Cavendish banana

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Cavendish bananas

The Cavendish is the name for the banana cultivar used most commonly in the world banana trade.^{[citation needed]} One of many banana cultivars originating in Vietnam,^[1] it became the primary replacement for the Gros Michel banana in the 1950s. Cavendish's descendant, the Dwarf Cavendish Banana, is often grown as a houseplant.^{[citation needed]}

Cavendish bananas range from approximately 15–25 cm in length,^{[citation needed]} and are used in baking, fruit salads, fruit compotes, and to complement foods. The outer skin is partially green when sold in food markets and turns yellow when it ripens. When over-ripe, the skin will turn black and the flesh becomes mushy. Bananas ripen naturally and are at their peak ripeness when the peel is all yellow with a few dark brown specks beginning to appear.

Its accepted name is Musa (AAA group) 'Dwarf Cavendish'. Synonyms include:

Musa acuminata L. A. Colla
Musa nana J. de Loureiro (name accepted at Mobot)
Musa nana auct. non J. de Loureiro
Musa chinensis R. Sweet
Musa sinensis P. A. Sagot ex J. G. Baker
Musa sinensis P. A. Sagot
Musa sinensis R. Sweet ex P. A. Sagot

[edit] Panama disease

After Panama disease attacked the dominant Gros Michel ("Big Mike") variety in the 1950s, the Cavendish cultivar became the most widely cultivated banana. Because it was successfully grown in the same soils as previously affected Gros Michel plants, many presumed that the Cavendish cultivar was more resistant to Panama disease.

Contrary to this notion, in mid-2008 reports from Sumatra and Malaysia suggest that Cavendish-like cultivars may be vulnerable to Panama disease^[2]. Because cultivated bananas are spread by conventional vegetative reproduction rather than through sexual reproduction, the Cavendish plants are genetically identical and cannot evolve disease resistance. As there is currently no effective pesticide against Panama disease, some have speculated about a future where Cavendish cultivars are not usable for farming. In such a scenario, a separate cultivar may be developed as a replacement (as happened with the Gros Michel).

[edit] References

^ Persley, G. J.; Pamela George (1996). "Portfolio of Projects", Banana Improvement: Research Challenge and Opportunity. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Publications, 29. ISBN 0821337408. “Viet Nam is one of the centers of origin of Musa spp., and has many species, varieties, and clones. ... The banana export trade is primarily based on local varieties of Cavendish cultivars, which originated in Vietnam.”
^ 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 doi:10.1094/PHP-2005-1221-01-RV.