strain of the pathogen known as Tropical Race 4 (TR4), and the study authors report that it is a single clone of the originate disease that is threatening Cavendish bananas all over the world. The new strain is said to have originated in Indonesia, and then spread to Taiwan, China, and the rest of Southeast Asia before going global.

One of the research team members, Gert Kema, told Quartzthat they have identified TR4 in the countries of Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, and Mozambique, as well as in Queensland in the northeastern part of Australia. The lack of genetic diversity in Cavendish bananas, which are just seedless clones of each other, make them extremely vulnerable, according to Science Alert.

While the authors emphasize that bananas will not disappear overnight, they do note that action needs to be taken to ensure the future of the fruit. The Panama disease fungus cannot be killed, so having reliable diagnostic tests to detect the pathogen and wiping out infected crops before it can spread is essential—and it may be time to start working on a replacement.

However, developing a new type of banana “requires major investments in research and development and the recognition of the banana as a global staple and cash crop.. that supports the livelihoods of millions of small-holder farmers,” the authors explained. Until that can happen, “any potential disease management option needs to be scrutinized, thereby lengthening the commercial lifespan of contemporary [bananas].”