CHAPTER - 6

Banana (Musa spp.)

Production
and
Management
 6.1. Origin and Distribution
 Origin
 the Tropical South East Asian (Assam, Burma, Indo-
China region) and Western pacific regions where their
inedible, seed-bearing, diploid ancestors can still be
found in the natural forest vegetation.
 bananas are cultivated commercially under tropical
and sub-tropical conditions of the world.
 It is one of the best fruits of the world
 6.2. Production and Consumption
 After Citrus, Musa is the most important fruit in world
trade
– It can be grown in home gardens (for home
consumption and local market) and in big plantations
for export.
 Both in production and consumption bananas are at the
top =>It provides food security for millions of people
 The 2012 statistics (see Table 1) show that India led the
world in banana production, producing around 18% of the
worldwide crop of 139 million metric tonnes.
 Ten countries produced around two thirds of the total
world production.
 Table 1: Production of bananas and plantains by country (2012)
Percentage
Country Millions of tonnes of world total
 India 24.9 18%
 China 10.6 8%
 Uganda 9.8 7%
 Philippines 9.2 7%
 Ecuador 7.6 5%
 Brazil 6.9 5%
 Indonesia 6.2 4%
 Colombia 5.3 4%
 Cameroon 4.9 3%
 Ghana 3.6 3%
All other countries 50.2 36%
Total world 139.2 100%

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (2012).

 Table 2: Export of bananas and plantains by country (2011)

Percentage
Country Millions of tonnes of world total
 Ecuador 5.2 29%
 Costa Rica 1.8 10%
 Colombia 1.8 10%
 Philippines 1.6 9%
 Guatemala 1.5 8%
All other countries 6.0 34%
Total world 17.9 100%
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (2012).
 More than 80% of all bananas produced worldwide go to
domestic markets.

 69.4% - of plantains produced worldwide used for human

consumption
– 11.1% processed
– 8% livestock feed
– More than 60% of this volume is produced and consumed in
central and west Africa.
 Generally greatest acreage is found in Africa and stand 2nd
to citrus in Ethiopia.
– Major production comes from farmers except, large scale
production in Melka-sedi and Awash melka areas.
– Some good varieties are also found in western Harrarghae,
SNNPRS, etc…
 6.3. Composition and Uses
Enjoy banana fruit; nature's own energy-rich food that
comes with a safety envelope!
Banana is an important source of energy and the cheapest
source of nutrients for the bulk of our population.
In terms of nutritional value, the fruits are rich in
carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.
It provides more balanced food than many other fruit crops.
In terms of energy, bananas are even better compared to
potatoes.
Bananas and plantains are recognized as the fourth most
important global food commodity after rice, wheat and milk.
• The fruit pulp of banana has rich and easily digestible
carbohydrates apart from many vitamins like riboflavin, niacin
and ascorbic acid and
–Minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus
and has several medicinal properties.
–It is hence considered as fruit for all ages of people from
infants to aged.
–In certain parts of India, banana powder is used as baby food.
• Bananas can be also processed to purees, powder, flour, chips,
jam, jelly, wine, etc.
• attractive handicraft items like mats, carry bags, etc. can be
also made from the banana fiber.
• Besides, the fibers can be also used for making paper pulp.
Table: Banana fruit, Nutritive Value per 100 g
Principle Nutrient Value Percentage of RDA
Energy 90 Kcal 4.5%
Carbohydrates 22.84 g 18%
Protein 1.09g 2%
Total Fat 0.33 g 1%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Dietary Fiber 2.60 g 7%
Vitamins
Niacin 0.665 mg 4%
Pantothenic acid 0.334 mg 7%
Pyridoxine 0.367 mg 28%
Riboflavin 0.073 mg 5%
Thiamin 0.031 mg 2%
Vitamin A 64 IU 2%
Vitamin C 8.7 mg 15%
Vitamin E 0.10 mg 1%
Vitamin K 0.5 µg 1%
 Electrolytes Nutrient Value Percentage of RDA
Sodium 1 mg 0%
Potassium 358 mg 8%
Minerals
Calcium 5 mg 0.5%
Copper 0.078 mg 8%
Iron 0.26 mg 2%
Magnesium 27 mg 7%
Manganese 0.270 mg 13%
Phosphorus 22 mg 3%
Selenium 1.0 µg 2%
Zinc 0.15 mg 1%
Phyto-nutrients
Carotene-a 25 µg --
Carotene-ß 26 µg --
Lutein-zeaxanthin 22 µg --

(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base, 2012)

 6.4. Botany and Morphology
 Botanically, Bananas and Plantains – belongs to the -
– Family: Musaceae – which consists of only two genera viz.,
Ensete and Musa.
– Genus: Musa
– Species:
• Musa acuminata
• Musa balbisiana
 Under the Genus Musa, five sections/series are known:
i. Eumusa – 10 spps are cultivated – the inflorescence hangs down.
• The edible bananas are grouped in the section Eumusa.
ii. Australly musa – 6 species cultivated as fruit
iii. Callimusa
iv. Rodochlamys – ornamentals
v. Incertae sedis.
 Genus Musa-Section Eumusa
 The genus Musa - Section Eumusa has two major
species of economic importance
– Musa accuminata (A genome) – originated in Malaysia
–– dessert bananas
– Musa balbisiana (B genome) – originated in India
––cooking/plantain - also carry genome A

 The types of banana found in two species are

differentiated by the number and type of genomes which
are found in the cells of that particular banana type.
 Types of Bananas
• Banana
– Desert banana, fresh
consumption

Banana (Musa acuminata colla)

• Plantain
– Cooking, Meal, Vegetable
banana
– AAB or ABB

Plantain (Musa balbisiana)

Common banana types:
• AA – cultivated for its thin skin and local
consumption.
– Example, Lady finger
• AB – have good flavor and high resistance to some
disease.
– Example, Ney poven.
• AAB type – all cooking bananas which have high
starch and low sugar even at maturity and ripening.
• AAA type – found in all bananas growing in tropical
countries; edible, desert banana, fresh consumption
which is found in current market.
Example: -
 Gross Michael – tall, big, healthy plants with attractive
fruits; when ripe the fruits have a bright yellow color;
susceptible to Panama disease
 Cavendish - Plant and fruit size are smaller than Gross
Michael; resistant to Panama disease and replaced Gross
Michael in some countries
– Giant and Dwarf Cavendish.
 AAAA type – artificially bred (Tetraploid), good disease
resistance, produce low yield, not widely distributed.
 ABB type – very vigorous, resistance to leaf spot disease,
produce low yield. Example, Bluggoe
 ABBB – naturally occurring tetraploid, robust, disease
resistant, spongy and fibrous fruits in Burma and Thailand.
 Morphology/Plant Structure (Monocot)
• Banana - A tree-like herb.
• Perennial/Gigantic herb
• It is perennial but monocarpic (i.e.
a shoot flowers only once and dies
after it has borne fruit).
– All leaves including the fruit
inflorescence origin from the under
ground corm
• Spreads via rhizomes
– Largest plant on earth without a
woody trunk
• trunk is a pseudostem,
consisting of the bases of the
leaves
 The stem has two parts; the true and psuedo stem.
– The size of the true stem depends on: the type of banana
plant, environmental conditions and farm practices.
 Banana has unique growth characteristics.
– In fact, the whole plant is a false stem (pseudostem).
– This pseudostem is consisting of broad leaves, together with
their long petioles, overlapping each other in a disc-like
fashion.
– The whole plant may reach up to 2 to 6 meters tall from the
ground surface depending upon the cultivar types.
 Each leaf contains the sheath, the petiole and the midrib.
– There are 60-70 leaves per plant and 10-15 leaves are active.
– A new leaf is emitted weekly depending on nutritional
requirement.
 The corm (basal underground part) is storage organ.
– The food stored in the corm is used for production of
suckers, production and development of roots,
psuedostem, true stem, leaves and inflorescence.
 Lateral buds on the corm will become eyes and then
suckers.
– The suckers are used for propagation.
 The roots are formed from the corm.
– There is no tap root.
– A corm may have 400 – 700 roots.
– When, the plant flowers it stops producing roots.
 The inflorescence is the terminal bud of the corm (it
rises in the psuedostem and produces the inflorescence).
– The first 5 – 15 flowers are large enough to become
fruits and others are male flowers.
– The flower finally emerges out at the top in-
between leaf clusters.
Banana flower

Female

Three months from

flowering to harvest Male
 The fruit is a berry.
– It is parthenocarpic.
– The fruits differ from cultivar to cultivar in
characteristics such as shape, size, color of skin and
flavor.
 Once ripen, bananas are very fragile and start decaying in
short span of time.
Botanically the Banana
is a Berry- One pistil -
One or many seed
Most banana species
have seeds.
Primitive, probably diploid, banana
Most bananas in the
tropics cooked, but many
also are eaten fresh.

Seed Remnants
• BUNCH - The entire inflorescence which consists of many “hands,” each
composed of numerous “fingers”.
• CORM - The basal, underground portion of the pseudostem of the banana
plant.
– Botanically classified as a rhizome.
– Can be used for planting material.
• FINGER - A single banana fruit.
• HAND - Banana fingers growing together and forming a distinct portion
of the bunch.
• INFLORESCENCE - A flower head or entire bunch on a single banana
plant.
• PSEUDOSTEM - The “trunk” of the banana plant.
• SUCKER - A young offshoot of the parent or mother plant.
• SWORD SUCKER - A narrow leafed sucker of the parent or mother
plant.
– This is the desirable sucker for planting material.
– Not all suckers are sword suckers.
Banana
Photo 1. Banana “keiki” growing from base of “mother” plant.
 5.5. Banana Cultivars/Varieties
 There are many different cultivars available with a wide
variation in fruit type and quality.
 There are several cultivars of banana that comes in different
size (10-22cm), color (yellow to brown), weight (70-150g) and
taste.
– Structurally, it has a protective outer skin layer and delicious,
sweet & tart, creamy-white edible flesh inside.
 Plantains are other cultivar types more
often known as cooking bananas.
– They closely related to familiar fruit
banana or dessert banana.
– Plantains are used as a staple diet in many
parts of tropical African and Caribbean regions
as well as in Thailand, and other Southeast
Asian parts.
 Banana Cultivars/Varieties – Grown in Ethiopia
 Dwarf Cavendish – better adapted to a cool climate
than any other Cavendish cultivar.
– It was extensively planted, though, in recent years its
popularity has been declining owing to its
susceptibility to burrowing nematode and cigar-end
rot disease.

 Giant Cavendish – a tall growing Strain of Cavendish,

which has largely replaced the Dwarf in commercial
plantations.
 Banana Cultivars/Varieties – Grown in Ethiopia…
 Poyo – a leading cultivar, comparatively resistant to
transport damage.
– Unlike Dwarf and Giant Cavendish, the male bracts
fall-off and the fruit is reported to be comparatively
resistant to transport damage.
 Ducasse – locally called “Kenya” banana in Ethiopia.
– It is a tall plant with wider ecological adaptation
(i.e. grows well in warm & cooler climates, up to 1700m a.s.l.)

– The fruit is small, thin-skinned and rather starchy.

– It has good keeping quality.
– Because of tall habit of the plant, planted as a wind
break around blocks of other cultivars.
Table: Some recommended Banana varieties

Banana

Source: Melkassa and Bishoftu Agricultural Research center

 6.6. Ecology and Physiology
• The banana is strictly a tropical crop.
– It grows luxuriantly in the warm, humid and
rainy climate of tropical regions of the equator.
• The banana is predominantly a tropical crop,
unlike citrus.
• Good harvest can be obtained at an altitude of
1800m a.s.l.
– Above 1800 m a.s.l. stunted growth and may fail
to flower.
– Banana comes up well up to an altitude of 1500m above
sea level in the tropics.
• Banana grows well in regions with a temperature range
of 10-40 OC and an average of 23 OC.
• Growth begins at about 18 0C and reaches at an optimum
at 27 0C, then declines.
– Generally, 25 – 30 0C is considered to be ideal.
– Growth is limited above 38 0C.
– In cooler climate the duration is extended, sucker
production is affected and bunches are small.
– Low temperature i.e. less than 10 OC is unsuitable
since, they lead to a condition called choke or impeded
inflorescence and bunch development.
– Chilling injury occurs at temperature below 12 0C,
when latex coagulates.
• Except, for the Dwarf CV banana cannot withstand frost.
• Since banana require a lot of water evenly distributed
rainfall is essential.
– 120-160 mm per month throughout the year or
2000-2500 mm per year is a minimum requirement.
– Shortage can be supplemented by irrigation.
• Banana grows well under high rainfall areas.
– On an average 100 mm rainfall per month appears to
be satisfactory for growth of banana.
• Stagnation of water is injurious and may cause diseases
like panama wilt.
– On other experiments 50% shade to full sunlight has
no effect on growth and yield.
– Generally, they can grow well as shade or nurse crop.
Hail and Wind
 Cause perforation and shredding of the leaves that
result in reduced photosynthesis.
– Hail makes black spot on the fruits and makes them
unpalatable when cooked.
– Wind causes falling down of the tree by breaking the
pseudo stem.
• To prevent wind damage plant wind breaks like
elephant grass should be planted.
• Hot winds blowing in high speed during the summer
months shred and desiccate the leaves.

– Absence of strong winds and cyclones are important.

Soils:
• Banana is voracious feeder and requires a well-drained soil with plentiful
organic matter.
• Even though banana requires heavy irrigation, it cannot with stand water
stagnation.
– Therefore, the soil should be well drained and deep (At least 1m depth).
• It grows successfully in loamy soils, well drained clay soils, irrigated
medium soils.
• The production in lighter soils is good (i.e. Requires deep light soil with
sufficient fertility).
• Saline soils with salinity percentage exceeding 0.05 are unsuitable.

• Banana can grow well even under slightly alkaline soils.

– Such soils are found preferable for avoiding the wilt disease, which is
known to be severe in acid soils.

• pH ranges from 5.0-6.5 and if it is below 5.0 it requires applying lime.

5.7. Cultural practice/Crop husbandry
Propagation
Bananas can be propagated vegetaively by using
suckers or corms (rhizomes) and combination of
the two can be used.
Suckers: There are four types of suckers.
1) Peppers: - young above ground suckers which
have not yet formed leaves
2) Maiden suckers: - large suckers which have
broad leaves but not flowers.
3) Water sucker: Have broad leaves and broad pseudostem
and they don‘t produce a healthy banana clump and
hence not suitable for planting.
– Water suckers: - suckers bearing broad leaves

4) Sword sucker: It has a strong large base, gradually

tapering to a slender point with one or two narrow sword
like leaves at the tip.
– Sword suckers: - bear narrow sword like leaves
– The sword sucker is most vigorous, grows fast and
comes in to bearing early.
– Hence, sword suckers are preferred for planting.
Water and Sword suckers
Preparation of the sucker:
• Selection of sucker: Select only 3-4 months old suckers from
healthy vigorously growing and good yielding plants.
• The sword suckers should have 10-12 cm diameter at the base
and 2-3 kg weight.
• The selected suckers should be separated from its mother plant
along with a portion of a rhizome.
• Later, the stem of the suckers should be headed at 20-30 cm
height in a slanting manner.
– This helps in producing new leaves quickly.
– The slanting cut also prevents the stagnation of water in the
sucker.
• The old roots should be removed and then dipped in 0.1%
cereson @ 1 g. per litre of water for 5 minutes before planting.
Corms (Rhizomes):
 Sections of large rhizome: - after the shoot has fruited,
the top is removed and the rhizome is then dug up and
divided into sections

In preparing corms
• Choose suitable suckers and uproot them carefully
• Separate the corm from the sucker, cut off roots, remove
trash and soil
• Peel of the outer skin of the corm and wash it.
• Cut the corm into bits (each with a bud) and treat with
nematicide
 Note: sprouting takes place 7-30 days after planting.
 Whether suckers or corms bits are planted the
harvesting time is the same for both.
– This is because the suckers that come out from corm
grow faster.

 Advantages of growing banana from corm bits:

– To have clean planting material
– To prevent transfer of weevils and nematodes to new
sites
– Enough planting material can be provided
– Corms can easily be transported.
Land preparation:
• The land should be deeply ploughed, harrowed and leveled and pits
of 45cmx45cm should be dug at the required spacing.
• The pits should be exposed for weathering for about a week to
control the presence of any grubs, ants, weevils etc.
• The soil from the pits should be mixed with the following
thoroughly.
• 5-10 kg of FYM 0.5 kg of castor or neem cake 2 kg of wood ash or
50 grams of muriate of potash 200 grams of super phosphate.

• The pits are then filled with the above-manured soil thoroughly.
• While filling the pits with the manured soil apply to the pit 50
grams of lindane dust to control weevil which affects the rhizome or
sucker in the soil.
• The sword suckers are later planted straight in the pit along with a
portion of rhizome at a depth of 10-15cm.
Planting:
• The period of planting should be such that the active
growth phase of the plant may continue un-hampered
during the flower bud initiation stage or stage at which
embryonic bunch is formed inside the pseudostem.
– This generally occurs between 4 and 5 months after
planting.
– This stage determines the no. of hands / fingers in
future bunch after planting.
Spacing:
The spacing varies greatly according to the variety and
climate.
Maintenance of banana plantation
Weed control (Weeding):
• In the first four months after planting, it is
necessary to remove weeds.
• Weed should be manually controlled by up-
rooting.
– Don’t remove weeds by using any kind of hoe
in a banana plantation.
– This is because banana plants have shallow
roots and consequently can be cut by the hoe.
• The second method is by using herbicide.
 Weeds can also be checked by the use of herbicides.
– Diuron @ 4 kg per hectare and simazine @ 6kg per
hectare control grasses and broad leaved weeds
when applied after planting and repeated 30 days
after planting.

– Glyphosate @ 1 kg a.i. per hectare at the time of

planting followed by 0.5 kg a.i.per hectare at 30 and
60 days after planting of suckers is recommended.

– Banana is sensitive to 2, 4-D and hence the phenoxy

compounds are not used.
Manuring
• Apply farm yard manure or organic matter.
• Mix it up with the soil and then cover it with
mulch.
• The manure should be applied 50 cm from the
stand as this is when functional roots are grown.
• Nutrient sprays: Spraying of a mixture containing
2% urea and potassium Di-hydrogen phosphate
immediately after the emergence of inflorescence
stalk helps in increasing the size of the bunch and
fruit content.
Pruning
 Pruning is a process of reducing plants to each banana
stand in order to have the required number.
 The advantages of this type of pruning are:
– A large crop yield can be obtained
– Banana plants bear fruit early
– Banana bunches are large and
– There is less attack of banana weevils.
 Production
Fruiting Stem

1st Replacement
Daughter

2nd Replacement
Grand daughter

Fruiting Mat
Removal of dry leaves
• Dead leaves should be removed.
• On the other hand, removal of dry leaves cause
lesions to the plant and makes it loose its sap.
– Due to this reason, removal of leaves should be done
during the rainy season or nor more than one week
before the onset of rains.
 Disadvantages of leaving dry leaves
– The plantation is not clean and attractive
– Dry old leaves can harbor harmful pests and diseases
– It hinders vital farm operations
– The plants can’t utilize fully the nutrients and water
Removal of flowers
 It involves removal of dried flower at the tip of the
fruit.
– In Cavendish types, the flowers remain intact and
must be removed when packing the banana.
– However, this injures the banana and should be
removed after flowering.
 Cultural operations in Banana:
Desuckering:
• During the growth of the mother plant, the suckers arise
from its rhizomes from time to time.
– If all these suckers are allowed to grow, the mother plant
looses its vigor and normal development resulting in
lower bunch weight and total yield.
– Therefore the suckers should not be allowed to grow near
the parent plant till the mother plant commences
flowering.
• At flowering (six months after planting), a vigorous
growing sword sucker should be allowed to grow and one
more sucker is encouraged to shoot out from the soil when
the parent plant matures its fruits.
• When the mother plant is harvested and removed, the
first sucker which is 6 months old takes the lead and
becomes the mother plant in the next generation and
thus the successive generations of suckers arising one
after the other at 6 months interval perpetuate.
• Removal of all suckers up to flowering of mother plant
and maintaining only one follower afterwards is the best
desuckering practice.

• Desuckering or pruning is the removal of unwanted

suckers.
– It is done by either cutting off the sucker or the heart may
be destroyed with out detaching the sucker from the
parent plant.
• Trashing: It is the removal of undesirable material
from the banana field like dried, diseased and
decayed leaves, pseudo stem after harvest, male
bud, last end of inflorescence and withered floral
parts.
 .

• Bunch Spray --Spray of monocrotophos (0.2%) after

emergence of all hands takes care of the thrips.
– Thrips attack discolors the fruit skin and makes it
unattractive.
• Bunch Covering --Covering bunch using dried
leaves of the plant is economical and prevents the
bunch from direct exposure to sunlight.
– Wrapping of bunches: It is covering of bunches with
polythene or gunny cloth that protects the fruits from
intense heat, hot wind etc. and improves the color of the
fruits.
– Bunch cover enhances quality of fruit.
– Sleeving of bunch is done to protect fruits against dust,
spray residue, insect and birds.
– This also increases temperature around developing bunch
and helps in early maturity
 Bagging of the Fruit
• Weekly inspection
– Remove terminal end of bunch
– Mark with ribbon - colors
change with the week
– Cover with perforated
polyethylene bag
• Why??
– Protection
• Pests
• Damage from leaves
• Dust and dirt
– Advance ripening
• Removal of floral remnants: The removal of
dried and persistent floral remnants present at the
apex of the fruit or finger helps in preventing the
spread of fungal diseases. These floral remnants
provide shelter to some of the fungal spores.
 Supporting the Crop
 Propping: - Due to heavy weight of
bunch the plant goes out of balance
and the bearing plant may lodge and
production and quality are adversely
affected.
– Therefore they should be propped
with the help of two bamboos
forming a triangle by placing them
against the stems on the leaning
side.
– This also helps in uniform
development of bunch.
– Leaf pruning can reduce problems
with wind damage
Banana clump

Propping

Bunch wrapping
• Earthing up: It should be done during the rainy
season to provide drainage and to avoid water
logging at the base.
– Due to earthing up there are fair chances of formation
of good root system.
– It is better that whole rows of banana are strongly
ridged up .
 6.8. Harvesting
• The period during which bananas mature will depend
on the type of bananas, planting material used,
environmental factors and whether the farmer
adhered strictly to all practices.
– Banana comes to flowering in about 9 months after
planting.
• The exact time of harvesting depends on the type of
banana, its use and where the bananas are going to be
sold
Maturity Signs and Harvesting of Banana
Maturity Signs of Banana (i.e. The indications of maturity for
harvesting are):
1. The dwarf bananas are ready for harvest within 11 to 14
months after planting while tall varieties take about 14 to
16 months to harvest.
2. Fruits usually mature in 120 to 140 days after flowering.
3. The fruit bunch is harvested when the ridges on their
surface changes from angular to round.
4. The dried parts of flowers at the top of fruit drop off easily.
5. The top most leaf starts drying as the bunch matures.
6. Color of fruits or fingers changes from dark green to pale
green (from deep green to light green).
Harvesting of Banana:
1.The trunk is lopped with a sickle or hatchet over half-way through
the stem.
2.The bunch will not fall to the ground but hang on, and injury is
avoided.
– The bunch is held and its penduncle is served.
3.About 30 cm of the stalk must be left to make handling easy.

• In all circumstances bananas are harvested when they are still green.
• The bunch weight increases fast during the last two to three weeks.
–Hence, it is better to delay harvesting.
• The longer the journey the earlier the banana bunch must cut.
• The quality of fruit allowed to ripen on the plant is usually lower than
that ripened of the plant due to fruit splitting and lower sugar content.
• If the bananas are to be transported to far away
places, they should be harvested when they are 75%
mature.
• For export purpose, three fourths of the full maturity
stage (recognized by the sharp angularities of the fingers)
is considered to harvest.
– The entire bunch is harvested with one-foot long stalk.
– After 15 minutes of harvest, when the latex flow
ceases, the bunch should be packed properly and
should not be allowed to come in contact with soil.
 6.9. Postharvest Handling
• Since bananas are highly perishable, great care should be
taken to prevent bruising during picking and transportation
operation.
• Ripening occurs in response to ethylene production and
applying ethylene will enhance ripening.

– Storage temperature => 13 - 15 oC

• Below 12 oC may cause chilling injury
– Bananas are ripened for marketing => 14 - 17 oC
• Ethylene treatment

 Once ripen, bananas are very fragile and start decaying in

short span of time.
 In the field, mature bananas generally harvested while
they are still raw green and firm which makes them easier
for transportation.
 In the stores, choose banana fruits based on when you
want to use them; greener ones should last for more days,
while yellow and brown-spotted bananas should be eaten
in a few days.
– Ready to eat bananas should be bright yellow, and
emanate rich fruity aroma.
– Ripe banana peels off easily.
– Ripe, fresh fruits are nutritionally enriched and sweeter
in taste than unripe, raw green ones.
Banana Ripening Chart
 6.10. Transport and Marketing
• Bananas are transported while they are still
attached to the stock.
• However, Cavendish types are often severely
bruised by this shipment.
• In some areas individual hands are packed in
cardboard boxes lined with polyethylene or paper.
• If bananas are to be stored, they should be cooled
between 11.70C and 13.30C.
• Bananas are very susceptible to chilling injury and
high temperature causes boiling.
Fruit Packing and Grading
• Cable system runs from
banana field to the packing
house
• Separate into hands
• Wash to prevent staining and
Pack in boxes
 Fruit Packing and Grading
• Pack in boxes
– Only pack
unblemished fruit
 5.11. Pests of Banana
Panama Disease
• Fusarium oxysporum
– Plantains are generally
resistant
• Control
– Resistant varieties
– New strain of the pathogen in
Asia overcomes Cavendish
resistance gene
 Need to develop a wider range
of varieties for the export
market Panama Disease
Black Sigatoka-Banana Leaf Spot
• Mycosphaerella - Cercospora
– Native to Southeast Asia
• Symptoms
– Small translucent pale yellow streaks
– Necrotic lesions (light gray w/ yellow halo)
– Lesions coalesce and destroy leaf
• Yield Losses - by losing leaf area
– This is generally not a problem in mixed
– 50% yield loss
– Also cause premature ripening in harvested fruit
• Control
– Mixed plantings
• Generally not a serious problem
– Monoculture
• Fungicides (Manzate)
• Resistant varieties
The End!