Bananas and Plantains (Musa spp.)
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Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer, Cham
Abstract
With a production of 145 million metric tons worldwide (worth 26.5 billion Euro),
banana (Musa spp.) is one of the world’s most important staple food crops and arguably
the world’s most popular fruit in terms of international trade (FAO 2014).
Banana and plantains (Musa spp.), collectively referred to here as bananas, are
grown in more than 135 countries and found in most tropical and subtropical regions
around the world. While industrialized nations view banana primarily as a dessert item, many regions of the developing world consider cooking bananas and plantains
as essential staples that contribute significantly to the caloric intake of low-income
subsistence farmers. Although sensitivity to photoperiod has been noted in certain
cultivars (Fortescue et al. 2011), banana is an almost nonseasonal crop that reliably
provides a carbohydrate source year-round which makes it vitally important to both
nutrition and food security.
Description
Chapter 7
Keywords
Citation
Brown, A., Tumuhimbise, R., Amah, D., Uwimana, B., Nyine, M., Mduma, H., ... & Swennen, R. (2017). Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.). In Genetic improvement of tropical crops (pp. 219-240). Springer, Cham. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-59819-2_7