Cavendish banana

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Cavendish
Cavendish Banana DS.jpg
A bunch of Cavendish bananas
Species Musa acuminata
Cultivar group Cavendish subgroup of the AAA Group
Cultivar group membersSee text
Unripe cavendish bananas Green raw bananas.jpg
Unripe cavendish bananas

Cavendish bananas are the fruits of one of a number of banana cultivars belonging to the Cavendish subgroup of the AAA banana cultivar group (triploid cultivars of Musa acuminata ). The same term is also used to describe the plants on which the bananas grow.

Contents

They include commercially important cultivars like 'Dwarf Cavendish' (1888) and 'Grand Nain' (the "Chiquita banana"). Since the 1950s, these cultivars have been the most internationally traded bananas. [1] They replaced the Gros Michel banana (commonly known as Kampala banana in Kenya and Bogoya in Uganda) [2] [ better source needed ] after it was devastated by Panama disease.

They are unable to reproduce sexually, instead being propagated via identical clones. Due to this, the genetic diversity of the Cavendish banana is very low. This, combined with the fact the Cavendish is planted in dense chunks in a monoculture without other natural species to serve as a buffer, makes the Cavendish extremely vulnerable to disease, fungal outbreaks, and genetic mutation, possibly leading to eventual commercial extinction. [3] [4] [5]

History of cultivation

The 'Super Dwarf Cavendish' cultivar Smallcavendish.jpg
The 'Super Dwarf Cavendish' cultivar
Cavendish bananas Cavendish DS.jpg
Cavendish bananas
Developing fruits of a Cavendish banana Bananenblute.JPG
Developing fruits of a Cavendish banana

Cavendish bananas were named after William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire. Though they were not the first known banana specimens in Europe, in around 1834 Cavendish received a shipment of bananas (from Mauritius) courtesy of the chaplain of Alton Towers (then the seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury). His head gardener and friend, Sir Joseph Paxton, cultivated them in the greenhouses of Chatsworth House. The plants were botanically described by Paxton as Musa cavendishii, after the Duke. [6] For his work, Paxton won a medal at the 1835 Royal Horticultural Society show. [7]

The Chatsworth bananas were shipped off to various places in the Pacific around the 1850s. It is believed that some of them may have ended up in the Canary Islands, [6] though other authors believe that the bananas in the Canary Islands had been there since the fifteenth century and had been introduced by early Portuguese explorers who obtained them from West Africa and were later responsible for spreading them to the Caribbean. [8] African bananas in turn were introduced from Southeast Asia into Madagascar by early Austronesian sailors. [9] In 1888, bananas from the Canary Islands were imported into England by Thomas Fyffe. These bananas are now known to belong to the Dwarf Cavendish cultivar. [10]

Cavendish bananas entered mass commercial production in 1903 but did not gain prominence until later when Panama disease attacked the dominant Gros Michel ("Big Mike") variety in the 1950s. Because they were successfully grown in the same soils as previously affected Gros Michel plants, many assumed the Cavendish cultivars were more resistant to Panama disease. Contrary to this notion, in mid-2008, reports from Sumatra and Malaysia suggested that Panama disease had started attacking Cavendish cultivars. [11]

After years of attempting to keep it out of the Americas, in mid-2019, Panama disease Tropical Race 4 (TR4), was discovered on banana farms in the coastal Caribbean region. With no fungicide effective against TR4, the Cavendish may meet the same fate as the Gros Michel. [12]

Taxonomy and nomenclature

Cavendish bananas are a subgroup of the triploid (AAA) group cultivars of Musa acuminata . [13]

Cavendish cultivars are distinguished by the height of the plant and features of the fruits, [8] [14] and different cultivars may be recognized as distinct by different authorities. The most important clones for fruit production include: 'Dwarf Cavendish', 'Grande Naine', 'Lacatan' (bungulan), 'Poyo', 'Valéry', and 'Williams' under one system of cultivar classification. [8] Another classification includes: 'Double', 'Dwarf Cavendish', 'Extra Dwarf Cavendish', 'Grande Naine', 'Pisang Masak Hijau' (syn 'Lacatan'), and 'Giant Cavendish' as a group of several difficult to distinguish cultivars (including 'Poyo', 'Robusta', 'Valéry', & 'Williams'). [14] 'Grande Naine' is the most important clone in international trade, while 'Dwarf Cavendish' is the most widely grown clone. [14] 'Grande Naine' is also known as Chiquita banana. [15]

Uses

Cavendish bananas accounted for 47% of global banana production between 1998 and 2000, and the vast majority of bananas entering international trade. [1]

The fruits of the Cavendish bananas are eaten raw, used in baking, fruit salads, and to complement foods. The outer skin is partially green when bananas are sold in food markets, and turns yellow when the fruit ripens. As it ripens, the starch is converted to sugars turning the fruit sweet. When it reaches its final stage (stage 7), brown/black "sugar spots" develop. When overripe, the skin turns black and the flesh becomes mushy.

Bananas ripen naturally or through an induced process. Once picked, they can turn yellow on their own provided that they are fully mature by the time they are being harvested, or can be exposed to ethylene gas [16] to induce ripening. Bananas which are turning yellow emit natural ethylene which is characterized by the emission of sweet scented Esters. [17] Most retailers sell bananas in stages 3–6, with stage 5–7 being the most ideal for immediate consumption. The PLUs used for Cavendish bananas are 4011 (yellow) and 4186 (small yellow). Organic Cavendish bananas are assigned PLU 94011. [18]

Diseases

Cavendish bananas, accounting for around 99% of banana exports to developed countries, are vulnerable to the fungal disease known as Panama disease. There is a risk of extinction of the variety. Because Cavendish bananas are parthenocarpic (they don't have seeds and reproduce only through cloning), their resistance to disease is often low. Development of disease resistance depends on mutations occurring in the propagation units, and hence evolves more slowly than in seed-propagated crops. [19]

The development of resistant varieties has therefore been the only alternative to protect the fruit trees from tropical and subtropical diseases like bacterial wilt and Fusarium wilt, commonly known as Panama disease. A replacement for the Cavendish would likely depend on genetic engineering, which is banned in some countries. Conventional plant breeding has not yet been able to produce a variety that preserves the flavor and shelf-life of the Cavendish. [20] [21] In 2017, James Dale, a biotechnologist at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, produced just such a transgenic banana resistant to Tropical Race 4. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banana</span> Tropical/subtropical edible staple, fruit

A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing them from dessert bananas. The fruit is variable in size, color, and firmness, but is usually elongated and curved, with soft flesh rich in starch covered with a rind, which may have a variety of colors when ripe. The fruits grow upward in clusters near the top of the plant. Almost all modern edible seedless (parthenocarp) bananas come from two wild species – Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. Most cultivated bananas are M. acuminata, M. balbisiana, or hybrids of the two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panama disease</span> Plant disease of bananas

Panama disease is a plant disease that infects banana plants. It is a wilting disease caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc). The pathogen is resistant to fungicides and its control is limited to phytosanitary measures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gros Michel banana</span> Banana cultivar

Gros Michel, often translated and known as "Big Mike", is an export cultivar of banana and was, until the 1950s, the main variety grown. The physical properties of the Gros Michel make it an excellent export produce; its thick peel makes it resilient to bruising during transport and the dense bunches that it grows in make it easy to ship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf Cavendish banana</span> Banana cultivar

The Dwarf Cavendish banana is a widely grown and commercially important Cavendish cultivar. The name "Dwarf Cavendish" is in reference to the height of the pseudostem, not the fruit. Young plants have maroon or purple blotches on their leaves but quickly lose them as they mature. It is one of the most commonly planted banana varieties from the Cavendish group, and the main source of commercial Cavendish bananas along with Grand Nain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldfinger banana</span> Edible fruit cultivar

The Goldfinger banana (FHIA-01) is a banana cultivar developed in Honduras. The cultivar, developed at the Honduran Foundation for Agricultural Research (FHIA) by a team of scientists led by Phillip Rowe and Franklin Rosales, has been bred to be pest-resistant and crop-yielding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red banana</span> Variety of banana

Red bananas are a group of varieties of bananas with reddish-purple skin. Some are smaller and plumper than the common Cavendish banana, others much larger. When ripe, raw red bananas have a flesh that is creamy to light pink. They are also softer and sweeter than the yellow Cavendish varieties, some with a slight tangy raspberry flavor and others with an earthy one. Many red bananas are exported by producers in East Africa, Asia, South America, and the United Arab Emirates. They are a favorite in Central America as a form of aphrodisiac juice, along with being a favourite in India to promote fertility but are sold throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Nain</span> Edible fruit cultivar

The Grand Nain banana is a banana cultivar of Musa acuminata. It is one of the most commonly cultivated bananas and a member of the commercial Cavendish banana cultivar group. It is also known as the Chiquita banana because it is the main product of Chiquita Brands International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhino Horn banana</span> Banana cultivar

Rhino Horn bananas, also called Rhino Horn plantains or African Rhino Horn, are hybrid banana cultivars from Africa. It produces strongly curved and elongated edible bananas which can grow to a length of two feet, the longest fruits among banana cultivars.

<i>Musa acuminata</i> Species of banana native to Southeast Asia

Musa acuminata is a species of banana native to Southern Asia, its range comprising the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Many of the modern edible dessert bananas are from this species, although some are hybrids with Musa balbisiana. First cultivated by humans around 10 kya, it is one of the early examples of domesticated plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Java banana</span> Banana cultivar

The Blue Java is a hardy, cold-tolerant banana cultivar known for its sweet aromatic fruit, which is said to have an ice cream-like consistency and flavor reminiscent of vanilla. It is native to Southeast Asia and is a hybrid of two species of banana native to Southeast Asia—Musa balbisiana and Musa acuminata.

<i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f.sp. <i>cubense</i> Fungus, causes banana wilt/Panama disease

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense is a fungal plant pathogen that causes Panama disease of banana, also known as Fusarium wilt. The fungi and the related disease are responsible for widespread pressure on banana growing regions, destroying the economic viability of several commercially important banana varieties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saba banana</span> Banana cultivar

Saba banana is a triploid hybrid (ABB) banana cultivar originating from the Philippines. It is primarily a cooking banana, though it can also be eaten raw. It is one of the most important banana varieties in Philippine cuisine. It is also sometimes known as the "cardaba banana", though the latter name is more correctly applied to the cardava, a very similar cultivar also classified within the saba subgroup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Finger banana</span> Banana cultivar

Lady Finger bananas are banana cultivars belonging to the Sucrier subgroup of the AA banana cultivar group. Originating in Malaysia, Lady Finger banana is the most widely cultivated AA cultivar and is one of the world’s most popular local bananas. Banana fruits are finger-sized, thin skinned, and deliciously sweet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latundan banana</span> Type of banana originating in the Philippines

The Latundan banana is a triploid hybrid banana cultivar of the AAB "Pome" group from the Philippines. It is one of the most common banana cultivars in Southeast Asia and the Philippines, along with Lacatan and Saba bananas. Its Malaysian name is pisang rastali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakatan banana</span> Banana cultivar

Lakatan bananas, also spelled Lacatan, are diploid banana cultivars from the Philippines. It is one of the most common banana cultivars in the Philippines, along with the Latundan and Saba bananas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Señorita banana</span> Banana cultivar

Señorita bananas are diploid cultivars of the banana Musa acuminata originating in the Philippines. They are very small stout bananas which, like all bananas belonging to the AA cultivar group, are known for being extraordinarily sweet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matoke</span> Banana cultivar

Matoke, locally also known as matooke, amatooke in Buganda, ekitookye in southwestern Uganda, ekitooke in western Uganda, kamatore in Lugisu, ebitooke in northwestern Tanzania, igitoki in Rwanda, Burundi and by the cultivar name East African Highland banana, are a group of starchy triploid banana cultivars, originating from the African Great Lakes. The fruit is harvested green, carefully peeled, and then cooked and often mashed or pounded into a meal. In Uganda and Rwanda, the fruit is steam-cooked, and the mashed meal is considered a national dish in both countries.

Masak Hijau bananas are triploid banana cultivars from Malaysia. It is a member of the commercially important Cavendish banana subgroup. It is a popular banana cultivar in Southeast Asia and the West Indies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardava banana</span> Banana cultivar

Cardava bananas, also spelled cardaba or kardaba, is a triploid hybrid (ABB) banana cultivar originating from the Philippines. It is primarily a cooking banana, though it can also be eaten raw. It is commonly confused with the more ubiquitous and closely related saba banana because they are used identically in traditional Filipino cuisine. Their common names can be interchanged in everyday usage though they are different cultivars.

References

  1. 1 2 Arias, Pedro; Dankers, Cora; Liu, Pascal; Pilkauskas, Paul (2003). The World Banana Economy 1985–2002. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN   92-5-105057-0. ISSN   1810-0783 . Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Kampala Express". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  3. ↑ Erbentraut, Joseph (December 16, 2015). "The 'Extinction' Of Bananas Shows Us Why Our Food System Needs Help". HuffPost. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  4. ↑ Liu, Pei; Goh, Chong-Jin; Loh, Chiang-Shiong; Pua, Eng-Chong (May 16, 2002). "Differential expression and characterization of three metallothionein-like genes in Cavendish banana (Musa acuminata)". Physiologia Plantarum. 114 (2): 241–250. doi:10.1034/j.1399-3054.2002.1140210.x. PMID   11903971 – via Wiley Online Library.
  5. ↑ Vishnevetsky, Jane; White, Thomas L.; Palmateer, Aaron J.; Flaishman, Moshe; Cohen, Yuval; Elad, Yigal; Velcheva, Margarita; Hanania, Uri; Sahar, Nachman; Dgani, Oded; Perl, Avihai (February 1, 2011). "Improved tolerance toward fungal diseases in transgenic Cavendish banana (Musa spp. AAA group) cv. Grand Nain". Transgenic Research. 20 (1): 61–72. doi:10.1007/s11248-010-9392-7. PMID   20397044. S2CID   11786933 – via Springer Link.
  6. 1 2 "The Cavendish Banana". Peakland Heritage. 2002-07-19. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Leatherdale, Duncan (January 2016). "The imminent death of the Cavendish banana and why it affects us all". BBC News.
  8. 1 2 3 Mohan Jain, S.; Priyadarshan, P. M. (2009). Breeding Plantation Tree Crops: Tropical Species. Springer Science+Business Media. ISBN   978-0-387-71199-7.
  9. ↑ Rowe, Phillip; Rosales, Franklin E. (1996). "Bananas and Plantains". In Janick, Jules; Moore, James N. (eds.). Tree and Tropical Fruits. Fruit Breeding. Vol. I. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 169–171. ISBN   978-0-471-31014-3.
  10. ↑ Davies, Peter N. (1 January 1990). Fyffes and the Banana: Musa Sapientum : a Centenary History, 1888-1988. Athlone Press. pp. 23–51. ISBN   978-0-485-11382-2.
  11. ↑ Ploetz, R. C. (2005). "Panama disease, an old nemesis rears its ugly head: Part 1, the beginnings of the banana export trades". Plant Health Progress. 6: 18. doi:10.1094/PHP-2005-1221-01-RV.
  12. ↑ Karp, Miles (12 August 2019). "The banana is one step closer to disappearing". National Geographic. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  13. ↑ Porcher, Michel H.; Barlow, Snow (2002-07-19). "Sorting Musa names". The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  14. 1 2 3 Ploetz, R.C.; Kepler, A.K.; Daniells, J.; Nelson, S.C. (2007). "Banana and Plantain: An Overview with Emphasis on Pacific Island Cultivars". In Elevitch, C. R. (ed.). Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry (PDF). Hōlualoa, Hawai'i: Permanent Agriculture Resources (PAR). Retrieved 2013-01-10.
  15. ↑ Voldeck, Lisa Beth (2010). "Indoor Banana Trees". Bellaonline.com/. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  16. ↑ "Ethylene: The Ripening Hormone". postharvest.tfrec.wsu.edu. Archived from the original on 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  17. ↑ "ester | Description, Types, & Reactions". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  18. ↑ "PLU Codes (Alphabetical Order)". www.innvista.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-08. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  19. ↑ "Why the world's favorite banana may go extinct, and how scientists are trying to save it". Business Insider. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  20. ↑ "Deadly Banana Fungus Puts World's Top Exporter on High Alert". Bloomberg. April 23, 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  21. ↑ "Bananas Are in Danger". slate.com. May 10, 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  22. ↑ Van de Wouw, Angela P.; Idnurm, Alexander (2019). "Biotechnological potential of engineering pathogen effector proteins for use in plant disease management". Biotechnology Advances . Elsevier. 37 (6): 107387. doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.04.009. ISSN   0734-9750. PMID   31022532. S2CID   133604915.
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