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Banana
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Forotheruses,seeBanana(disambiguation).
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Bananaisthecommonnameforatypeoffruitandalsothe
herbaceousplantsofthegenusMusawhichproducethis
commonlyeatenfruit.Theyarenativetothetropicalregionof
SoutheastAsia.Bananasarelikelytohavebeenfirst
domesticatedinPapuaNewGuinea.[1]Today,theyarecultivated
throughoutthetropics.[2]
BananaplantsareofthefamilyMusaceae.Theyarecultivated
primarilyfortheirfruit,andtoalesserextentfortheproductionof
fibreandasornamentalplants.Asthebananaplantsarenormally
tallandfairlysturdytheyareoftenmistakenfortrees,buttheir
mainoruprightstemisactuallyapseudostem.Forsomespecies
thispseudostemcanreachaheightofupto28m,withleavesof
upto3.5minlength.Eachpseudostemcanproduceabunchof
greenbananaswhichwhenripenedoftenturnyelloworsometimes
red.Afterbearingfruit,thepseudostemdiesandisreplacedby
another.

Banana

'Cavendish'bananas

Scientificclassification
Kingdom: Plantae
Family:

Musaceae

Genus: Musa
Thebananafruitgrowinhangingclusters,withupto20fruittoa
tier(calledahand),and320tierstoabunch.Thetotalofthehangingclustersisknownasabunch,or
commerciallyasa"bananastem",andcanweighfrom3050kg.Thefruitaverages125g,ofwhichapproximately
75%iswaterand25%drymattercontent.Eachindividualfruit(knownasabananaor'finger')hasaprotective
outerlayer(apeelorskin)withafleshyedibleinnerportion.Bothskinandinnerpartcanbeeatenraworcooked.
WesternculturesgenerallyeattheinsiderawandthrowawaytheskinwhilesomeAsianculturesgenerallyeat
boththeskinandinsidecooked.Typically,thefruithasnumerousstrings(called'phloembundles')whichrun
betweentheskinandinnerpart.Theinnerpartofthecommonyellowdessertvarietysplitseasilylengthwiseinto
threestrips.BananasareavaluablesourceofvitaminB6,vitaminC,andpotassium.
Bananasaregrowninatleast107countries.[3]Inpopularcultureandcommerce,"banana"usuallyreferstosoft,
sweet"dessert"bananas.Thebananasfromagroupofcultivarswithfirmer,starchierfruitarecalledplantains.
Bananasmayalsobecutanddriedandeatenasatypeofchip.Driedbananasarealsogroundintobananaflour.
Althoughthewildspecieshavefruitswithnumerouslarge,hardseeds,virtuallyallculinarybananashave
seedlessfruits.Bananasareclassifiedeitherasdessertbananas(meaningtheyareyellowandfullyripewhen
eaten)orasgreencookingbananas.Almostallexportbananasareofthedesserttypeshowever,onlyabout10
15%ofallproductionisforexport,withtheUnitedStatesandEuropeanUnionbeingthedominantbuyers.
Contents
1Botany
2Properties
3Trade
4History
4.1Earlycultivation
4.2Plantationcultivation
5Cultivation
6Pests,diseases,andnaturaldisasters

Espaol
Esperanto
Euskara

Franais
Gidhlig
Galego

Hrvatski
Ido
BahasaIndonesia
Interlingua
slenska
Italiano

BasaJawa

Kapampangan

Kinyarwanda
Kiswahili
Kreylayisyen
Latina
Latvieu
Lietuvi
Lumbaart
Magyar

Malagasy

BahasaMelayu

Nhuatl
Nederlands
Nhiyawwin/

Norsk(bokml)
Norsk(nynorsk)

Polski
Portugus
Romn
RunaSimi

Scots
Sicilianu

6.1Majordiseases
6.1.1InAustralia
6.1.2InEastAfrica
7Healtheffects
8Fibre
8.1Textiles
8.2Paper
9Storageandtransport
10Usageinculture
10.1Peels
10.2Arts
10.3Symbols
11Gallery
12Seealso
12.1Culinaryusage
13Footnotes
14References
15Furtherreading
16Externallinks

Botany
Thissectionrequiresexpansion.

Thebananaplantisapseudostemthatgrowsto6to7.6metres(2025feet)
tall,growingfromacorm.Leavesarespirallyarrangedandmaygrow2.7
metres(9ft)longand60cm(2ft)wide.[4]Thebananaplantisthelargestof
allherbaceousfloweringplants.[5]Thelargeleavesgrowwhole,butareeasily
tornbythewind,resultinginthefamiliarfrondlook.[6]

Asingle,sterile,malebananaflower,alsoknownasthebananaheartis
normallyproducedbyeachstem(thoughonrareoccasionsmorecanbe
producedasingleplantinthePhilippineshasfive[7]).Bananaheartsare
Bananasdisplayedina
usedasavegetableinSoutheastAsia,steamed,insalads,oreatenraw.[8]
Singaporesupermarket.
Thefemaleflowersareproducedfurtherupthestemandproducetheactual
fruitwithoutrequiringfertilization.Thefruithasbeendescribedasa"leathery
[9]
berry". Incultivatedvarieties,theseedshavedegeneratednearlytononexistencetheirremnantsaretinyblack
specksintheinteriorofthefruit.Theovaryisinferiortotheflowerbecauseoftheirstiffstemsandthepositioning
oftheovaryandflower,bananasgrowstickingup,nothangingdown.
Somesourcesassertthatthegenusofthebanana,Musa,isnamedforAntonioMusa,physiciantotheEmperor
Augustus.[10]OtherssaythatLinnaeus,whogavethegenusitsnamein1750,simplyadaptedanArabicwordfor
banana,mauz.[11]ThewordbananaitselfcomesfromtheArabicwordbanan,whichmeans"finger".[11]The
genuscontainsnumerousspeciesseveralproduceediblefruit,whileothersarecultivatedasornamentals.[12]

Properties

SimpleEnglish
Slovenina
Slovenina
/Srpski
Srpskohrvatski/

BasaSunda
Suomi
Svenska
Tagalog

leafakaTonga
Trke

TingVit
WestVlams
Winaray

emaitka

Bananascomeinavarietyofsizesandcolorswhenripe,including
yellow,purple,andred.Bananascanbeeatenrawthoughsome
varietiesaregenerallycookedfirst.Dependinguponcultivarand
ripeness,thefleshcanvaryintastefromstarchytosweet,andtexture
fromfirmtomushy.Unripeorgreenbananasandplantainsareusedfor
cookingvariousdishessuchasbananapuddingandarethestaple
starchofmanytropicalpopulations.Bananasapisextremelysticky
andcanbeusedasapracticaladhesive.Sapcanbeobtainedfromthe
pseudostem,fromthefruitpeelings,orfromthefruitflesh.
Mostproductionforlocalsaleisofgreencookingbananasand
plantains,asripedessertbananasareeasilydamagedwhilebeing
transportedtomarket.Evenwhentransportedonlywithintheircountry
oforigin,ripebananassufferahighrateofdamageandloss.
[citationneeded]
Thecommercialdessertcultivarsmostcommonlyeatenintemperate
countries(speciesMusaacuminataorthehybridMusaparadisiaca,
acultigen)areimportedinlargequantitiesfromthetropics.Theyare
popularinpartbecause,beinganonseasonalcrop,theyareavailable
freshyearround.Inglobalcommerce,byfarthemostimportantof
thesebananacultivarsis'Cavendish',whichaccountsforthevastbulk
ofbananasexportedfromthetropics.TheCavendishgainedpopularity
inthe1950safterthepreviouslymassproducedcultivar,GrosMichel,
becamecommerciallyunviableduetoPanamadisease,afunguswhich
attackstherootsofthebananaplant.

Banana,raw,edibleparts
Nutritionalvalueper100g(3.5oz)
Energy90kcal370kJ
Carbohydrates
22.84g
Sugars12.23g
Dietaryfiber2.6g
Fat
0.33g
Protein
1.09g
VitaminAequiv.3g
0%
Thiamine(Vit.B1)0.031mg 2%
Riboflavin(Vit.B2)0.073mg 5%
Niacin(Vit.B3)0.665mg
4%
Pantothenicacid(B5)0.334mg7%
VitaminB60.367mg
28%
Folate(Vit.B9)20g
5%
VitaminC8.7mg
15%
Calcium5mg
1%
Iron0.26mg
2%
Magnesium27mg
7%
Phosphorus22mg
3%
Potassium358mg
8%
Zinc0.15mg
1%
Onebananais100150g.
PercentagesarerelativetoUS
recommendationsforadults.
Source:USDANutrientdatabase

Themostimportantpropertiesmaking'Cavendish'themainexport
bananaarerelatedtotransportandshelfliferatherthantastemajor
commercialcultivarsrarelyhaveasuperiorflavor[citationneeded]comparedtothelesswidespreadcultivars.Export
bananasarepickedgreen,andthenusuallyripenedinripeningroomswhentheyarriveintheircountryof
destination.Thesearespecialroomsmadeairtightandfilledwithethylenegastoinduceripening.Bananascan
beorderedbytheretailer"ungassed",however,andmayshowupatthesupermarketstillfullygreen.Whilethese
bananaswillripenmoreslowly,theflavorwillbenotablyricher[citationneeded],andthebananapeelcanbeallowed
toreachayellow/brownspeckledphase,andyetretainafirmfleshinside.Thus,shelflifeissomewhatextended.
Thevividyellowcolornormallyassociatedwithsupermarketbananasisinfactasideeffectoftheartificialripening
process.Cavendishbananasthathavebeenallowedtoripennaturallyontheplanthaveagreenishyellow
appearancewhichchangestoabrownishyellowastheyripenfurther.Althoughboththeflavorandtextureof"tree
ripened"bananasisgenerallyregardedassuperiortoanytypegreenpickedfruit,oncenaturalripeninghas
commencedtheshelflifeistypicallyonly710days,makingcommercialdistributionimpractical.Formost
peopletheonlypracticalmeansofobtainingsuchfruitisgrowingitthemselves,howeverthisisalsosomewhat
problematic,asthebananasalltendtoripenatonceandhaveverypoorkeepingproperties.
Theflavorandtextureofbananasarealsoaffectedbythetemperatureatwhichtheyripen.Bananasare
refrigeratedtobetween13.5and15C(57and59F)duringtransportation.Atlowertemperatures,theripeningof
bananaspermanentlystalls,andthebananaswilleventuallyturngrayascellwallsbreakdown.Theskinsofripe
bananaswillquicklyturnblackinthe4Cenvironmentofadomesticrefrigerator,althoughthefruitinsideremains
unaffected.
ItshouldbenotedthatMusaparadisiacaisalsothegenericnameforthecommonplantain,acoarserand
starchiervariantnottobeconfusedwithMusaacuminataortheCavendishvariety.
Inadditiontothefruit,theflowerofthebananaplant(alsoknownasbanana
blossomorbananaheart)isusedinSoutheastAsian,Telugu,Tamil,Bengali,
andKerala(India)cuisine,eitherservedraworsteamedwithdipsorcooked
insoupsandcurries.Bananaflowersaresomewhatsimilarintasteto
artichokesandcanbeeateninmuchthesamewaywhereonescrapesoff
thefleshypartofthepetalsandeatsthewholeoftheheart.Thetendercore
ofthebananaplant'strunkisalsousedinTelugu,BengaliandKerala
cooking,andnotablyintheBurmesedishmohinga.Bananasfriedwithbatter

M.acuminataxbalbisiana
isapopulardessertinMalaysia,Singapore,andIndonesia.Bananafritters
inflorescence,partiallyopened.
canbeservedwithicecreamaswell.Bananasarealsoeatendeepfried,
bakedintheirskininasplitbamboo,orsteamedinglutinousricewrappedin
abananaleafinBurmawherebunchesofgreenbananassurroundingagreencoconutinatrayformanimportant
partoftraditionalofferingstotheBuddhaandtheNats.Thejuiceextractpreparedfromthetendercoreisusedto
treatkidneystonesandBloodpressure.

Theleavesofthebananaplantarelarge,flexible,andwaterproof.Theyareusedmanyways,includingas
umbrellasandtowrapfoodforcookingorstorage.[13]BananaleavesarealsousedtoservefoodinIndiaandother
Asiancountries.
Bananachipsareasnackproducedfromdehydratedorfriedbananaorplantainslices,whichhaveadarkbrown
colorandanintensebananataste.Bananashavealsobeenusedinthemakingofjam.Unlikeotherfruits,itis
difficulttoextractjuicefrombananasbecausewhencompressedabananasimplyturnstopulp.
Seededbananas(Musabalbisiana),theforerunnerofthecommondomesticatedbanana,[14]aresoldinmarkets
inIndonesia.
InIndia,juiceisextractedfromthecormandusedasahomeremedyforthetreatmentofjaundice,sometimes
withtheadditionofhoney,andforkidneystones.[15]

Ripenedbananas(left,under
sunlight)fluoresceinbluewhen
exposedtoUVlight.

A2008studyreportedthatripebananasexhibitabluefluorescencewhen
exposedtoultravioletlight.Thispropertyisattributedtothedegradationof
chlorophyllgivingrisetotheaccumulationofafluorescentproductintheskin
ofthefruit.Thechlorophyllbreakdownproductisstabilizedbyapropionate
estergroup.Bananatreeleavesalsofluoresceinthesameway.Green
bananasdonotshowanysignoffluorescence.Thestudysuggestedthat
thisallowsanimalswhicharecapableofseeingintheultravioletspectrumto
detectripenedbananas.[16]

Trade
Thissectionneeds
additionalcitationsfor
verification.
Pleasehelpimprovethisarticleby

addingreliablereferences.
Unsourcedmaterialmaybe
challengedandremoved.(June
2009)

Bananaoutputin2005

Thissection'sfactual
accuracymaybe
compromisedduetoout
ofdateinformation.Please
helpimprovethearticleby
updatingit.Theremaybe
additionalinformationonthe
talkpage.(June2009)
Topbananaproducingnations2007
(inmillionmetrictons)
India

21.77

China

8.04

Philippines

7.48

Brazil

7.10

Ecuador

6.00

Indonesia

5.46

Tanzania

3.50

CostaRica

2.08

Thailand

2.00

Mexico

1.96

Burundi

1.60

Guatemala

1.57

Vietnam

1.36

Kenya

1.19

Bangladesh

1.00

Honduras

0.91

Egypt

0.88

PapuaNewGuinea

0.87

Cameroon

0.86

Uganda

0.62

Worldtotal

72.5

Source:FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations[3]
Bananasandplantainsconstituteamajorstaplefoodcropformillionsofpeopleindevelopingcountries.Inmost
tropicalcountries,green(unripe)bananasusedforcookingrepresentthemaincultivars.Cookingbananasare
verysimilartopotatoesinhowtheyareused.Bothcanbefried,boiled,baked,orchippedandhavesimilartaste
andtexturewhenserved.Onegreencookingbananahasaboutthesamecaloriecontentasonepotato.[17]
In2003,Indialedtheworldinbananaproduction,representingapproximately23%oftheworldwidecrop,mostof
whichwasfordomesticconsumption.ThefourleadingbananaexportingcountrieswereEcuador,CostaRica,the
Philippines,andColombia,whichtogetheraccountedforabouttwothirdsoftheworld'sexports,eachexporting
morethan1milliontons.Ecuadoraloneprovidedmorethan30%ofglobalbananaexports,accordingtoFAO
statistics.
Thevastmajorityofproducersaresmallscalefarmersgrowingthecropeitherforhomeconsumptionorforlocal
markets.Becausebananasandplantainswillproducefruityearround,theyprovideanextremelyvaluablesource
offoodduringthehungerseason(thatperiodoftimewhenallthefoodfromthepreviousharvesthasbeen
consumed,andthenextharvestisstillsometimeaway).Itisforthesereasonsthatbananasandplantainsareof
majorimportancetofoodsecurity.
Bananasareamongthemostwidelyconsumedfoodsintheworld.Most
bananafarmersreceivealowunitpricefortheirproduceassupermarkets
buyenormousquantitiesandreceiveadiscountforthatbusiness.
Competitionamongstsupermarketshasledtoreducedmarginsinrecent
yearswhichinturnhasledtolowerpricesforgrowers.Chiquita,DelMonte,
Dole,andFyffesgrowtheirownbananasinEcuador,Colombia,CostaRica,
Guatemala,andHonduras.Bananaplantationsarecapitalintensiveand
demandhighexpertise,sothemajorityofindependentgrowersarelargeand
wealthylandownersofthesecountries.Thishasledtobananasbeing
availableasa"fairtrade"orRainforestAlliancecertifiediteminsome
countries.

WomeninBelizesorting
bananasandcuttingthemfrom
bunches.

ThebananahasanextensivetradehistorybeginningwiththefoundingoftheUnitedFruitCompany(nowChiquita)
attheendofthenineteenthcentury.Formuchofthe20thcentury,bananasandcoffeedominatedtheexport
economiesofCentralAmerica.Inthe1930s,bananasandcoffeemadeupasmuchas75%oftheregion's
exports.Aslateas1960,thetwocropsaccountedfor67%oftheexportsfromtheregion.Thoughthetwowere
growninsimilarregions,theytendednottobedistributedtogether.TheUnitedFruitCompanybaseditsbusiness
almostentirelyonthebananatrade,asthecoffeetradeprovedtoodifficultforittocontrol.Theterm"banana

republic"hasbeenbroadlyappliedtomostcountriesinCentralAmerica,butfromastricteconomicperspective
onlyCostaRica,Honduras,andPanamawereactual"bananarepublics",countrieswitheconomiesdominatedby
thebananatrade.
ThecountriesoftheEuropeanUnionhavetraditionallyimportedmanyoftheirbananasfromtheformerEuropean
islandcoloniesoftheCaribbean,payingguaranteedpricesaboveglobalmarketrates.Asof2005,these
arrangementswereintheprocessofbeingwithdrawnunderpressurefromothermajortradingpowers,principally
theUnitedStates.ThewithdrawaloftheseindirectsubsidiestoCaribbeanproducersisexpectedtofavourthe
bananaproducersofCentralAmerica,inwhichAmericancompanieshaveaneconomicinterest.
TheUnitedStateshasminimalbananaproduction.14,000tonsofbananasweregrowninHawaiiin2001.[18]
BananashavealsobeengrowninFloridaandsouthernCalifornia.[19]

History
Earlycultivation
ThedomesticationofbananastookplaceinsoutheasternAsia.ManyspeciesofwildbananasstillexistinNew
Guinea,Malaysia,Indonesia,andthePhilippines.Recentarchaeologicalandpalaeoenvironmentalevidenceat
KukSwampintheWesternHighlandsProvinceofPapuaNewGuineasuggeststhatbananacultivationtheregoes
backtoatleast5000BCE,andpossiblyto8000BCE.[1]ThiswouldmaketheNewGuineanhighlandstheplace
wherebananaswerefirstdomesticated.Itislikelythatotherspeciesofwildbananaswerelateralso
domesticatedelsewhereinsoutheasternAsia.SoutheastAsiaistheregionofprimarydiversityofthebanana.
AreasofsecondarydiversityarefoundinAfrica,indicatingalonghistoryofbananacultivationintheregion.
Somerecentdiscoveriesofbananaphytolithsin
CameroondatingtothefirstmillenniumBCE[21]have
triggeredanasyetunresolveddebateaboutthe
antiquityofbananacultivationinAfrica.Thereis
linguisticevidencethatbananaswerealreadyknownin
Madagascararoundthattime.[22]Theearliestevidence
ofbananacultivationinAfricabeforetheserecent
discoveriesdatestonoearlierthanlate6thcenturyAD.
[23]Inthisview,bananaswereintroducedtotheeast
coastofAfricabyMuslimArabs.[20]

ActualandprobablediffusionofbananasduringIslamic
times(7001500AD)[20]

Thebananamayhavebeenpresentinisolatedlocations
oftheMiddleEastontheeveoftheriseofIslam.There
issometextualevidencethattheprophetMuhammadwasfamiliarwithit.ThespreadofIslamwasfollowedby
thefarreachingdiffusionofbananas.TherearenumerousreferencestoitinIslamictexts(suchaspoemsand
hadiths)beginningintheninthcentury.BythetenthcenturythebananaappearsintextsfromPalestineand
Egypt.FromthereitdiffusedintonorthAfricaandMuslimIberia.Infact,duringthemedievalages,bananasfrom
GranadawereconsideredamongstthebestintheArabworld.[20]In650,Islamicconquerorsbroughtthebanana
toPalestine.
BananaswereintroducedtotheAmericasbyPortuguesesailorswhobroughtthefruitsfromWestAfricainthe
1500s.[24]ThewordbananaisofWestAfricanorigin,fromtheWoloflanguage,andpassedintoEnglishvia
SpanishorPortuguese.[25]

Plantationcultivation
Inthe15thand16thcentury,PortuguesecolonistsstartedbananaplantationsintheAtlanticIslands,Brazil,and
westernAfrica.[26]AslateastheVictorianEra,bananaswerenotwidelyknowninEurope,althoughtheywere
availableviamerchanttrade.[26]JulesVernereferencesbananaswithdetaileddescriptionssoasnottoconfuse
readersinhisbookAroundtheWorldinEightyDays(1872).
Intheearly20thcentury,bananasbeganformingthebasisoflargecommercialempires,exemplarizedbythe
UnitedFruitCompany,whichcreatedimmensebananaplantationsespeciallyinCentralandSouthAmerica.
Thesewereusuallyextremelycommerciallyexploitative,andtheterm"Bananarepublic"wascoinedforstates
likeHondurasandGuatemala,representingthefactthat"serviledictatorships"werecreatedandabettedbythese
companiesandtheirpoliticalbackers,forexampleintheUSA.[27]

Cultivation
Thissectiondoesnotciteanyreferencesorsources.Pleasehelp
improvethisarticlebyaddingcitationstoreliablesources.Unsourced
materialmaybechallengedandremoved.(October2008)

Fruitsofwildtypebananas
havenumerouslarge,hardseeds.

Bananacorms,usedinthe
propagationofdomesticated
bananas.

Whiletheoriginalbananascontainedratherlargeseeds,triploid(andthus
seedless)cultivarshavebeenselectedforhumanconsumption.Theseare
propagatedasexuallyfromoffshootsoftheplant.Theplantisallowedto
produce2shootsatatimealargeroneforfruitingimmediatelyanda
smaller"sucker"or"follower"thatwillproducefruitin68monthstime.The
lifeofabananaplantationis25yearsorlonger,duringwhichtimethe
individualstoolsorplantingsitesmaymoveslightlyfromtheiroriginal
positionsaslateralrhizomeformationdictates.
Cultivatedbananasareparthenocarpic,whichmakesthemsterileandunable
toproduceviableseeds.Lackingseeds,anotherformofpropagationis
required.Thisnormallyinvolvesremovingandtransplantingpartofthe
undergroundstem(calledacorm).Usuallythisisdonebycarefullyremoving
asucker(averticalshootthatdevelopsfromthebaseofthebanana
pseudostem)withsomerootsintact.However,smallsympodialcorms,
representingnotyetelongatedsuckers,areeasiertotransplantandcanbe
leftoutofthegroundforupto2weekstheyrequireminimalcareandcanbe
boxedtogetherforshipment.
Contrarytowhatiswidelybelieved,itisnotactuallynecessarytoinclude
anyofthecormorrootstructuretopropagatebananasseveredsuckerswith
norootmaterialattachedcanbesuccessfullypropagatedindampsand,
althoughthistakessomewhatlonger.

Insomecountries,bananasarealsocommerciallypropagatedbymeansoftissueculture.Thismethodis
preferredsinceitensuresdiseasefreeplantingmaterial.Whenusingvegetativepartssuchassuckersfor
propagation,thereisariskoftransmittingdiseases(especiallythedevastatingPanamadisease).

Pests,diseases,andnaturaldisasters
Mainarticle:Listofbananaandplantaindiseases
Whileinnodangerofoutrightextinction,themostcommonediblebananacultivar
'Cavendish'(extremelypopularinEuropeandtheAmericas)couldbecomeunviable
forlargescalecultivationinthenext1020years.Itspredecessor'GrosMichel',
discoveredinthe1820s,hasalreadysufferedthisfate.Likealmostallbananas,it
lacksgeneticdiversity,whichmakesitvulnerabletodiseases,whichthreatenboth
commercialcultivationandthesmallscalesubsistencefarming.[28][29]Some
commentatorshavefurtherremarkedthatthosevariantswhichcouldreplacewhat
muchoftheworldconsidersa"typicalbanana"aresodifferentthatmostpeople
wouldnotconsiderthemthesamefruit,andblamethedeclineofthebananaon
monogeneticcultivationdrivenbyshorttermcommercialexploitationmotives.[27]

Majordiseases
Thissectiondoesnotciteanyreferencesorsources.
Pleasehelpimprovethisarticlebyaddingcitationsto
reliablesources.Unsourcedmaterialmaybechallenged
andremoved.(October2008)

Bananabunchesare
sometimesencasedin
plasticbagsforprotection.
Thebagsmaybecoated
withpesticides.

Majorafflictionsofbananasinclude:
PanamaDisease(Race1):fusariumwilt(asoilfungus).Thefungusentersthe
plantsthroughtherootsandmovesupwithwaterintothetrunkandleaves,
producinggelsandgums.Theseplugandcutofftheflowofwaterandnutrients,
causingtheplanttowilt.Priorto1960almostallcommercialbananaproduction
centeredonthecultivar'GrosMichel',whichwashighlysusceptibletofusarium
wiltandcollapse,exposingtherestoftheplanttolethalamountsofsunlight.[30]
Thecultivar'Cavendish'waschosenasareplacementfor'GrosMichel'because
outoftheresistantcultivarsitwasviewedasproducingthehighestqualityfruit.
However,morecareisrequiredforshippingthe'Cavendish'banana,andits
qualitycomparedto'GrosMichel'isdebated.
However,accordingtocurrentreferences,adeadlyformofPanamadiseaseis
infectingtheworld'sCavendishbananaplants.Allaregeneticallyidentical,which
causesproblemswhenitcomestodiseaseresistance.However,researchersare
experimentingwithhundredsofferalvarietiestofindoutwhichone(s)areresistant.[30]

Inspectingbananasfor
fruitflies

TropicalRace4:areinvigoratedstrainofPanamadiseasefirstdiscoveredin1993.Thisisavirulentformof
fusariumwiltthathaswipedout'Cavendish'inseveralsoutheastAsiancountries.Ithasyettoreachthe
Americashowever,soilfungicaneasilybecarriedonboots,clothing,ortools.ThisishowTropicalRace4
movesfromoneplantationtoanotherandisitsmostlikelyrouteintoLatinAmerica.TheCavendishcultivaris
highlysusceptibletoTR4,andovertime,Cavendishisalmostcertaintobeeliminatedfromcommercial
productionbythisdisease.Unfortunately,theonlyknowndefensetoTR4isgeneticresistance.
BlackSigatoka:afungalleafspotdiseasefirstobservedinFijiin1963or1964.BlackSigatoka(alsoknownas
BlackLeafStreak)hasspreadtobananaplantationsthroughoutthetropicsduetoinfectedbananaleaves
beingusedaspackingmaterial.Itaffectsallofthemaincultivarsofbananasandplantains,impeding
photosynthesisbyturningpartsoftheirleavesblack,andeventuallykillingtheentireleaf.Beingstarvedfor
energy,fruitproductionfallsby50%ormore,andthebananasthatdogrowsufferprematureripening,making
themunsuitableforexport.Thefungushasshowneverincreasingresistancetofungicidaltreatment,withthe
currentexpensefortreating1hectareexceeding$1000peryear.Inadditiontothefinancialexpensethereis
thequestionofhowlongsuchintensivesprayingcanbejustifiedenvironmentally.Severalresistantcultivarsof
bananahavebeendeveloped,butnonehasyetreceivedwidescalecommercialacceptanceduetotasteand
textureissues.
BananaBunchyTopVirus(BBTV):thisvirusisspreadfromplanttoplantbyaphids.Itcausesstuntingofthe
leavesresultingina"bunched"appearance.Generally,abananaplantinfectedwiththeviruswillnotsetfruit,
althoughmildstrainsexistinmanyareaswhichdoallowforsomefruitproduction.Thesemildstrainsareoften
mistakenformalnourishment,oradiseaseotherthanBBTV.ThereisnocureforBBTV,howeveritseffectcan
beminimisedbyplantingonlytissueculturedplants(Invitropropagation),controllingtheaphids,and
immediatelyremovinganddestroyinganyplantfromthefieldthatshowssignsofthedisease.
Eventhoughitisnolongerviableforlargescalecultivation,'GrosMichel'isnotextinctandisstillgrowninareas
wherePanamadiseaseisnotfound.Likewise,"Cavendish"isinnodangerofextinction,butitmayleavethe
shelvesofthesupermarketsforgoodifdiseasesmakeitimpossibletosupplytheglobalmarket.Itisunclearif
anyexistingcultivarcanreplace'Cavendish'onascaleneededtofillcurrentdemand,sovarioushybridisationand
geneticengineeringprogramsareworkingoncreatingadiseaseresistant,massmarketbanana.

InAustralia
Australiaisrelativelyfreeofplantdiseasesandthereforeprohibitsimports.
WhenCycloneLarrywipedoutAustralia'sdomesticbananacropin2006,
bananasbecamerelativelyexpensive,duetobothlowsupplydomestically
andtheexistenceoflawsprohibitingbananaimports.Priceshavesince
fallenasproductionhasrevertedbacktoasteadyrate.

InEastAfrica
Mostbananasgrownworldwideareusedforlocalconsumption.Inthe
tropics,bananas,especiallycookingbananas,representamajorsourceof
food,aswellasamajorsourceofincomeforsmallholderfarmers.Itisinthe

Bananaplantsdestroyedafter
CycloneLarryin2006

EastAfricanhighlandsthatbananasreachtheirgreatestimportanceasa
staplefoodcrop.IncountriessuchasUganda,Burundi,andRwandapercapitaconsumptionhasbeenestimated
at450kgperyear,thehighestintheworld.Ugandansusethesameword"matooke"todescribebothbanana
andfood.
Inthepast,thebananawasahighlysustainablecropwithalongplantationlifeandstableyieldsyearround.
HoweverwiththearrivaloftheBlacksigatokafungus,bananaproductionineasternAfricahasfallenbyover40%.
Forexample,duringthe1970s,Ugandaproduced15to20tonnesofbananasperhectare.Today,productionhas
fallentoonly6tonnesperhectare.
ThesituationhasstartedtoimproveasnewdiseaseresistantcultivarshavebeendevelopedbytheInternational
InstituteofTropicalAgricultureandNAROsuchastheFHIA17(knowninUgandaastheKabana3).Thesenew
cultivarstastedifferentfromthetraditionallygrownbananawhichhasslowedtheiracceptancebylocalfarmers.
However,byaddingmulchandanimalmanuretothesoilaroundthebaseofthebananaplant,thesenewcultivars
havesubstantiallyincreasedyieldsintheareaswheretheyhavebeentried.
TheInternationalInstituteofTropicalAgricultureandNARO,fundedbytheRockefellerFoundationandCGIAR
havestartedtrialsforgeneticallymodifiedbananaplantsthatareresistanttobothBlacksigatokaandbanana
weevils.Itisdevelopingcultivarsspecificallyforsmallholderorsubsistencefarmers.

Healtheffects
Alongwithotherfruitsandvegetables,consumptionbananaswereassociatedwithareducedriskofcolorectal
cancer[31]andinwomen,breastcancer.[32]

Individualswithalatexallergymayexperienceareactiontobananas.[33]

Fibre
Textiles
Thebananaplanthaslongbeenasourceoffibreforhighqualitytextiles.InJapan,thecultivationofbananafor
clothingandhouseholdusedatesbacktoatleastthe13thcentury.IntheJapanesesystem,leavesandshoots
arecutfromtheplantperiodicallytoensuresoftness.Theharvestedshootsmustfirstbeboiledinlyetoprepare
thefibresforthemakingoftheyarn.Thesebananashootsproducefibresofvaryingdegreesofsoftness,yielding
yarnsandtextileswithdifferingqualitiesforspecificuses.Forexample,theoutermostfibresoftheshootsarethe
coarsest,andaresuitablefortablecloths,whereasthesoftestinnermostfibresaredesirableforkimonoand
kamishimo.ThistraditionalJapanesebananaclothmakingprocessrequiresmanysteps,allperformedbyhand.
[34]
InanothersystememployedinNepal,thetrunkofthebananaplantisharvestedinstead,smallpiecesofwhich
aresubjectedtoasofteningprocess,mechanicalextractionofthefibres,bleaching,anddrying.Afterthat,the
fibresaresenttotheKathmanduValleyforthemakingofhighendrugswithatexturalqualitysimilartosilk.
ThesebananafibrerugsarewovenbythetraditionalNepalesehandknottedmethods,andaresoldRugMark
certified.

Paper
Mainarticle:Bananapaper
Bananafibreisalsousedintheproductionofbananapaper.Bananapaperisusedintwodifferentsenses:torefer
toapapermadefromthebarkofthebananaplant,mainlyusedforartisticpurposes,orpapermadefrombanana
fiber,obtainedfromanindustrializedprocess,fromthestemandthenonusablefruits.Thispapercanbeeither
handmadeormadebyindustrializedmachine.

Storageandtransport

Inthecurrentworldmarketingsystem,bananasaregrowninthetropics.The
fruitthereforehastobetransportedoverlongdistancesandstorageis
necessary.Togainmaximumlife,bunchesareharvestedbeforethefruitis
fullymature.Thefruitiscarefullyhandled,transportedquicklytothe

seaboard,cooled,andshippedundersophisticatedrefrigeration.Thebasisof
thisprocedureistopreventthebananasproducingethylenewhichisthe
naturalripeningagentofthefruit.Thissophisticatedtechnologyallows
storageandtransportfor34weeksat13degreesCelsius.Onarrivalatthe
Bananastorageroom,SaltLake
City,1913
destination,thebananasareheldatabout17degreesCelsiusandtreated
withalowconcentrationofethylene.Afterafewdays,thefruithasbegunto
ripenanditisdistributedforretailsale.Itisimportanttonotethatunripebananascannotbeheldinthehome
refrigeratorastheysufferfromthecold.Afterripeningsomebananascanbeheldforafewdaysathome.They
canbestoredindefinitelyfrozen,theneatenlikeanicepoporcookedasabananamush.
Recentstudieshavesuggested[35][36][37]thatthepresenceofcarbondioxide(whichisproducedbythefruit)
extendsthelifeandtheadditionofanethyleneabsorbentfurtherextendsthelifeevenathightemperatures.This
effectcanbeexploitedbypackingthefruitinapolyethylenebagandincludinganethyleneabsorbent,potassium
permanganate,onaninertcarrier.Thebagisthensealedwithabandorstring.Thistreatmenthasbeenshownto
morethandoublethelifeofthebananasatarangeoftemperaturesandcangivealifeofupto34weekswithout
theneedforrefrigeration.

Usageinculture
Peels
Thedepictionofapersonslippingonabananapeelhasbeenastapleofphysicalcomedyforgenerations.An
1898comedyrecordingfeaturesapopularcharacterofthetime,"CalStewart",claimingtodescribehisownsuch
incident,saying:[38]
NowIdon'tthinkmuchofthemanthatthrowsabananapeelin'onthesidewalk,andIdon'tthinkmuchofthe
bananapeelthatthrowsamanonthesidewalkneither...myfoothitthebananerpeelin'andIwentupintheair,
andIcomedownkerplunk,jistasIwaspickin'myselfupalittleboycomerunnin'acrossthestreet...hesays,
"Ohmister,won'tyoupleasedothatagin?Mylittlebrotherdidn'tseeyoudoit."

Arts
ThepoetBashisnamedaftertheJapanesewordforabananaplant.The"bash"plantedinhisgardenbya
gratefulstudentbecameasourceofinspirationtohispoetry,aswellasasymbolofhislifeandhome.[39]
ThesongYes!WeHaveNoBananaswaswrittenbyFrankSilverandIrvingCohnandoriginallyreleasedin
1923formanydecades,itwasthebestsellingsheetmusicinhistory.Sincethenthesonghasbeen
rerecordedseveraltimesandhasbeenparticularlypopularduringbananashortages.
TheJapanesenovelistBananaYoshimoto(realname:MihokoYoshimoto)changedhernamebecauseshe
likedbananaflowers.

Symbols
Bananasarealsohumorouslyusedasaphallicsymbolduetosimilaritiesinsizeandshape.Thisistypifiedby
theartworkofthedebutalbumofTheVelvetUnderground,whichfeaturesabananaonthefrontcover,yetonthe
originalLPversion,thedesignallowedthelistenerto'peel'thisbananatofindapink,phallicstructureonthe
inside.

Gallery

Traditionalofferingsof
bananasandcoconutata
Natspiritshrinein
Myanmar.

Certainbananacultivars
turnredorpurplish
insteadofyellowasthey
ripen.

Bananasareoftensoldin
bunches,asshownabove.

Bananapudding.

Bananaplant,Luxor,Egypt
Bananasarecontinually
cropped,fruitsfromhigher
intheinflorescencebeing
takenbeforethelowerpart
opens.

Bananatree.

Fromtheleft:bananasas
commonlyeatenby
peelingtheskininthick
stripsbananafruit
bananacrosssection.

Bananaleavescanbe
usedforpackagingfood,
suchaswiththeMalaysian
dish'nasilemak'.

Seealso
Bananaboat
Bananamessenger
BananaPancakeTrail
BananaproductioninIceland
Bananarepublic
Bananadine
Enset(falsebanana)
Plantain
Song:DayO(TheBananaBoatSong)
Song:Yes!WeHaveNoBananas

Culinaryusage
Bananabeer
Bananabread
Bananachips
Frozenbananas
BananasFoster
Bananaketchup
Bananapudding
Bananasauce
Bananasplit
Banania
Bnhchui
Creampie

Pisanggoreng
Tonto(beverage)

Footnotes
1. ^ab"TracingantiquityofbananacultivationinPapuaNewGuinea ".TheAustralia&PacificScienceFoundation.
Retrieved20070918.
2. ^agroforestry.net
3. ^ab"FAOSTAT:ProdSTAT:Crops ".FoodandAgricultureOrganization.2005.Retrieved09122006.
4. ^"Bananafrom''FruitsofWarmClimates''byJuliaMorton ".Hort.purdue.edu.Retrieved20090416.
5. ^Yes,wehavemorebananas publishedintheRoyalHorticulturalSocietyJournals,May2002
6. ^SeeGreenearth,Inc.,BananaPlantGrowingInfo .Retrieved2008.12.20.
7. ^Angolo,A(20080515)."BananaplantwithfiveheartsisinstanthitinNegrosOcc ".ABSCBNBroadcasting
Corporation.Retrieved20080517.
8. ^Solomon,C(1998).EncyclopediaofAsianFood (Periplused.).Australia:NewHollandPublishers.Retrieved
20080517.
9. ^JamesP.Smith,VascularPlantFamilies.MadRiverPress,1977.
10. ^LibertyHydeBailey,TheStandardCyclopediaofHorticulture.1916.p.2076
11. ^abDanKeppel,Banana,HudsonStreetPress,2008p.44.
12. ^Bailey,pp.20762079.
13. ^"Banana ".Hort.purdue.edu.Retrieved20090416.
14. ^PlantBreedingAbstracts,CommonwealthAgriculturalBureaux,1949,p.162
15. ^HealingPowerofFoods:Nature'sPrescriptionofCommonDiseases,PustakMahal,2004,ISBN8122307485,
p.49
16. ^Moser,SimoneThomasMller,MarcOlivierEbert,SteffenJockusch,NicholasJ.Turro,BernhardKrutler
(2008)."Blueluminescenceofripeningbananas".AngewandteChemieInternationalEdition47(46):89548957.
doi:10.1002/anie.200803189 .
17. ^"Blogger:Aanmeldenomtelezen ".Kitchenwonders.blogspot.com.Retrieved20090416.
18. ^"CropProfileforBananasinHawaii ".Ipmcenters.org.Retrieved20090416.
19. ^CaliforniaRareFruitGrowers,Inc.,BananaFruitFacts .Retrieved2008.12.30.
20. ^abcWatson,p.54
21. ^"Trackingthebanana:SignificancetoEarlyAgriculture ".
22. ^"Herkunft,DiversittundZchtungderBananeundkultivierterZitrusarten(Origin,diversityandbreedingof
bananaandplantain(Musaspp.)) ".JournalofAgricultureandRuralDevelopmentintheTropicsand
Subtropics.
23. ^"Africa'searliestbananas? ".JournalofArcheologicalScience.20050628.[deadlink]
24. ^"Bananasandplantains ".Botgard.ucla.edu.Retrieved20090416.
25. ^"OnlineEtymologyDictionary:banana ".Retrieved02112007.
26. ^ab"PhoraLtd.HistoryofBanana ".Phorasotoby.com.Retrieved20090416.
27. ^abBigbusinessgreedkillingthebananaIndependent,viaTheNewZealandHerald,Saturday24May2008,
PageA19
28. ^"Afuturewithnobananas? ".NewScientist.20060513.Retrieved09122006.
29. ^Montpellier,EmileFrison(20030208)."Rescuingthebanana ".NewScientist.Retrieved09122006.
30. ^abBarker,C.L.Conservation:Peelingaway.NationalGeographicMagazine,November2008.
31. ^DeneoPellegrini,HDeStefaniERoncoA(1996)."Vegetables,fruits,andriskofcolorectalcancer:acase
controlstudyfromUruguay".Nutrition&Cancer25(3):297304.PMID8771572 .
32. ^Zhang,CXetal.(2009)."Greatervegetableandfruitintakeisassociatedwithalowerriskofbreastcancer
amongChinesewomen".InternationalJournalofCancer125(1):1818.PMID19358284 .
33. ^Taylor,JSErkekE(2004)."Latexallergy:diagnosisandmanagement".DermatologicalTherapy17(4):289
301.PMID15327474 .
34. ^"TraditionalCraftsofJapanKijokaBananaFiberCloth ".AssociationforthePromotionofTraditionalCraft
Industries.Retrieved11122006.
35. ^Scott,KJ,McGlassonWBandRobertsEA(1970)PotassiumPermanganateasanEthyleneAbsorbentin
PolyethyleneBagstoDelaytheRipeningofBananasDuringStorage.AustralianJournalofExperimental
AgricultureandAnimalHusbandry110,237240.
36. ^ScottKJ,Blake,JR,Strachan,GTugwell,BLandMcGlassonWB(1971)TransportofBananasatAmbient
TemperaturesusingPolyethyleneBags.TropicalchaAgriculture(Trinidad)48,163165.
37. ^Scott,KJandGandanegara,S(1974)EffectofTemperatureontheStorageLifeofbananasHeldinPolyethylene
BagswithanEthyleneAbsorbent.TropicalAgriculture(Trinidad)51,2326.
38. ^Stewart,Cal."CollectedWorksofCalStewartpart2 ".UncleJoshinaDepartmentStore(1898).TheInternet

Archive.Retrieved20090512.
39. ^MatsuoBasho:theMasterHaikuPoet,KodanshaEurope,ISBN0870115537

References
Bananaoverview BananadetailsbyIITA
LookupbananainWiktionary,
FAO.BananasCommoditynotes:Finalresultsofthe2003
thefreedictionary.
season ,2004[deadlink]
Denham,T.,Haberle,S.G.,Lentfer,C.,Fullagar,R.,Field,J.,
Porch,N.,Therin,M.,WinsboroughB.,andGolson,J.Multi
WikimediaCommonshasmedia
relatedto:Banana
disciplinaryEvidencefortheOriginsofAgriculturefrom69506440
CalBPatKukSwampintheHighlandsofNewGuinea.Science,
June2003issue.
Skidmore,T.,Smith,P.ModernLatinAmerica(5thedition),(2001)NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress)
Editors(2006)."Bananafiberrugs".Dwell6(7):44.Briefmentionofbananafibrerugs
Leibling,RobertW.andPepperdine,Donna(2006)."NaturalremediesofArabia".SaudiAramcoWorld57(5):
14.Bananaetymology,bananaflour
Watson,Andrew.AgriculturalinnovationintheearlyIslamicworld,NewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress,
1983.

Furtherreading
DanKoeppel,Banana:TheFateoftheFruitthatChangedtheWorld,ISBN9781594630385,[1]
DanKoeppel,TheNewYorkTimesarticleofJune18,2008,Yes,WeWillHaveNoBananas
HarrietLamb,"FightingTheBananaWarsandotherFairtradeBattles",ISBN9781846040832

Externallinks
Banana attheOpenDirectoryProject
InternationalBananaSociety
BlueBananas:Ripeningbananasglowanintenseblueunderblacklight
BananaHistoryThehistoryofbananasasfood About.com
HistoryofBananas BananasWeb.com
WhyBananasareaParableForOurTimes byJohannHari,TheHuffingtonPost,January72009
BananaLink(campaignsforafairandsustainablebananatrade)
Categories:Bananas|Inflorescencevegetables|Fiberplants|Staplefoods|Tropicalagriculture|Tropicalfruit|
FloraofJamaica

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