Bananas are fast growing, herbaceous plants with a rhizome-like stem and a stalk pseudostem formed by upright concentric layers of leaf sheaths which form the trunk. The true stem starts out as an underground corm which grows upward pushing out through the center of the stalk about a year after planting, eventually producing the flower which later produces the fruit. The leaves are large extensions of the pseudostem, and the leaf veins run from the center to the outer edge. The leaves are susceptible to shredding by winds, but even after being shredded the veins on the leaves are still able to function. About 44 leaves will appear before the inflorescence forms (flowering).
Banana Cultivation
Bananas require warmth and wind protection. They will grow in most soils, although they prefer an acidic soil. During the hot summer months, keep the banana plant watered well, but take care to not flood the plants. During the winter season, water whenever it gets a little warm. They are heavy feeders and have a high nitrogen and phosphorus requirement. During the summer growing season, encourage the banana to grow as fast as possible as there is a direct correlation between the time it takes to bring the plant to fruiting and the number of 'hands' the plant will produce.
Banana Cultivars
Here are some notable banana cultivars.
Cavendish - Resistant to Panama Wilt disease. Clones of Cavendish: Lacatan (12 to 18 feet); Robusta (10 to 16 feet); Dwarf (4 to 7 feet).
Lady Finger - A tall cultivar (20 to 25 feet), it is tolerant of cooler weather. Fruit is of excellent quality.
Ice Cream - This cultivar has a bluish hue to the unripe fruit. The fruit itself is from 7 to 9 inches with 4 to 9 hands, is very aromatic, and the fruit is said to melt in your mouth like ice cream.
Cuban Red - A tall cultivar (up to 25 feet), the skin is red with reddish pseudostems. The aromatic fruit has a creamy orange pulp.
Banana Fruit
A banana stem produces fruit only once. Once it fruits, the stalk is cut off. The stalk is replaced by other stalks that are allowed to grow from the stool. Too many stalks lead to small bunches of low-quality fruit. Once harvested, the stalk should be hung in a cool, shady place. Since ethylene helps initiate and stimulates ripening, ripening can be sped up by covering the bunch with a polyethylene bag.
Resource:
Banana information taken from Fruit Facts: Banana, published by the California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc., The Fullerton Arboretum, California State University, Fullerton.
Comments
Post a Comment