Bananas

Teacher: Ms. St. John

Class: Form 3 B
Name: Devine Amsterdam
Due: March 7, 2022

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 Bananas

Botanical name/ Scientific name: Musa 

Banana Features
Family name: Musaceae
Variable in:
Origin and Distribution  Size: often
A banana elongated (lengthy)
and curved From
 a tropical edible fruit 
South-East Asia
 produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering were small, about as
plants in the genus Musa. long as an adult's
 grow in clusters hanging from the top of the plant.  finger.
 grows in clusters of 50-150 pieces, breaks into 10-25 bunches  Texture/firmness:
soft flesh rich in
 approximately 50 species in the Musa genus, includes the
starch and covered
edible forms of bananas and plantains.  Colour: a rind which
Most modern edible parthenocarpic (seedless) bananas come from may be green, yellow,
two wild species: red, purple, or brown
o Musa acuminata  when ripe.

o Musa balbisiana

 One of the first documentations of bananas was by Perhaps 87% of the total bananas
consumed worldwide today are locally
Alexander the Great’s army in 327 BC.  consumed; the rest is distributed
 a staple in the wet tropic areas of:  outside of the wet
1. Africa  tropical regions in which they are
grown.
2. the Americas mainland and island M. balbisiana is mostly found in
3. South and Southeast Asia including the eastern half of the mainland Southeast Asia.
Indian subcontinent
4. Melanesia 
5. the Pacific Islands. 
 cultivated and hybridized a number of times over several thousand years.

All edible bananas today are hybridized from Musa acuminata (diploid) or Musa acuminata crossed with
Musa balbisiana (triploid)

Genetic changes from M. acuminata created by the domestication process include the suppression ofseeds
and the development of parthenocarpy

Bananas are a component of the Bananas Rice Applesauce Toast (BRAT) Diet recommended to people who
have diarrhea or are experiencing an upset stomach. The potassium in bananas helps to regulate the fluid
balance in the body, and the fiber aids in digestion.
Plantains (found often in Latin American cuisine) are typically prepared:
 Fried
 mashed
 boiled

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 Bananas are:
 one of the most consumed fruits in America
 often eaten raw
 can come in the form of:
1. Chips, 
2. On an ice cream sundae, 
3. On a breakfast oatmeal, 
4. Pancake
5. cereal. 

Gros Michel are: 


Of good flavour and high quality, but due to
its susceptibility to the Panama disease and
to leaf spot
 Replaced by varieties which, although not so
well flavoured are more resistant to this
disease.
 Various species of the Cavendish banana, a
hardier group, have been crossed with Gros
Michel to produce commercial varieties.

Other varieties include the Cavendish; The Valery, Lacatan and Robusta. The
Valery, Lacatan and Robusta are the three most important. Locally we have
Sweet Fig, Sour Fig and Apple.

Cavendish

Sweet Fig Sour Fig

Lacatan Sour Fig

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PLANTING AND CULTIVATION
The banana is propagated exclusively by vegetative methods. The pseudo stem produces three main
types of suckers: Maiden, water and sword. The water sucker is one in which the stem is the same
width from top to bottom. These are usually produced by the remote or grandparent corm and must
never be used for planting. Sword sucker are very vigorous and are produced by the main stem; such
suckers are relatively large from the bottom and taper towards the top; they also have long, thin blade
– like leaves. These are the best suckers for planting. Between the sword and the water sucker is the
maiden sucker which has narrower leaves than the sucker leaves. The stem tapers somewhat from
bottom to top, but not to the same degree as in the sword sucker. Maiden suckers also make good
planting materials. The best plants are obtained from the corms of old stems which have one or two
buds on them.

Bananas keep growing for several years. There are many alluvial valleys and plains where they
remain in production for 10 – 20 years without being replanted. However, the average period of
productive growth, without replanting, is about 5 years. This is particularly true of crops planted on
clayey soils commonly found in the region.

All new planting materials for banana should be free from pests and diseases. Whether old corms or
suckers are being planted, they should be inspected for plant borers and nematodes. All other roots
and trash are removed and decaying portion of stem should be cut away. The stem should be dipped
in Nemagon to which a sticker such as Triton has been added. Suckers or corms, sometimes referred
to as heads, are planted in holes about 45cm wide and 45cm deep at a spacing of about 2.4m × 2.1m
or closer, depending on the fertility of the soil, the slope of the land and the banana variety. Bananas
were previously sold by the stem or bunch and the emphasis was on the number of hands per bunch,
but they are now sold by weight. The farmer’s aim therefore is to produce a high tonnage per hectare,
although individual fruits may be smaller. This means that if the spacing between plants is reduced,
more plants can be planted per hectare and higher yield can be obtained.

APPLICATION OF FERTILISERS
Bananas require fertilizer, if a high level of production is to be maintained year after year. At least
two applications per year are recommended, but the rate of application and type of fertilizer used
have to be determined by soil testing. A mixed fertilizer is generally recommended since bananas do
not appear to show any major mineral deficiency.

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PRUNING
The attitude towards cutting out suckers has changed considerably since the introduction of the
practice of selling bananas by weight. In fertile soils, as many as four or five suckers may be allowed
to develop from the parent plant; whereas, in less fertile soils, it is advisable to allow only two
suckers to be produced at different stages of development. In short, the farmer has to decide whether
sucker removal is necessary and to what extent it should be done. Where a sucker needs to be
removed from the parent plant, this should be done using a sharp cutlass or machete, by inserting it
between the sucker and the parent. If a choice has to be made between a number of suckers, the one
furthest removed from the parent plant or one growing on a lower slope should be removed since
these are not so firmly established as others which are closer to the parent plant. A smooth, clean cut
is essential since it discourages possible infection of the plant.

HARVESTING
The top portion of the pseudo stem is cut off and allowed to remain at the base of the plant. This
serves as a source of mulch; alternatively it can be fed to cattle and some farmers use it as
supplementary feed in times of scarcity. Most losses occur during harvesting. Rejection of bunches is
usually based on the maturity of the fruit which is often harvested when immature. Some rejection
takes place because the fruits are bruised. In some plantations, the young fruits are wrapped in
polythene bags to prevent grazing of the fruits. The bananas are transported from the field to boxing
plants. They are cut into hands, washed and boxed for shipment to foreign markets. Hands of bananas
may be dipped in growth regulators substances gibberlins to improve post-harvest storage. Keeping
at temperatures of 130C - 15°C and 85% relative humidity also prolongs the storage time.

PESTS AND DISEASES

Banana bunches are sometimes encased in plastic bags for protection. The bags may be coated with
pesticides. While 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.

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PANAMA DISEASE
Panama disease is caused by a fusarium soil fungus
(Race 1), which enters the plants through the roots and
travels with water into the trunk and leaves, producing
gels and gums that cut off the flow of water and
nutrients, causing the plant to wilt, and exposing the
rest of the plant to lethal amounts of sunlight. Prior to 1960, almost all commercial banana
production centred on "Gros Michel", but it was highly susceptible to that disease. Cavendish was
chosen as the replacement of Gros Michel because among resistant cultivars, it produces the highest
quality fruit. However, more care is required for shipping the Cavendish, and its quality compared to
Gros Michel is debatable.

TROPICAL RACE 4
Tropical Race 4 (TR4) is a reinvigorated strain of Panama
disease first discovered in 1993. This virulent form of fusarium
wilt has wiped out Cavendish in several Southeast Asian
countries. It has yet to reach the Americas; however, soil fungi
can easily be carried on footwear, clothing or tools. This is how
TR4 travels and is its most likely route
into Latin America. Cavendish is highly
susceptible to TR4, and over time,
Cavendish is almost certain to disappear
from commercial production by this
disease. The only known defense to TR4 is genetic resistance.

BLACK SIGATOKA
Black Sigatoka is a fungal leaf spot disease first
observed in Fiji in 1963 or 1964. Black Sigatoka
(also known as black leaf streak) has spread to
banana plantations throughout the tropics from
infected banana leaves that were used as packing
material. It affects all main cultivars of bananas and
plantains (including the Cavendish cultivars),

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impeding photosynthesis by blackening parts of the leaves, eventually killing the entire leaf. Starved
for energy, fruit production falls by 50% or more, and the bananas that do grow ripen prematurely,
making them unsuitable for export. The fungus has shown ever increasing resistance to treatment,
with the current expense for treating 1 hectare (2.5 acres) very costly. In addition to the expense,
there is the question of how long intensive spraying can be environmentally justified. Several
resistant cultivars of banana have been developed, but none has yet received commercial acceptance
due to taste and texture issues.

BANANA BUNCHY TOP VIRUS (BBTV)

Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) moves from
plant to plant by aphids. It stunts leaves, resulting
in a "bunched" appearance. Generally, an infected
plant does not produce fruit, although mild strains
exist which allow for some production. These mild
strains are often mistaken for malnourishment, or a
disease other than BBTV. There is no cure.
However, its effect can be minimized by planting
only tissue-cultured plants (in vitro propagation), controlling aphids, and immediately removing and
destroying infected plants.

BANANA BACTERIAL WILT

Banana Bacterial Wilt (BBW)
a bacterial disease caused by Xanthomonas
campestris pv. Musacearum. After being
originally identified on a close relative of
bananas, Ensete ventricosum, in Ethiopia in the
1960s, BBW occurred in Uganda in 2001
affecting all banana cultivars. Since then, BBW
has been diagnosed in Central and East Africa, including the banana growing regions of Rwanda,the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi and Uganda.

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 Glossary and Facts
 Bananas used for cooking are called plantain in some countries.
 Africans are credited to have given the present name, since the word banana would be derived from
the Arab for 'finger'. The original bananas from south-east Asia were small, about as long as an
adult's finger. This led to Arabian traders giving them their name, based on the Arabic word for
finger, “banan”
 It is believed to be in the jungles of Malaysia around 4,000 years ago.
 In 327 BC, when Alexander The Great and his army invaded India, he discovered banana crop in
the Indian Valleys. After tasting this unusual fruit for the first time, he introduced this new
discovery to the Western world.
 combine to produce hybrids (species)

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 Reference

https://knoema.com/atlas/Guyana/topics/Agriculture/Crops-Production-Quantity-tonnes/Bananas-
production#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20bananas%20production%20for,at
%2017%2C205%20tonnes%20in%202020
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/8-things-you-didnt-know-about-bananas
https://www.bananalink.org.uk/all-about-bananas/

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