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Transcript
Banano (Spanish) Family: Musaceae Genus: Musa Distribution Today they are cultivated throughout the tropics and are grown in at least 107 countries, primarily for their fruit and to a lesser extent to make fibre and as ornamentals Shortly after the discovery of the Americas, bananas were introduced to the islands and mainland by Portuguese sailors in the 16th Century. Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to develop banana plantations, the first being created in 1872 with banana export to the USA following in 1879. Neighbouring countries quickly followed suit and as a result became known as “banana republics”. Habitat They thrive naturally on deep, loose, well-drained soils in humid tropical climates. Musa acuminata is one of the earliest plants to be domesticated by humans for agriculture. In cultivation it is important that banana plants are given enough space to spread their roots for security thus preventing high winds from uprooting the plant. They are grown successfully under irrigation in such semiarid regions as the southern side of Jamaica Description The banana plant is the largest herbaceous flowering plant. The plants are normally tall and fairly sturdy and are often mistaken for trees, but their main or upright stem is actually a pseudostem composed of overlapping, sheathing leaf stalks or petioles growing from an underground stem or rhizome. Each pseudostem can produce a single inflorescence or bunch of bananas. The inflorescence contains many bracts, sometimes incorrectly called petals, between rows of flowers. A large flower stalk, carrying numerous flowers, emerges from the pseudostem and bends downwards to become bunches of 50-150 individual fruits or fingers. The fruits are grouped in clusters, or hands, of 10-20. The plant has both female and male flowers. The female flowers appear in rows further up the flower stalk from the rows of male flowers. After fruiting, the pseudostem dies, but offshoots may develop from the base of the plant. Leaves may grow 3-3.5 m in length Banana plants can grow up to six m tall depending on the hybrid or cultivar. Adaptation There are hundreds of varieties of banana plants in cultivation with edible bananas being classified into several main groups and subgroups species. The most important species of banana is M. acuminata: this type has several cultivars, the most widely consumed of which is commonly referred to as the 'Cavendish' group. This group accounts for the majority of exported bananas in various countries. It is a relative newcomer as a mass produced cultivar. Cultivated bananas are parthenogenic which makes them sterile and unable to produce viable seeds. Lacking seed, propagation is usually is done by removing a sucker (a vertical shoot that develops from the base of the pseudostem) with some roots intact. The family Musaceae contains Plantains and bananas Shown here are Plantains Red bananas Banano enanos (latundans) Cavendish bananas Animal Connections Except for fish and amphibians most animals like bananas. In Cameroon, studies have shown that waste plantain and banana fruits, stems and leaves can be used as energy sources for livestock, particularly in the dry season when there are feed shortages. Economic Value Bananas are extensively cultivated and used in tropical regions and are marketed in large urban areas worldwide. They have become a staple foodstuff in many regions. Bananas continued to be one of the most popular snacks in both the North American and European markets. Bananas became, and still are important commodities to Costa Ricans. They are one of the leading revenue generating exports as well as being providers of employment to thousands of workers. However there has been a very high price to pay environmentally. . Around the middle of the last century (1945) a root fungus which became known as “the Panama Disease” had a devastating effect on a number of plantations in Costa Rica. As a result of this disease many plantations were abandoned. Land was cleared elsewhere for continued and increased banana production. Clearing and converting any tropical lowland forest has a drastic impact on biodiversity, especially so in Costa Rica, a country with such biodiverse density, one of the highest in the world. Interesting Facts They are very nutritious: low in calories, carbohydrate-rich, containing, a variety of vitamins and minerals. One banana can provide 11% of daily fibre requirement. They are an excellent source of potassium. Cano Palma Even for local consumption, bananas are not allowed to fully ripen on the plant. For export, the desired degree of maturity attained before harvest depends upon distance from market and type of transportation. Frequently, ripening is artificially induced after shipment by exposure to ethylene gas. Specially designed refrigerated ships transport bananas from tropical countries to consumption centres in North America and Europe. The word banana may be of West African origin from the Wolof word "banana" or from the Arabic word "banan". Different species are grown by small communities living around the general area of the station. References www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/51297/banana Australia and Pacific Foundation: Wilson, S.M. 1985 Phytolith analysis at Kuk Archaeology in Oceania 20 (3) 90-97 Google, Biodiversity ref: InternationalSuite101.com Jan. 8th 2011 Teresa Lojzer Corporate Document Repository: Agricultural and Consumer Protection www.actahort.org/books/490/490_39.htm; Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation www.coterc.org