Bananas and Plantains

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. The origin and development of banana and plantain cultivation

   • N. S. Price

   Pages 1-13

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3. Systems of cultivation and management

   • J. C. Robinson

   Pages 15-65

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4. Molecular markers, genetic diversity and systematics in Musa

   • R. L. Jarret, N. Gawel

   Pages 66-83

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5. Musa genetics

   • R. Ortiz

   Pages 84-109

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6. Banana and plantain breeding

   • R. Ortiz, R. S. B. Ferris, D. R. Vuylsteke

   Pages 110-146

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7. In vitro culture of bananas

   • Y. Israeli, E. Lahav, O. Reuveni

   Pages 147-178

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8. Banana morphology — part I: roots and rhizomes

   • N. S. Price

   Pages 179-189

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9. Banana morphology — part II: the aerial shoot

   • E. B. Karamura, D. A. Karamura

   Pages 190-205

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10. The response of the plant to the environment

    • D. W. Turner

    Pages 206-229

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11. Soils

    • B. Delvaux

    Pages 230-257

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12. Banana nutrition

    • E. Lahav

    Pages 258-316

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13. Banana diseases

    • M. J. Jeger, S. Eden-Green, J. M. Thresh, A. Johanson, J. M. Waller, A. E. Brown

    Pages 317-381

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14. Pests

    • S. R. Gowen

    Pages 382-402

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15. Harvesting and fruit care

    • A. K. Thompson, O. J. Burden

    Pages 403-433

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16. Ripening and biochemistry of the fruit

    • P. John, J. Marchal

    Pages 434-467

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17. The nutritional value of bananas

    • S. Chandler

    Pages 468-480

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18. Banana processing

    • A. K. Thompson

    Pages 481-492

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19. Banana and plantain in the East African highlands

    • G. Davies

    Pages 493-508

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20. The world banana economy

    • D. Hallam

    Pages 509-533

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In a field of mature bananas, plants can be seen at all stages of vegetative growth and fruit maturity, providing a fascination for anyone who has an interest in growing crops. Banana farmers in the tropics can harvest fruit every day of the year. The absence of seasonality in production is an advantage, in that it provides a continuity of carbohydrate to meet dietary needs as well as a regular source of income, a feature that perhaps has been under-estimated by rural planners and agricultural strategists. The burgeoning interest in bananas in the last 20 years results from the belated realization that Musa is an under-exploited genus, notwithstanding the fact that one genetically narrow group, the Cavendish cultivars, supply a major export commodity second only to citrus in terms of the world fruit trade. International research interest in the diversity of fruit types has been slow to develop, presumably because bananas and plantains have hitherto been regarded as a reliable backyardsource of dessert fruit or starch supplying the needs of the household, and in this situation relatively untroubled by pests, diseases or agronomic problems.

• banana
• biochemistry
• breeding
• chemistry
• genetics
• morphology
• processing

...an important addition to the shelves of African farmers and anyone else involved with the production and sale of bananas. - African Farming; ...Gowen is a comprehensive and readable book which will serve an an introduction and valuable detailed reference source to the biology of this important crop. - Annals of Botany; This title is a useful, modern addition to the sources of information on bananas and associated crops. It is also to be commended both to individuals and Institutions concerned with the cultivation, breeding and marketing of one of the world's major tropical crops. - Agricultural Science; It is believed that the latest success of gene transformation in banana will open a new area in its cultivation and use, and this book will serve as a very important advanced guide. - Israel Journal of Plant Science

• Natural Resources Institute, Chatham, UK

  S. Gowen

• Department of Agriculture, University of Reading, UK

  S. Gowen

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