TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents                                                                         pages

Title page-   –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         i

Certification-          –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         ii

Dedication-  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iii

Acknowledgements-        –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iv

Table of contents-  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         v-vi

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     Introduction-         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         1-2

Chapter two

2.0     Description of Banana –   –         –         –         –         –         –         3-5

2.1     Taxonomy-  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         5-7

2.2     Bananas and Plantains –   –         –         –         –         –         –         7-9

2.3     Modern cultivation-         –         –         –         –         –         –         10-11

2.4     Historical cultivation       –         –         –         –         –         –         11-13

2.5     Ripening –    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         13-14

2.6     Storage and transport –     –         –         –         –         –         –         14-16

2.6.1   Digestive Benefits –        –         –         –         –         –         –         16-17

2.6.2  Health Benefits –    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         17-18

2.6.3 Cardiovascular Health –    –         –         –         –         –         –         18-19

CHAPTER THREE

3.0     Pests, disease and natural disaster-       –         –         –         –         20

3.1     Panama Disease-    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         20-21

3.2     Tropical Race 4-    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         21

3.3     Black siga toka-     –         –         –         –         –         –         –         21-22

3.4     Banana bunchy top virus –         –         –         –         –         –         22-23

3.5     Banana bacterial wilt-      –         –         –         –         –         –         23

3.6     Asthma –      –         –         –         –         –         –         –                   23

3.6     Health benefit and nutrition       –         –         –         –         –         23

3.6.1  Cancer –       –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         24

3.6.2  Treating Diarrha –  –         –         –                   –         –         –         24

3.6.6  Depression and mood-     –         –         –         –         –         –         24-25

3.6.7  Vision-        –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         25-26

3.6.8  Athletic  performance  –   –         –         –         –         –         –         26-27

3.7     Culture (Food and cooking)-     –         –         –         –         –         27-29

3.8    Textiles –     –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         29

3.8.1  paper- –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         30

3.8.2  other uses-   –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         30

Chapter four

4.0     Summary and conclusion-         –         –         –         –         –         31

4.1     Summary-    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         31-32

4.2     Conclusion- –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         32

References

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     INTRODUCTION

The banana is an edible fruits, botanically a berry (Armstrong, 2013), produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plant in the genus Musa. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called plantains, the fruit  is variable in sizes, colour  and firmness, but is usually elongated in size and curved with soft flesh  rich in starch covered with a rind which may be green, yellow, red, purple or brown when ripe. The fruits grow in clusters hanging from the top of the plant. Almost all modern edible parthenocarpic (seedless) bananas come from two wild species. Musa acuminate and Musa balbisiana, the scientific names of most cultivated bananas are Musa acuminate, Musa babisiana and Musa paradisiaca for the hybrid Musa acuminate with Musa buldisana, depending on their genomic  constitution. The old Scientific name Musa sapientum is no longer used, (d’ Hont et al., 2012). Musa species are native to tropical indomakya and Australia and are likely to have been  first domesticated in Papua, New Guinea (de Langhe and de Maret, 2004). They are grown in at least 107 countries), primarily  for their fruit and  to a lesser extent to make fiber, banana wine, banana beer and as ornamental plants.

Worldwide, there is no sharp distination between “Banana” and “plaintain” especially in the America and Europe, “Banana” and refers to soft sweets, dessert bananas,  particularly those of the Cavendish group, which are the man export from banana growing fruit are called “Plantain”. In other region such as southeast Asia, many more kinds of Banana are grown and eaten so the simple two fold distinction is not useful and is not made in local languages (d’ Hont et al., 2012).

The term banana is also used as the common name for the plants which produce the fruits. This can extend to other members of the genus Musa like Scarlet banana (Musacoccin ) pink banana (Musa Velatina) it can also refers to the members of  genus Ensete like the snow banana (Ensete glaucum). Both genera are classified under the banana family. Musaceae.