# A farmer grows a crop of banana plants. All the banana plants are produced by asexual reproduction. A new fungal disease spreads across the farm. Explain why the spread of this disease could destroy the entire crop of banana plants.

> Edexcel GCSE Biology (1BI0) — 3.1 Sexual and asexual reproduction · Explain · 4 marks

> Banana plants can be reproduced asexually by taking cuttings from a parent plant. A fungal disease has recently begun to affect banana crops worldwide.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. Asexual reproduction involves a single parent / produces genetically identical offspring (clones)
2. There is no / very little genetic variation in the crop
3. If one plant is susceptible to the disease, all plants are equally susceptible (because they share the same alleles / genotype)
4. No individual plants have alleles that give resistance, so the entire crop can be destroyed

## Key terms

- [asexual reproduction](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/asexual-reproduction)

## Related

- [Revision notes for Edexcel GCSE Biology (1BI0)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-farmer-grows-a-crop-of-3b6cf907) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.