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Banana is one of the oldest fruits
cultivated by man from pre-historic times. References
to the banana in India frequently occurs in the
Vedic literature, where mention is made of its
use in religious rituals. Today, it is the leading
tropical fruit in the world market with a highly
organised and developed industry. In India Banana
ranks next only to Mango in area and production,
occupying an area of about 83 lakh hectares with
an annual production of 46.26 lakh tons. The important
banana growing states are Maharashtra, Tamilnadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal,
Bihar and Gujarat. However, the present production
of banana in the country is highly inadequate.
It is estimated that, the present annual per capita
consumption of banana in India is 50 kg per head
which is very low compared with other progressive
banana growing countries such as Jamaica, Congo,
Equador, Kenya and Uganda. Thus there is an immense
scope of increasing banana production in the country. |
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Banana
is a nutritious, palatable and easily digested
fruit, rich in carbohydrates, minerals such as
potassium, magnesium, sodium and phosphorus; and
is even richer in calorific value than potato.
Being relatively cheaper than other fruits, and
owing to its availability almost throughout the
year, banana should be regarded as a subsidiary
food and forms a part of common man’s diet.
Apart from fresh fruit, banana can be consumed
as processed in various forms such as chips, powder.
flakes, etc. |
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| Dwarf
cavendish |
This
is the most important commercial cultivar grown
extensively in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat
and West Bengal. It is resistant to Panama wilt
but susceptible to bunchy top disease. The plants
are dwarf and thus less prone to storm damage;
they show good response to heavy manuring and,
consequently, the yield is heavy with proper manuring
and orchard management practices. The bunches
are large sized, compact, with good grade of fruit;
the fruit is large and of acceptable quality,
turns yellow on ripening in winter but remains
green during the summer months. However, its main
defect is poor keeping quality, as the fruit gets
easily bruised and damaged during transport unless
handled carefully. |
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| Robusta
(Giant Cavendish) |
It
is a semi-tall variety, grown mostly in Tamilnadu
and some parts of Andhra and Maharashtra states.
It is a heavy yielder and produces bunches of
large size with well developed fruits. This cultivator
produces most when its specific soil, water and
climatic requirements are met. It also requires
support. This variety satisfies to a large extent
export standards. |
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| Poovan |
This
is a leading commercial cultivar of Tamilnadu,
Kerala, Andhra, Karnataka and West Bengal. It
is generally cultivated as a perennial crop, and
with proper management it can be retained in the
same land without renewal for a considerable period.
It is a hardy cultivar and can withstand adverse
climatic conditions like moisture stress but the
plants get easily broken by storms especially
when bearing bunches; the plants are resistant
to Panama disease. The bunch is medium to large
sized; the fruit is small and of poor quality,
but keeps well and can be transported to distant
markets. |
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| DashehariRasthali |
This
is another important commercial cultivar grown
widely in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu
and Karnataka. Its susceptibility to Panama wilt
and easy dropping of ripe fruits from the bunch
are the main drawbacks. The yield is moderate
to heavy, the compact, the medium to large-sized,
compact, the fruit has good quality and fetches
premium price over Dwarf Cavendish and Poovan. |
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