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 backyard source of dessert fruit or starch supplying the needs of the household, and in this situation relatively untroubled by pests, diseases or agronomic problems.

Bananas and plantains are major fruit crops in the tropics and subtropics, making a vital contribution to the economies of many countries. In the last 15 years, substantial changes have occurred in banana production, among them the increased importance of fungal and viral diseases and their serious impact on Cavendish export cultivars, smallholder plantains and cooking bananas. Changes in production systems such as protected greenhouse cultivation, organic, fair-trade and integrated cultivation and their respective certification schemes have also become prominent. This book provides an accessi.

The plant; Cultivation; Planting; Irrigation and Drainage; Cultivationafter Planting; Pruning and Treatment of Suckers; Harvesting and Replanting; Bananas as Nurse-Plants and as a Catch-Crop; Financial Considerations and Prospects for Beginners; Banana Soils in Jamaica; Humus; Fertilizers; Fungus Diseases; Insect Pests; Bananas as Food; Bananas in Medicine; Wine, Whisky, and Alcohol fron Bananas; Drying Bananas for Flour and Figs; Manila Hemp and other Fibres from Species of Musa; Development of the Banana Trade; Transport by Sea. Transport on Land; General Review of the Cultivation of Species of Musa (Banana and Plantain) throughout the Tropics: India and Ceylon; Malay Archipelago; Philippine Islands; Australia; Polynesia; Africa; South America; Central America and United States; Indies and Bermuda; Horticultural and Botanical Notes; Plants allied to the Banana; Short Description of Species of Musa.

This text provides an accessible review of the scientific principles of banana production and relates these to field practices.