Banana

Banana is a perennial huge herb that belongs to the Musa genus. Wild bananas are fertile and full of seeds and belong to Musa acuminata (AA) or Musa balbisiana (BB). Edible bananas are seedless due to either sterility or parthenocarpy and are derived from these species in various combinations such as East African Highlands Bananas and dessert bananas (AAA), cooking bananas (ABB, AA), and plantains (AAB). They are important for food security, primarily as cooking bananas and plantains and as the primary exported global fruit. The crop is cultivated by smallholders in backyard settings as well as in large industrial monoculture plantations throughout the tropics and subtropics. Due to the genetic uniformity in large plantations destined for export or domestic markets, banana is prone to a range of pests and diseases. The major fungal threats are Fusarium wilt of banana and black leaf streak disease whose control requires weekly application of fungicides. The most important banana cultivars, such as Cavendish clones, are selections from wild clones that were once collected as botanical peculiarities in tropical forests in Southeast Asia. Breeding efforts are ongoing and the increasing knowledge of the diversity and genomes of the plant and its pathogens are important for a more sustainable future for this important crop.