The story behind the red wax-tipped bananas in Australia

Queensland wax-tipped bananas (Source: Verdemode)

The red wax-tipped bananas are those grown on banana plantations in Northern Queensland that use less chemicals and have created working farm ecosystems. This type of farming is called ecoganics which was started by Frank and Dianne Sciacca.

The Sciacca’s have been farming bananas for 30 years but changed the way they operated 15 years ago. The chemicals that they were advised to use on the soil and plants were not working and very costly. So Frank decided to farm more like what was done 60 years ago. Now insects abound and synthetic fertilisers are forbidden. A number of nearby farmers are following his methods and have formed a team.

Methods employed include:
- eliminating insecticides, miticides, nematicides and any fertiliser that kills organisms in the soil,
- cut herbicide use by 25%,
- applied fungicides sparingly,
- planted trees and shrubs to provide food and shelter for native animals,  
- provided a network of dams, drains and grassed areas to prevent runoff to the sea and Great Barrier Reef,
- allowed grasses and weeds to remain to provide flowers and habitats for insects and other small animals.

It took 4-6 years for improvements to appear and now the farms have working ecosystems; they save thousands of dollars in costs; production is not as good as before but this approach is profitable and sustainable. The conventional approach disrupted the ecosystem and reduced biodiversity. Now a working cycle has returned which is more biodiverse. For example, insects are seen as useful contributors as they are predators, pollinators, recyclers, scavengers, decomposers, soil creators and a food source. Other plants and animals join this web on land and in soil and water.

Nearby is a Queensland Department of Agriculture research station which is studying their results and doing further research. So far they have found the following:
- the carbon in the soil has risen (carbon sequestration),
- the number of microbes in the soil has risen,
- beneficial insects have returned,
- there is greater soil nutrient cycling,
- there is less soil nitrogen which creates competition and helps keep down pests such as Panama disease,
- greater insect diversity,
- beneficial nematodes have returned,
- research is underway to safely keep problem fungi under control.

Frank Sciacca says that these methods can be applied to other farming enterprises.

More information:
- ABC Landline: Red Tips: The story behind the bananas with the red tips.
- Pacific Coast Eco bananas