Lecture 8 - Bananas and Plantains

Question 1

wild parents of domesticated banana

Answer 1

Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana

Question 2

major genomic groups of banana

Answer 2

AA, BB, AB
AAA, BBB, AAB, ABB
AAAA, ABBB, AAAB, AABB

Question 3

how does banana reproduce without seeds

Answer 3

triploidy or parthenocarpy

Question 4

parthenocarpy

Answer 4

development of fruit without fertilization

Question 5

2 forms of triploid formation in banana

Answer 5

spontaneous tetraploid
abnormal meiosis, unreduced gametes

Question 6

what are the benefits of triploidy in banana

Answer 6

more vigorous plants
larger fruit
higher sterility (less seeds)

Question 7

types of banana

Answer 7

dessert banana ( Cavendish, red, lady finger, blue java)

Question 8

types of plantain

Answer 8

Horn and bluggoe

Question 9

Banana orgin

Answer 9

southeast asia

Question 10

first major cultivar of banana

Answer 10

Gros Mechel (Big mike)

Question 11

limitation of banana trade

Answer 11

shipping and harvesting

Question 12

what wiped out the big mike variety of banana

Answer 12

Panama Disease

Question 13

Where do most bananas come from

Answer 13

Asia

Question 14

plant structure of banana plant

Answer 14

perennial herb that is largest plant without woody trunk

Question 15

t/f: banana plants are dicots

Answer 15

f, they are monocots

Question 16

where do leaves/inflorescence originate from in banana plants

Answer 16

underground corm/rhizome

Question 17

banana pseudostem

Answer 17

leaf sheaths tightly packed and thickened

Question 18

banana sucker types

Answer 18

sword sucker and water sucker

Question 19

which type of banana sucker is used for propogation

Answer 19

sword sucker

Question 20

banana fruiting mat

Answer 20

fruiting stem, 1 replacement daughter, 2nd replacement grandaughter

Question 21

3 types of banana flowers

Answer 21

female flowers
hermaphroditic flowers
male flowers

Question 22

botanically, the banana is a ______

Answer 22

berry

Question 23

how are banana plants propagated

Answer 23

suckers

Question 24

how long does a banana plant take to flower and for a bunch to mature

Answer 24

8-9 months to flower
3 for bunch to develop
fruiting cycle is 11 months

Question 25

climate requirements for bananas

Answer 25

mean temp of 27C, 100mm of rain per month, good draining slightly acidic soil

Question 26

weather problems for bananas

Answer 26

wind, floods, disease

Question 27

why is wind such a problem for bananas

Answer 27

pseudostem not very strong, big leaves, shallow root system

Question 28

how to control wind damage in bananas

Answer 28

windbreaks, wooden poles, overhead cable system
leaf pruning

Question 29

how to control flood damage in bananas

Answer 29

drainage canals

Question 30

disease problems in bananas

Answer 30

panama disease, sigatoka disease

Question 31

bagging of banana fruit

Answer 31

tagged with different color , covered with polyethylene bag, male and hermaphrodite flowers removed. small distal hands removed

Question 32

harvest of bananas

Answer 32

crew harvests in 3-4 day intervals (2 man operation)
pick bunch with at least 5 hands while still green
hung on hook on cable system

Question 33

fruit packing of bananas

Answer 33

separate into hands and wash to prevent staining
only unblemished fruit packed into boxes

Question 34

storage of bananas

Answer 34

14-15C so bananas ripen. Ethylene treatments slow down ripenning

Question 35

grading bananas

Answer 35

refer to categorization of fruit based on # and size of fingers in each hand