Banana - Revision history

Raffi: cleaned up

2010-02-02T17:14:02Z

cleaned up

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Potassium at 07:49, 30 January 2010

2010-01-30T07:49:58Z

Potassium: Needs moar metric.

2010-01-30T07:45:41Z

Needs moar metric.

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Potassium at 06:11, 30 January 2010

2010-01-30T06:11:35Z

Murali.lalitha at 20:46, 29 January 2010

2010-01-29T20:46:02Z

Murali.lalitha at 10:12, 8 January 2010

2010-01-08T10:12:06Z

Raffi at 22:37, 7 January 2010

2010-01-07T22:37:13Z

Murali.lalitha at 21:21, 7 January 2010

2010-01-07T21:21:11Z

Murali.lalitha at 20:13, 7 January 2010

2010-01-07T20:13:43Z

Raffi at 06:17, 12 December 2008

2008-12-12T06:17:32Z

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 |image_caption=Banana plant
 }}
 {{Inc|
 Banana, a name applied to certain species of Musa, particularly to those that produce edible fruits, although it is sometimes used for species grown for ornament, as for Musa Ensete. There are three groups of edible bananas: the common banana, eaten raw, Musa sapientum; the plantain, fruits to be cooked, M. paradisiaca; dwarf, with edible fruits, M. Cavendishii. The first two are probably forms of one species, and the botanical nomenclature is confused. Some species produce fiber. Consult Abaca and Musa.

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 }}
 Adaptation Bananas and plantains are today grown in every humid tropical region and constitutes the 4th largest fruit crop of the world. The plant needs 10 - 15 months of frost-free conditions to produce a flower stalk. All but the hardiest varieties stop growing when the temperature drops below 53° F. Growth of the plant begins to slow down at about 80° F and stop entirely when the temperature reaches 100° F. High temperatures and bright sunlight will also scorch leaves and fruit, although bananas grow best in full sun. Freezing temperatures will kill the foliage. In most areas bananas require wind protection for best appearance and maximum yield. They are also susceptible to being blown over. Bananas, especially dwarf varieties, make good container specimens if given careful attention. The plant will also need periodic repotting as the old plant dies back and new plants develop.
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 M.assamica, Hort. Bull. Trunk about 1 ½   ft. high: lvs. about 1 ft. long, crowded, running out into a slender tendril-like point, green with a narrow purple border. Assam. This elegant dwarf plant allied to M. sanguinea is well suited for table decoration.—M. imperialis, Sprenger. A magnificent species with perennial root-stock and enormous somewhat lanceolate lvs. Related to M. Ensete. Kamerun. Cult.in Eu. Fla. and fr. not described.—M. Rhodochlamys, Hort. A subgenus of Musa improperly used in some trade catalogues as a species. See species 16-21.
 }}
 ==See also==

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 |image_caption=Banana plant
 }}
 [[Image:Inside a wild-type banana.jpg|thumb|250px|Fruits of wild-type bananas have numerous large, hard seeds.]]
 [[Image:Banane Rose.JPG|thumb|250px|right|Certain banana cultivars turn red or purplish instead of yellow as they ripen.]]
@@ Line 19: / Line 39: @@
 [[Image:BananasBlueBagStLucia.jpg|thumb|Banana bunches are sometimes encased in plastic bags for protection.  The bags may be coated with [[pesticides]].]]
 [[Image:Banana trees.jpg|thumb|Inspecting bananas for fruit flies.]]
-[[Image:FHIA-17.jpg|thumb|right|Tanzanian farmers with 92&nbsp;kg (200 lb) bunch of FHIA-17 bananas.]]
+[[Image:FHIA-17.jpg|thumb|right|Tanzanian farmers with 92 kg (200 lb) bunch of FHIA-17 bananas.]]
 [[Image:M. acuminata x balbisiana.JPG|right|thumb|''M. acuminata x balbisiana'' flower, partially opened.]]
 [[image:bananacorms.jpg|thumb|right|Banana [[corm]]s.]]
@@ Line 34: / Line 54: @@
 '''Banana''' is the [[common name]] used for [[herbaceous]], [[Cultigen|cultigenic]] plants in the [[genus]] ''[[Musa (Musaceae)|Musa]]'', and is also the name given the [[fruit]] of these plants.
-Banana plants are of the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Musaceae]]. They are cultivated primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent for the production of fibre and as ornamental plants. They are native to [[Tropics|tropical]] southeastern [[Asia]] but are widely cultivated in tropical regions. Because of their size and structure, banana plants are often mistaken for [[tree]]s. The main or upright growth is called a ''pseudostem'', which when mature, for some species can obtain a height of up to 2–8&nbsp;m, with [[leaf|leaves]] of up to 3.5&nbsp;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.
+Banana plants are of the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Musaceae]]. They are cultivated primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent for the production of fibre and as ornamental plants. They are native to [[Tropics|tropical]] southeastern [[Asia]] but are widely cultivated in tropical regions. Because of their size and structure, banana plants are often mistaken for [[tree]]s. The main or upright growth is called a ''pseudostem'', which when mature, for some species can obtain a height of up to 2–8 m, with [[leaf|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 banana fruit grow in hanging clusters, with up to 20 fruit to a tier (called a ''hand''), and 3-20 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&nbsp;kg. The fruit averages 125&nbsp;g, of which approximately 75% is water and 25% dry matter content. Each individual fruit (or 'finger', or in common usage 'banana') has a protective outer layer (a [[peel]] or [[skin]]) with a fleshy edible inner portion.  Typically the fruit has numerous strings (called 'phloem bundles') which run between the skin and the edible portion of the banana, and which are commonly removed individually after the skin is removed.  Bananas are a valuable source of [[Vitamin A]], [[Vitamin B6]], [[Vitamin C]], and [[potassium]].
+The banana fruit grow in hanging clusters, with up to 20 fruit to a tier (called a ''hand''), and 3-20 tiers to a bunch. The total of the hanging clusters is known as a bunch, or commercially as a &quot;banana stem&quot;, and can weigh from 30–50 kg. The fruit averages 125 g, of which approximately 75% is water and 25% dry matter content. Each individual fruit (or 'finger', or in common usage 'banana') has a protective outer layer (a [[peel]] or [[skin]]) with a fleshy edible inner portion.  Typically the fruit has numerous strings (called 'phloem bundles') which run between the skin and the edible portion of the banana, and which are commonly removed individually after the skin is removed.  Bananas are a valuable source of [[Vitamin A]], [[Vitamin B6]], [[Vitamin C]], and [[potassium]].
-Bananas are grown in 132 countries worldwide, more than any other fruit crop.   In popular culture and commerce, "banana" usually refers to soft, sweet "dessert" bananas that are usually eaten raw. The bananas from a group of cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are generally used in cooking rather than eaten raw. Bananas may also be dried and ground into banana flour.
+Bananas are grown in 132 countries worldwide, more than any other fruit crop.   In popular culture and commerce, &quot;banana&quot; usually refers to soft, sweet &quot;dessert&quot; bananas that are usually eaten raw. The bananas from a group of cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are generally used in cooking rather than eaten raw. Bananas may also be dried and ground into banana flour.
 Although the wild species have fruits with numerous large, hard seeds, virtually all culinary bananas have [[seedless fruit]]s. 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 [[United States|U.S.]] and [[EU]] being the dominant buyers.
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 Pruning Only one primary stem of each rhizome should be allowed to fruit. All excess shoots should be removed as soon as they are noticed. This helps channel all of of the plant's energy into fruit production. Once the main stalk is 6 - 8 months old, permit one sucker to develop as a replacement stalk for the following season. When the fruit is harvested, cut the fruiting stalk back to 30 inches above the ground. Remove the stub several weeks later. The stalk can be cut into small pieces and used as mulch.
-Fruit Harvest: Stalks of bananas are usually formed in the late summer and then winter over. In March they begin "plumping up" and may ripen in April. Occasionally, a stalk will form in early summer and ripen before cold weather appears. The fruit can be harvested by cutting the stalk when the bananas are plump but green. For tree-ripened fruit, cut one hand at a time as it ripens. If latter is done, check stalk daily as rodents can eat the insides of every banana, from above, and the stalk will look untouched. Once harvested the stalk should be hung in a cool, shady place. Since ethylene helps initiate and stimulate ripening, and mature fruit gives off this gas in small amounts, ripening can be hastened by covering the bunch with a plastic bag. Plantains are starchy types that are cooked before eating.
+Fruit Harvest: Stalks of bananas are usually formed in the late summer and then winter over. In March they begin &quot;plumping up&quot; and may ripen in April. Occasionally, a stalk will form in early summer and ripen before cold weather appears. The fruit can be harvested by cutting the stalk when the bananas are plump but green. For tree-ripened fruit, cut one hand at a time as it ripens. If latter is done, check stalk daily as rodents can eat the insides of every banana, from above, and the stalk will look untouched. Once harvested the stalk should be hung in a cool, shady place. Since ethylene helps initiate and stimulate ripening, and mature fruit gives off this gas in small amounts, ripening can be hastened by covering the bunch with a plastic bag. Plantains are starchy types that are cooked before eating.
 ===Propagation===
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 * Tropical Race 4 - a reinvigorated strain of [[Panama disease|Panama Disease]] first discovered in 1993. 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 [[tool]]s. 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.
+* Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) - this [[virus]] is spread from plant to plant by [[aphids]]. It causes stunting of the leaves resulting in a &quot;bunched&quot; 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.

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:12, 8 January 2010
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	When plants of a most gorgeous tropical effect are wanted, they will always be found among the musas. To grow these plants to perfection, a large greenhouse will be required. The musas can be increased from suckers, which are found around old plants, and which can readily be separated from the parent plant with a piece of root. These suckers may be potted up into 4-, 5- or 6-inch pots, using a compost of fibrous loam three parts, well-decayed cow-manure one part, enough sand to keep it open and porous, and a good dash of bone-meal. Pot each sucker firmly. These young plants should be placed in a very close and humid atmosphere so as to encourage quick growth. They prefer a night temperature of not less than 68° with about 10° to 20° more during the day. These young plants may be started anywhere from the middle of February up to the first of April. When they have filled their pots with roots, they can be shifted into pots two sizes larger. These shifts can be kept up until they are in tubs 2 feet square. As the shifts become larger make the compost richer, as they are rank feeders. When musas are grown for decorative purposes, it will be found convenient to have them in tubs as they are more easily moved. When they are wanted to show the production of fine fruit, they should be planted out in the middle of a roomy house where the night temperature does not fall below 65°. During the spring and summer months, let the temperature increase in proportion to the outside conditions, as musas delight in a high temperature. They will stand much feeding and should be given liquid manure once or twice a week during the spring and summer months. By giving care to watering, syringing and ventilation, they will grow rapidly. While musas like plenty of sunshine, they are sometimes better for a slight shading during the middle of the day, but only enough to prevent scorching of the foliage. During the winter the night temperature may be lowered to 60°. They will also require less water and syringing. The musas used for subtropical beds and gardens are grown from seed, such as M. Ensete, M. Basjoo, M. superba, and the like. These seeds may be planted in pans or flats in a compost of loam, leaf-mold and sand in equal parts. The seeds should be covered about four times their size in depth and pressed firmly. These pans should be placed where they can have plenty of bottom-heat. When the seedlings appear, pot them off and grow on the same as above. These plants can be lifted in the fall and the soil shaken off and placed in some house or cellar where the temperature does not go below 45°.		When plants of a most gorgeous tropical effect are wanted, they will always be found among the musas. To grow these plants to perfection, a large greenhouse will be required. The musas can be increased from suckers, which are found around old plants, and which can readily be separated from the parent plant with a piece of root. These suckers may be potted up into 4-, 5- or 6-inch pots, using a compost of fibrous loam three parts, well-decayed cow-manure one part, enough sand to keep it open and porous, and a good dash of bone-meal. Pot each sucker firmly. These young plants should be placed in a very close and humid atmosphere so as to encourage quick growth. They prefer a night temperature of not less than 68° with about 10° to 20° more during the day. These young plants may be started anywhere from the middle of February up to the first of April. When they have filled their pots with roots, they can be shifted into pots two sizes larger. These shifts can be kept up until they are in tubs 2 feet square. As the shifts become larger make the compost richer, as they are rank feeders. When musas are grown for decorative purposes, it will be found convenient to have them in tubs as they are more easily moved. When they are wanted to show the production of fine fruit, they should be planted out in the middle of a roomy house where the night temperature does not fall below 65°. During the spring and summer months, let the temperature increase in proportion to the outside conditions, as musas delight in a high temperature. They will stand much feeding and should be given liquid manure once or twice a week during the spring and summer months. By giving care to watering, syringing and ventilation, they will grow rapidly. While musas like plenty of sunshine, they are sometimes better for a slight shading during the middle of the day, but only enough to prevent scorching of the foliage. During the winter the night temperature may be lowered to 60°. They will also require less water and syringing. The musas used for subtropical beds and gardens are grown from seed, such as M. Ensete, M. Basjoo, M. superba, and the like. These seeds may be planted in pans or flats in a compost of loam, leaf-mold and sand in equal parts. The seeds should be covered about four times their size in depth and pressed firmly. These pans should be placed where they can have plenty of bottom-heat. When the seedlings appear, pot them off and grow on the same as above. These plants can be lifted in the fall and the soil shaken off and placed in some house or cellar where the temperature does not go below 45°.
		+
		+	M.assamica, Hort. Bull. Trunk about 1 ½ ft. high: lvs. about 1 ft. long, crowded, running out into a slender tendril-like point, green with a narrow purple border. Assam. This elegant dwarf plant allied to M. sanguinea is well suited for table decoration.—M. imperialis, Sprenger. A magnificent species with perennial root-stock and enormous somewhat lanceolate lvs. Related to M. Ensete. Kamerun. Cult.in Eu. Fla. and fr. not described.—M. Rhodochlamys, Hort. A subgenus of Musa improperly used in some trade catalogues as a species. See species 16-21.
	}}		}}

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 {{SPlantbox
 |common_name=Banana
 |Min ht metric=cm
 |Temp Metric=°F
-|jumpin=This is the plant information box - for information on light; water; zones; height; etc. If it is mostly empty you can help grow this page by clicking on the edit tab and filling in the blanks!
+|image=Luxor, Banana Island, Banana Tree, Egypt, Oct 2004.jpg
-|image=Upload.png
+|image_width=180
-|image_width=240
+|image_caption=Banana plant
 }}
 [[Image:Inside a wild-type banana.jpg|thumb|250px|Fruits of wild-type bananas have numerous large, hard seeds.]]
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 *'''Valery''' - A Cavendish clone resembling the Robusta. Some believe them to be the same. The Dwarf Cavendish is the most widely planted as it is better adapted to a cool climate and is less likely to be blown over.
 *'''Williams''' - The same as Giant Cavendish. Originated from a mutation of Dwarf Cavendish found in Queensland, Australia. A commercial banana grown in many countries that does well in California. 10 to 16 feet in height and has a distinctive long, very large bud. The Del Monte is a Williams.
 ==See also==

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 |image_width=240
 }}
 {{Inc|
 Musa (named after Antonio Musa, physician to Octavius Augustus, first emperor of Rome, 63-14 B. C.). Musaceae. The largest of tree-like herbs, grown for the ornament of their large striking foliage, for fruit, and for fiber.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:13, 7 January 2010
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		+	{{SPlantbox
		+	\|common_name=Banana
		+	\|Min ht metric=cm
		+	\|Temp Metric=°F
		+	\|jumpin=This is the plant information box - for information on light; water; zones; height; etc. If it is mostly empty you can help grow this page by clicking on the edit tab and filling in the blanks!
		+	\|image=Upload.png
		+	\|image_width=240
		+	}}
		+	{{Inc\|
		+	Musa (named after Antonio Musa, physician to Octavius Augustus, first emperor of Rome, 63-14 B. C.). Musaceae. The largest of tree-like herbs, grown for the ornament of their large striking foliage, for fruit, and for fiber.
		+	Bulbous or with perennial rootstocks: lvs. usually gigantic, entire, oblong or elliptic, pinnately parallel veined, arranged in a loose rosette, sometimes dark above and glaucous beneath, with a narrow red edge, usually bright green on both sides; in the young state with narrow hyaline margins beautifully crimsoned or white; midrib with a deep rounded groove above; sheathing petioles long or short, forming a false st. like structure: fls. unisexual, in half-whorl-like clusters in a terminal spike (Fig. 462, Vol. I), each cluster subtended by a large spathe-like, colored bract, and all borne on a long or short often velvety or puberulent rachis emerging from the center of the leafy envelopes at the top of the false st.; lower clusters female, upper male (actually hermaphrodite female and hermaphrodite male, the opposing parts being dwarfed, functionless or sometimes absent); perianth consisting of a calyx at first tubular but soon splitting down one side with a 3-5-toothed apex and opposite the calyx a single simple or 3-toothed petal; stamens normally 6, 5 with 2-celled vasifixed anthers, the sixth usually suppressed; ovary inferior, 3-celled, cells with many superposed ovules: fr. a large berry, short or elongated, pulpy or dry, angular, oblong or cylindrical; seeds when produced are 1/8 – 5/8 . diam., subglobose or angled by pressure, testa hard, indented at the base and apex, albumen mealy, embryo subtruncate.—Sixty-seven species and over 200 cult. varieties are known, native of Trop. Asia, Afr., Austral, and adjacent islands. The fruit of the banana is of great importance in the tropics for food. It is imported in large quantities into the U. S. from W. Indies and Cent. Amer. and grown in the Gulf States (see Banana). Several ornamental species are grown extensively in the N. and are hardy from 38° north to 35° south latitude. Latest publications: Baker, Species and Principal Varieties of Musa, K.B. 229-314 (1894). Schumann, Das Pflanzenreich 45:13-28 (1900). Fawcett, The Banana, Its Cultivation, Distribution and Commercial Uses, 1913. Popenoe, Origin of the Banana, Journal of Heredity 5:273-280 (1914).
		+
		+	When plants of a most gorgeous tropical effect are wanted, they will always be found among the musas. To grow these plants to perfection, a large greenhouse will be required. The musas can be increased from suckers, which are found around old plants, and which can readily be separated from the parent plant with a piece of root. These suckers may be potted up into 4-, 5- or 6-inch pots, using a compost of fibrous loam three parts, well-decayed cow-manure one part, enough sand to keep it open and porous, and a good dash of bone-meal. Pot each sucker firmly. These young plants should be placed in a very close and humid atmosphere so as to encourage quick growth. They prefer a night temperature of not less than 68° with about 10° to 20° more during the day. These young plants may be started anywhere from the middle of February up to the first of April. When they have filled their pots with roots, they can be shifted into pots two sizes larger. These shifts can be kept up until they are in tubs 2 feet square. As the shifts become larger make the compost richer, as they are rank feeders. When musas are grown for decorative purposes, it will be found convenient to have them in tubs as they are more easily moved. When they are wanted to show the production of fine fruit, they should be planted out in the middle of a roomy house where the night temperature does not fall below 65°. During the spring and summer months, let the temperature increase in proportion to the outside conditions, as musas delight in a high temperature. They will stand much feeding and should be given liquid manure once or twice a week during the spring and summer months. By giving care to watering, syringing and ventilation, they will grow rapidly. While musas like plenty of sunshine, they are sometimes better for a slight shading during the middle of the day, but only enough to prevent scorching of the foliage. During the winter the night temperature may be lowered to 60°. They will also require less water and syringing. The musas used for subtropical beds and gardens are grown from seed, such as M. Ensete, M. Basjoo, M. superba, and the like. These seeds may be planted in pans or flats in a compost of loam, leaf-mold and sand in equal parts. The seeds should be covered about four times their size in depth and pressed firmly. These pans should be placed where they can have plenty of bottom-heat. When the seedlings appear, pot them off and grow on the same as above. These plants can be lifted in the fall and the soil shaken off and placed in some house or cellar where the temperature does not go below 45°.
		+	}}
		+
	{{Plantbox		{{Plantbox
	\| name = Musa		\| name = Musa