Banana Breeding

With the current world population growth of 1.2%, the earth can expect to house 9-10 billion people by 2050. Food production, too, must increase to accommodate these numbers. Easy growing, high calorie, nutritious foods, such as bananas are the top priority as a solution to this imminent problem. The first comprehensive compendium on bananas in rec

The Banana Improvement Project has in large measure met the challange above, quoted from the 1994 background paper by Buddenhagen (1996) on the status of global research on banana and plantain. That paper was commissioned by the World Bank to provide background for the five-year BIP program that brought together some of the best research talent worldwide to work on bananas. BIP operated throughout 1994-98, and this publication records the results of the 18 individual research projects, plus the results of an independent economic impact assessement that reported a likely return on investment of 20 to 33 percent.

Musa is one of three genera in the family of Musaceae. Over 50 species of Musa exist, including bananas and plantains. This book assembles the latest information on the genomic research of this genus. A group of leading experts in Musa genetics, genomics, and breeding provide basic as well as advanced information for those interested in learning mo

Foreword;Summary of discussions and recommendations; Towards an international strategy for genetic improvement in the genus Musa; Towards an international strategy for genetic improvement in the genus Musa; Needs for plant improvement in the edible Musa; Status of bananas and plantains in West Africa; Regional needs for banana and improvement in Eastern Africa; Banana and plantain prodution in Latin America and the Caribbean; Cultivation of bananas and plantains in Braziland needs for improvement; Banana improvement imperatives - the case for Asia; Banana production in selected Pacific Islands; Regional needs for banana improvement in Australia; Classification and breending of bananas; Banana breending in Honduras; Banana breeding in Brazil; Banana breending in France and Guadeloupe; Producing disearse-resistance Musa cultivars by genetic engineerting; Disease susceptibility and genetics in relation to breeding of bananas and plantains; Varietal reactions of bananas and plantains to black leaf streak disease; Measuring response of Musa cultivars to Sigatoka pathogens and proposed screeningprocedures; Furasium wilt: a review; Banana Bunchy-top virus: a continuing threat; Callus and cell culture, somatic embryogenesis, androgenesis and related techniques for Musa improvement; Somaclonal variation in grande naine and saba bananas in the nursey and field; Somaclonal variation in bananas: a case study with Furasium wilt; Somaclonal variation of bananas and screening for resistance to Fusarium wilt; Cytotaxonomic and morphological studies of Thai banana cultivars; Taxonomic classification of Philippine bananas; Morphological taxonomy of plantain in West Africa; Morphological taxonomy of Musa Eastern Africa; Banana and plantain germaplasm conservation and movement and needs for research; Biochemical/genetic markers and their uses in the genus Musa.

Musa is one of three genera in the family of Musaceae. Over 50 species of Musa exist, including bananas and plantains. This book assembles the latest information on the genomic research of this genus. A group of leading experts in Musa genetics, genomics, and breeding provide basic as well as advanced information for those interested in learning more about the banana genome. The accessible style is easily understood by students and researchers, making the book an ideal springboard for those looking to do expanded research into this crop.

Banana research needs and opportunities; Overview of the banana improvement project; Portfolio of projects; Summary and recommendations.

Tree species are indispensable to support human life. Due to their long life cycle and environmental sensitivity, breeding trees to suit day-to-day human needs is a formidable challenge. Whether they are edible or industrial crops, improving yield under optimal, sub-optimal and marginal areas calls for uni?ed efforts from the s- entistsaroundtheworld. Whiletheuniquenessofcoconutaskalpavriksha(Sanskr- meaning tree-of-life) marks its presence in every continent from Far East to South America, tree crops like cocoa, oil palm, rubber, apple, peach, grapes and walnut prove their environmental sensitivity towards tropical, sub-tropical and temperate climates. Desert climate is quintessential for date palm. Thus, from soft drinks to breweries to beverages to oil to tyres, the value addition offers a spectrum of pr- ucts to human kind, enriched with nutritional, environmental, ?nancial, social and trade related attributes. Taxonomically, tree crops do not con?ne to a few families, but spread across a section of genera, an attribute so unique that contributes immensely to genetic biodiversity even while cultivated at the commercial scale. Many of these species in?uence other ?ora to nurture in their vicinity, thus ensuring their integrity in p- serving the genetic biodiversity. While wheat, rice, maize, barley, soybean, cassava andbananamakeup themajorfoodstaples,manyfruittreespeciescontributegreatly tonutritionalenrichment inhumandiet. Theediblepartofthesespeciesisthesource of several nutrients that makes additives for the daily diet of humans, for example, vitamins, sugars, aromas and ?avour compounds, and raw material for food proce- ing industries. Tree crops face an array of agronomic and horticultural problems in propagation, yield, appearance, quality, diseases and pest control, abiotic stresses and poor shelf-life.

Banana is the name of the fruit of plants belonging to the genus Banana; This is considered one of the most widely eaten fruits. Banana trees originate from tropical regions in Southeast Asia and Australia. Today, bananas are grown throughout the tropics.

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.