Cultivars of Banana
From a genetic makeup that seems to be almost wholly derived from M. acuminate come the dessert bananas of world trade designated Musa (AAA) group indicated their triploid character and acuminate (AA) origin.
The cooking bananas or plantains of commerce designated Musa (AAB) group have about one third of their genetic make-up from balbisiana.
There are five major banana cultivars grown all over the world. These are Gros Michel, Lacaton, Robusta, Giant Cavendish and Dwarf Cavendish.
Gros Michel, producing bananas of uniform size, has been the leading banana cultivar in world trade for a long time.
It has an attractive color and appearance, and the fruit is long and slender.
Due to its large plant size and low planting density, it is poorer yielder than the cultivars of the Cavendish group.
It is also susceptible to Panama disease and is therefore increasingly being replaced by the members of the Cavendish group.
All cultivars of the Cavendish group are resistant to Panama disease and have fruits with blunt tips, in contrast to Gros Michel, which has a bottle-necked fruit tip.
Brazil covers large areas with Dwarf Cavendish. In India, it is called Basrai and forms the major commercial variety of banana.
Giant Cavendish or Harichal (India) is giant only when compared to “Dwarf”: it is slightly taller.
Robusta is grown extensively in the West Indies, Central and South America and Africa.
Other Cavendish cultivars are Valery and American.
Cultivars of Banana
