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Banana

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Food and agriculture

                  iBanana
   Banana plant
   Banana plant
         Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Plantae
   Division: Magnoliophyta
   Class:    Liliopsida
   Order:    Zingiberales
   Family:   Musaceae
   Genus:    Musa

                                   Species

   Hybrid origin; see text

   Banana is the common name used for herbaceous plants in the genus Musa,
   which because of their size and structure, are often mistaken for
   trees. Bananas are cultivated for their fruit which bear the same name,
   and to a lesser extent for the production of fibre and as ornamental
   plants. Bananas are of the family Musaceae. Globally, bananas rank
   fourth after rice, wheat and maize in human consumption; they are grown
   in 130 countries worldwide, more than any other fruit crop. Bananas are
   native to tropical southeastern Asia but are widely cultivated in
   tropical regions. In popular culture and commerce, "banana" usually
   refers to the soft, sweet "dessert" bananas that are usually eaten raw.
   The bananas from a group of cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit,
   generally used in cooking rather than eaten raw, are typically known as
   plantains. Bananas may also be dried and ground into banana flour.

   The main or upright growth is called a pseudostem, which when mature,
   will obtain a height of 2–8 m (varies between different cultivars),
   with leaves of up to 3.5 m in length. Each pseudostem produces a single
   bunch of bananas, before dying and being replaced by a new pseudostem.
   The base of the plant is a rhizome (known as a corm). Corms are
   perennial, with a productive lifespan of 15 years or more.

   The term banana is applied to both the plant and its elongated fruit
   (technically a false berry) which grow in hanging clusters, with up to
   20 fruit to a tier (called a hand), and 5-20 tiers to a bunch. The
   total of the hanging clusters is known as a bunch, or commercially as a
   "banana stem", and can weigh from 30–50 kg. The fruit averages 125 g,
   of which approximately 75% is water and 25% dry matter content. Bananas
   are a valuable source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and
   potassium.

   Although the wild species have fruits with numerous large, hard seeds,
   virtually all culinary bananas have seedless fruits. Bananas are
   classified either as dessert bananas (meaning they are yellow and fully
   ripe when eaten) or as green cooking bananas. Almost all export bananas
   are of the dessert types; however, only about 10-15% of all production
   is for export, with the U.S. and EU being the dominant buyers.

History

   Banana bunch
   Enlarge
   Banana bunch

   The domestication of bananas took place in southeastern Asia. Many
   species of wild bananas still occur in New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia
   and the Philippines. Recent archaeological and palaeoenvironmental
   evidence at Kuk Swamp in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New
   Guinea suggests that banana cultivation there goes back to at least
   5000 BC, and possibly to 8000 BC. This would make the New Guinean
   highlands the place where bananas were first domesticated. It is likely
   that other species of wild bananas were later also domesticated
   elsewhere in southeastern Asia.

   The banana is mentioned for the first time in written history in
   Buddhist texts in 600 BC. Alexander the Great discovered the taste of
   the banana in the valleys of India in 327 BC. The existence of an
   organized banana plantation could be found in China in 200 AD. In 650
   AD, Islamic conquerors brought the banana to Palestine. Arab merchants
   eventually spread bananas over much of Africa. The word banana is of
   West African origin, and passed into English via Spanish or Portuguese.

   In 15th and 16th century, Portuguese colonists started banana
   plantations in the Atlantic Islands, Brazil, and western Africa. As
   late as the Victorian Era, bananas were not widely known in Europe,
   although they were available via merchant trade. Jules Verne references
   bananas with detailed descriptions so as not to confuse readers in his
   book Around the World in Eighty Days (1872).

Properties

   'Cavendish' bananas
   Enlarge
   ' Cavendish' bananas
       Banana (edible parts)
   Nutritional value per 100 g
      Energy 90 kcal   370 kJ

   Carbohydrates           23 g
   - Sugars  12 g
   - Dietary fibre  2.6 g
   Fat                     0.3 g
   Protein                 1 g
   Vitamin C  9 mg         15%
   Potassium  358 mg       8%
   Percentages are relative to US
   recommendations for adults.
   Source: USDA Nutrient database

   Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colours; most cultivars are
   yellow when ripe but some are red or purple-ish. The ripe fruit is
   easily peeled and eaten raw or cooked. Depending upon cultivar and
   ripeness, the flesh can be starchy to sweet, and firm to mushy. Unripe
   or "green" bananas and plantains are used in cooking and are the staple
   starch of many tropical populations.

   Most production for local sale is of green cooking bananas and
   plantains, as ripe dessert bananas are easily damaged while being
   transported to market. Even when only transported within their country
   of origin, ripe bananas suffer a high rate of damage and loss.

   The commercial dessert cultivars most commonly eaten in temperate
   countries (species Musa acuminata or the hybrid Musa × paradisiaca, a
   cultigen) are imported in large quantities from the tropics. They are
   popular in part because being a non-seasonal crop they are available
   fresh year-round. In global commerce, by far the most important of
   these banana cultivars is ' Cavendish', which accounts for the vast
   bulk of bananas exported from the tropics. The Cavendish gained
   popularity in the 1950s after the previously mass produced cultivar,
   Gros Michel, was being destroyed by Panama disease, a fungus which
   attacks the roots of the banana plant.

   It is common for fruit exports to be dominated by a single or very few
   cultivars. The most important properties making 'Cavendish' the main
   export banana are related to transport and shelf life rather than
   taste; major commercial cultivars rarely have a superior flavour
   compared to the less widespread cultivars. Export bananas are picked
   green, and then usually ripened in ripening rooms when they arrive in
   their country of destination. These are special rooms made air-tight
   and filled with ethylene gas to induce ripening. Bananas can be ordered
   by the retailer "ungassed", however, and may show up at the supermarket
   still fully green. While these bananas will ripen more slowly, the
   flavour will be notably richer, and the banana peel can be allowed to
   reach a yellow/brown speckled phase, and yet retain a firm flesh
   inside. Thus, shelf life is somewhat extended. The flavour and texture
   of bananas are affected by the temperature at which they ripen. Bananas
   are refrigerated to between 13.5 and 15 °C (57 and 59 °F) during
   transportation. At lower temperatures, the ripening of bananas
   permanently stalls, and the bananas will turn grey.
   Certain banana cultivars turn red or purplish instead of yellow as they
   ripen.
   Enlarge
   Certain banana cultivars turn red or purplish instead of yellow as they
   ripen.

   It should be noted that Musa × paradisiaca is also the generic name for
   the common plantain, a coarser and starchier variant not to be confused
   with Musa acuminata or the Cavendish variety. Plantains have all but
   replaced the Cavendish in markets dominated by supply-side logistics.

   In addition to the fruit, the flower of the banana plant (also known as
   banana blossom or banana heart) is used in Southeast Asian, Bengali and
   Kerala (India) cuisine, either served raw with dips or cooked in soups
   and curries. The tender core of the banana plant's trunk is also used,
   notably in Burmese, Bengali and Kerala cooking. Bananas fried with
   batter is a popular dessert in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
   Banana fritters can be served with ice-cream as well. The juice extract
   prepared from the tender core is used to treat kidney stones.

   The leaves of the banana are large, flexible, and waterproof; they are
   used in many ways, including as umbrellas and to wrap food for cooking.
   Chinese zongzi (bamboo leaves are more commonly used where available)
   and Central American tamales are sometimes steamed in banana leaves,
   and the Hawaiian imu is often lined with them. Puerto Rican "pasteles"
   are boiled wrapped and tied inside the leaf.

   Banana chips are a snack produced from dehydrated or fried banana or,
   preferably, plantain slices, which have a dark brown colour and an
   intense banana taste. Bananas have also been used in the making of jam.
   Unlike other fruits, it is difficult to extract juice from bananas
   because when compressed a banana simply turns to pulp.

   Seeded bananas (Musa balbisiana), considered to be one of the
   forerunners of the common domesticated banana, are sold in markets in
   Indonesia.

   It is reported that in Orissa, India, juice is extracted from the corm
   and used as a home remedy for the treatment of jaundice. In other
   places honey is mixed with mashed banana fruit and used for the same
   purpose.

Trade

   Women in Belize sorting bananas and cutting them from bunches.
   Enlarge
   Women in Belize sorting bananas and cutting them from bunches.
   Top Banana Producing Nations - 2005
   (in million metric tons)
   Flag of India  India                      16.8
   Flag of Brazil  Brazil                     6.7
   Flag of People's Republic of China  China  6.4
   Flag of Ecuador  Ecuador                   5.9
   Flag of Philippines  Philippines           5.8
   Flag of Indonesia  Indonesia               4.5
   Flag of Costa Rica  Costa Rica             2.2
   Flag of Mexico  Mexico                     2.0
   Flag of Thailand  Thailand                 2.0
   Flag of Colombia  Colombia                 1.6
   Flag of Burundi  Burundi                   1.6
   World Total                               72.5
   Source:
   UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

   Bananas and plantains constitute a major staple food crop for millions
   of people in developing countries. In most tropical countries green
   (unripe) bananas used for cooking represent the main cultivars. Cooking
   bananas are very similar to potatoes in how they are used. Both can be
   fried, boiled, baked or chipped and have similar taste and texture when
   served. One green cooking banana has about the same calorie content as
   one potato.

   In 2003, India led the world in banana production, representing
   approximately 23% of the worldwide crop, most of which was for domestic
   consumption. The four leading banana exporting countries were Ecuador,
   Costa Rica, Philippines, and Colombia, which accounted for about
   two-thirds of the world's exports, each exporting more than 1 million
   tons. Ecuador alone provided more than 30% of global banana exports,
   according to FAO statistics.

   The vast majority of producers are small-scale farmers growing the crop
   either for home consumption or for local markets. Because bananas and
   plantains will produce fruit year-round, they provide an extremely
   valuable source of food during the hunger season (that period of time
   when all the food from the previous harvest has been consumed, and the
   next harvest is still some time away). It is for these reasons that
   bananas and plantains are of major importance to food security.

   Bananas are among the most widely consumed foods in the world. Most
   banana farmers receive a low unit price for their produce as
   supermarkets buy enormous quantities and receive a discount for that
   business. Competition amongst supermarkets has led to reduced margins
   in recent years which in turn has led to lower prices for growers.
   Chiquita, Del Monte, Dole and Fyffes grow their own bananas in Ecuador,
   Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras. Banana plantations are
   capital intensive and demand high expertise so the majority of
   independent growers are large and wealthy landowners of these
   countries. This has led to bananas being available as a " fair trade"
   item in some countries.

   The banana has an extensive trade history beginning with the founding
   of the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) at the end of the nineteenth
   century. For much of the 20th century, bananas and coffee dominated the
   export economies of Central America. In the 1930s, bananas and coffee
   made up as much as 75 percent of the region's exports. As late as 1960,
   the two crops accounted for 67 percent of the exports from the region.
   Though the two were grown in similar regions, they tended not to be
   distributed together. The United Fruit Company based its business
   almost entirely on the banana trade, as the coffee trade proved too
   difficult for it to control. The term " banana republic" has been
   broadly applied to most countries in Central America, but from a strict
   economic perspective only Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama were actual
   "banana republics", countries with economies dominated by the banana
   trade.

   The countries of the European Union have traditionally imported many of
   their bananas from the former European island colonies of the
   Caribbean, paying guaranteed prices above global market rates. As of
   2005 these arrangements were in the process of being withdrawn under
   pressure from other major trading powers, principally the United
   States. The withdrawal of these indirect subsidies to Caribbean
   producers is expected to favour the banana producers of Central
   America, in which American companies have an economic interest.

Cultivation

   Banana Corms
   Enlarge
   Banana Corms

   While the original bananas contained rather large seeds, triploid (and
   thus seedless) cultivars have been selected for human consumption.
   These are propagated asexually from offshoots of the plant. The plant
   is allowed to produce 2 shoots at a time; a larger one for fruiting
   immediately and a smaller "sucker" or "follower" that will produce
   fruit in 6–8 months time. The life of a banana plantation is 25 years
   or longer, during which time the individual stools or planting sites
   may move slightly from their original positions as lateral rhizome
   formation dictates. Latin Americans sometimes comment that the plants
   are "walking" over time.

   Cultivated bananas are parthenocarpic, which makes them sterile and
   unable to produce viable seeds. Lacking seeds, another form of
   propagation is required. This involves removing and transplanting part
   of the underground stem (called a corm). Usually this is done by
   carefully removing a sucker (a vertical shoot that develops from the
   base of the banana pseudostem) with some roots intact. However, small
   sympodial corms, representing not yet elongated suckers, are harder to
   transplant and can be left out of the ground for up to 2 weeks; they
   require minimal care and can be boxed together for shipment.

   In some countries, bananas are commercially propagated by means of
   tissue culture. This method is preferred since it ensures disease-free
   planting material. When using vegetative parts such as suckers for
   propagation, there is a risk of transmitting diseases (especially the
   devastating Panama disease).

Pests and diseases

   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,
   has already suffered this fate. Like almost all bananas, it lacks
   genetic diversity, which makes it vulnerable to diseases, which
   threaten both commercial cultivation and the small-scale subsistence
   farming. Major diseases include:
   Banana bunches are sometimes encased in plastic bags for protection.
   The bags may be coated with pesticides.
   Enlarge
   Banana bunches are sometimes encased in plastic bags for protection.
   The bags may be coated with pesticides.
   Inspecting bananas for fruit flies.
   Enlarge
   Inspecting bananas for fruit flies.
     * Panama Disease (Race 1) – fusarium wilt (a soil fungus). The fungus
       enters the plants through the roots and moves up with water into
       the trunk and leaves, producing gels and gums. These plug and cut
       off the flow of water and nutrients, causing the plant to wilt.
       Prior to 1960 almost all commercial banana production centered on
       the cultivar ' Gros Michel', which was highly susceptible to
       fusarium wilt. The cultivar 'Cavendish' was chosen as a replacement
       for 'Gros Michel' because out of the resistant cultivars it was
       viewed as producing the highest quality fruit. However, more care
       is required for shipping the 'Cavendish' banana and its quality
       compared to 'Gros Michel' is debated.
     * Tropical Race 4 - a reinvigorated strain of Panama Disease first
       discovered in 1992. This is a virulent form of fusarium wilt that
       has wiped out 'Cavendish' in several southeast Asian countries. It
       has yet to reach the Americas; however, soil fungi can easily be
       carried on boots, clothing, or tools. This is how Tropical Race 4
       moves from one plantation to another and is its most likely route
       into Latin America. The Cavendish cultivar is highly susceptible to
       TR4, and over time, Cavendish is almost certain to be eliminated
       from commercial production by this disease. Unfortunately the only
       known defense to TR4 is genetic resistance.
     * Black Sigatoka - 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 due to
       infected banana leaves being used as packing material. It affects
       all of the main cultivars of bananas and plantains, impeding
       photosynthesis by turning parts of their leaves black, and
       eventually killing the entire leaf. Being starved for energy, fruit
       production falls by 50% or more, and the bananas that do grow
       suffer premature ripening, making them unsuitable for export. The
       fungus has shown ever increasing resistance to fungicidal
       treatment, with the current expense for treating 1 hectare
       exceeding US$1000 per year. In addition to the financial expense
       there is the question of how long such intensive spraying can be
       justified environmentally. Several resistant cultivars of banana
       have been developed, but none has yet received wide scale
       commercial acceptance due to taste and texture issues.
     * Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) - this virus is spread from plant to
       plant by aphids. It causes stunting of the leaves resulting in a
       "bunched" appearance. Generally, a banana plant infected with the
       virus will not set fruit, although mild strains exist in many areas
       which do allow for some fruit production. These mild strains are
       often mistaken for malnourishment, or a disease other than BBTV.
       There is no cure for BBTV, however its effect can be minimised by
       planting only tissue cultured plants (In-vitro propagation),
       controlling the aphids, and immediately removing and destroying any
       plant from the field that shows signs of the disease.

   Even though it is no longer viable for large scale cultivation, 'Gros
   Michel' is not extinct and is still grown in areas where Panama Disease
   is not found. Likewise, 'Cavendish' is in no danger of extinction, but
   it may leave the shelves of the supermarkets for good if diseases make
   it impossible to supply the global market. It is unclear if any
   existing cultivar can replace 'Cavendish' on a scale needed to fill
   current demand, so various hybridisation and genetic engineering
   programs are working on creating a disease-resistant, mass-market
   banana.

   Australia is relatively free of plant diseases and therefore prohibits
   imports. When Cyclone Larry wiped out Australia's domestic banana crop
   in 2006, bananas became very expensive.

Effects of banana diseases in East Africa

   Most bananas grown worldwide are used for local consumption. In the
   tropics, bananas, especially cooking bananas, represent a major source
   of food, as well as a major source of income for smallholder farmers.
   It is in the East African highlands that bananas reach their greatest
   importance as a staple food crop. In countries such as Uganda, Burundi
   and Rwanda per capita consumption has been estimated at 450 kg per
   year, the highest in the world. Ugandans use the same word "matooke" to
   describe both banana and food.

   In the past, the banana was a highly sustainable crop with a long
   plantation life and stable yields year round. However with the arrival
   of the Black Sigatoka fungus, banana production in eastern Africa has
   fallen by over 40%. For example during the 1970s, Uganda produced 15 to
   20 tonnes of bananas per hectare. Today production has fallen to only 6
   tonnes per hectare.

   The situation has started to improve as new disease resistant cultivars
   have been developed such as the FHIA-17 (known in Uganda as the Kabana
   3). These new cultivars taste different from the traditionally grown
   banana which has slowed their acceptance by local farmers. However, by
   adding mulch and animal manure to the soil around the base of the
   banana plant, these new cultivars have substantially increased yields
   in the areas where they have been tried.

   The Rockefeller Foundation has started trials for genetically modified
   banana plants that are resistant to both Black Sigatoka and banana
   weevils. It is developing cultivars specifically for smallholder or
   subsistence farmers.

Fibre

   The banana plant has long been a source of fibre for high quality
   textiles. In Japan, the cultivation of banana for clothing and
   household use dates back to at least the 13th century. In the Japanese
   system, leaves and shoots are cut from the plant periodically to ensure
   softness. The harvested shoots must first be boiled in lye to prepare
   the fibers for the making of the yarn. These banana shoots produce
   fibers of varying degrees of softness, yielding yarns and textiles with
   differing qualities for specific uses. For example, the outermost
   fibers of the shoots are the coarsest, and are suitable for
   tablecloths, whereas the softest innermost fibers are desirable for
   kimono and kamishimo. This traditional Japanese banana cloth making
   process requires many steps, all done by hand.

   In another system employed in Nepal, the trunk of the banana plant is
   instead harvested, small pieces of which are subjected to a softening
   process, mechanical extraction of the fibers, bleaching, drying, after
   which the fibers are sent to the Kathmandu valley for the making of
   high end rugs with a textural quality similar to silk. These banana
   fibre rugs are woven by the traditional Nepalese hand-knotted methods,
   and are sold RugMark certified.

   Banana fibre is also used in the production of banana paper.

Popular culture

   The depiction of a person slipping on a banana peel has been a staple
   of physical comedy for generations. A 1906 comedy record produced by
   Edison Records features a popular character of the time, "Cal Stewart",
   claiming to describe his own such incident, saying:


   Banana

      I don't think much of a man what throws a bananer peelin' on the
   sidewalk, and I don't think much of a bananer what throws a man on the
    sidewalk, neether. ... my foot hit that bananer peelin' and I went up
    in the air, and cum down ker-plunk, and fer about a minnit I seen all
        the stars what stronomy tells about, and some that haint been
    discovered yit. Wall jist as I wuz pickin' myself up a little boy cum
     runnin' cross the street and he sed "Oh mister, won't you please do
                 that agin, my mother didn't see you do it."


   Banana

   Because of the stereotypical image of monkeys and apes eating bananas,
   they have been used for racist insults, such as throwing bananas at
   sports players of African descent (e.g. ). In Chinese culture, banana
   is a slang term which is used to describe an Asian person who acts like
   a caucasian (yellow on the outside, white on the inside). Due to their
   association with monkeys they are also used as tokens in the 3D
   Nintendo versions of Donkey Kong and the Sega series Super Monkey Ball.
   Bananas are also "humorously" used as a phallic symbol due to
   similarities in size and shape.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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