DOCSLIB.ORG

Australia: Keep Your Eyes Peeled for Bananas of the Future

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Australia: Keep Your Eyes Peeled for Bananas of the Future The news that Panama Disease Tropical Race IV (TR4) has been detected on Australia's largest banana operation was a heavy blow for the industry, and the pressure is on to find a replacement for the predominant Cavendish variety. In northern New South Wales (NSW), an industry and government-funded project acts as an "ongoing revolving door" for trialing varieties from around the world, and some are showing great potential. "This year for example there are six varieties coming in from the French program put in what we call the "killing fields", the contaminated site, to see how they handle the Race I Panama Disease," says David Peasley of Peasley Horticultural Services. This earlier strain is actually what sparked the worldwide adoption of Cavendish, replacing the Gros Michel variety that used to be mainstream but has since been relegated mostly to mountainous areas of the Latin American tropics. Another variety susceptible to the earlier disease strain is Lady Finger, a popular banana in Australia. "Growers on Lady Finger plantations now are feeling very threatened," says Peasley, who is heading up the project in Duranbah in the Tweed Valley. "In fact a lot of growers think that in five years there will not be any Lady Fingers left." Hence the term "killing fields" for the site, which may be far from plantations infected by TR4 in the Northern Territory and northern Queensland, but the first strain's fungus has lingered for decades. "We've selected this trial block on a farm that had Lady Finger bananas growing on it 35-40 years ago but they were wiped out by Panama Disease Race I," An off-chance find in a Queensland field, FLF shows good says Peasley. potential as a replacement for the Lady Finger variety, according to researcher David Peasley. The researchers put Lady Fingers back in the ground to test whether the disease was still there, and sure enough it bore its ugly head. The fungus was then isolated and has been artificially placed under every tree planted from overseas breeding programs and domestic one-off selections. FreshFruitPortal.com "We know that Race I Panama acts in a similar way to Tropical Race IV, so any variety that’s going to be resistant to Race I is going to be worth testing against Tropical Race IV. "It’s a matter of when that disease spreads and not particularly if it spreads." He adds different varieties are being tested in TR4-infected areas in the Northern Territory as well, but it is still early days. "It's in a commercial plantation. The commercial plantations were eradicated in the Northern Territory, but TR4 actually appeared in nursery banana plants so it’s pretty widespread up there. "So the only way out for the Northern Territory industry is through the very strict quarantine of vehicles and footwear going into the plantation, but the ultimate test or solution lies in resistant varieties." The scientist adds the varieties tested in Duranbah have also undergone resistance testing for TR4 in the Netherlands under glasshouse conditions. "While that’s not definitive about how they’ll perform in the field, it does give us an indication of their resistance levels." Possible bananas for the future Out of all the varieties brought to the test plot from around the world - Guadeloupe, Taiwan, Mexico, Israel and elsewhere - four have so far passed the taste test for potential economic viability, and these will be tested in the next phase. Two are from Honduras, one is from South Africa, and the fourth was found by chance over the border in Queensland. FreshFruitPortal.com One of the victims that didn't make it was the High Noon. Peasley finds it "very tasty" but as it's only moderately resistant to TR1, it's "not going to survive under heavy disease pressure". The first of the selected cultivars is called "FLF", named after Lady Finger banana grower Bill Freeman. "He’s over 90 years old and I was up there about seven years ago on his plantation when I just noticed this one plant that Somewhat more similar to the common Cavendish variety, PKZ from South looked pretty promising," says Peasley. Africa is also promising. "I asked old Bill what variety is that?" At the time Freeman wasn't happy with the plant as he'd ordered ordered Lady Finger bananas and this one was different. "But it's turned out to be a winner as far as disease resistance goes so he’s quite chuffed about it," Peasley says. He says the FLF fruit is a "local somaclonal variant" of the Honduran Foundation for Agricultural Research-developed FHIA 18, with "extremely good resistance to the disease, very good bunching and resistance to leaf disease". "It's a beautiful fruit to eat and it’s looking to be a replacement for the Lady Finger variety, and it’s very similar to Lady Finger in flavor," he says. The second variety is called "PKZ", named after Peter Knight who found it in South Africa, and is primarily oriented towards replacing Cavendish someday. "They won’t be given marketing names until later, but it’s a beautiful variety - it’s quite shorter than the normal Cavendish, but very cylindrical, with a beautiful bunch and very sturdy plant," Peasley says. FreshFruitPortal.com Even in the absence of TR4, the researcher believes a move into potential Cavendish- replacing varieties like PKZ is necessary in his part of the country. "Here in the subtropics we don’t have ideal conditions for growing Cavendish which is a tropical variety – over the winter time the fruit gets quite dull," he says. "While excellent eating quality, the appearance is not as good as North Queensland where they can produce the bananas better looking and with longer fruit suitable for the supermarkets. "But a lot of people are saying there’s more than having a banana that looks good and lasts a long time; it has to taste good." The other two selected varieties, both from the FHIA, aren't intended for the fresh market. David Peasley with Honduran-developed cooking bananas. "The third one we had to look for a variety that suited the processing market for making jams or drying or cooking banana - the plantain types - and it’s a variety from Honduras," he says. "It’s a FHIA 17 and it’s a very large bunch – it grows up to 65-70 kilos in weight, it’s very resistant to leaf disease, and it’s not bad eating also. "The last one is called FHIA 25 and we’re looking at that as a replacement for potatoes – its starch qualities are suitable for people with dietary problems – they might be gluten- intolerant people. It has a very big bunch as well." Little Gem Peasley highlights another variety that hasn't been chosen yet for the next phase with the FHIA, PKZ and FLF cultivars, but looks like it could have great commercial success for FreshFruitPortal.com Australian growers. "Just by keeping your eyes out these things come up occasionally in the field," he says. "There's another one in New South Wales which a local grower Tim Johnson has found - it's an exceptional banana and he’s called it Little Gem. "It’s a somaclonal variant of the Goldfinger banana (FHIA-01) and it’s on the market now. There's tremendous interest in that." He says the Little Gem is smaller, very tasty and doesn't go soft when it ripens. "It’s got beautiful flavor but there’s just not enough of it on the market," he says. "There are a couple of growers who are growing it under contract at the moment, so there are some exciting things coming in the future for the Australian consumers, and it’s about time. He says there was "no infection at all" when Little Gem was put in the killing fields. "It’s completely resistant to Race I – it’s going to be trialed up in Northern Territory for Tropical Race IV, so it looks pretty exciting from that point of view as well," he says. More gems on the horizon FreshFruitPortal.com The research program - funded by levies paid by members of the Australian banana industry, Horticulture Innovation Australia,and the Queensland, New South Wales and Federal governments - may have three years yet before anything is released commercially, says Peasley. "They've got to go through the post-harvest research and consumer testing, and we’ve got to work out the plant spacing we recommend to growers and a management program to make sure those varieties are economically viable. "It’s an ongoing program of testing and release, but as we test that there will be an ongoing revolving door and hopefully we’ll come up with sweeter varieties that are suitable for the Australian consumer market and also economically viable for growers. "What we want to do with bananas is to provide a greater variety of high quality bananas in terms of flavor, size and appearance that consumers simply haven’t had in the past. Tropical Race IV has forced us into that situation. "We’ve got a fair range of varieties now to cover for the future but we’re not stopping there." Related stories: Honduras forging a disease resistant banana future It's "prudent" to plan for life after Cavendish, says Chiquita CEO Collaboration key to contain Panama Disease comeback www.freshfruitportal.com FreshFruitPortal.com.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Yael Laks, Tehila Rothbort. Mentor
    Very ApPEELing DNA: DNA Barcodes of Different Types of Bananas Authors: 1Yael Laks, 1Tehila Rothbort. Mentor: 1Shulamith Biderman, 1Ruth Fried 1 Yeshiva University High School for Girls. Funded by the Thompson Family Foundation Abstract: Materials and Methods: Tables and Figures: Discussion: We researched three types of Bananas from the genus Musa. To perform our experiment we bought cavendish bananas, From the results of BLASTN the banana sequences were The goal of our project was to find the differences and lady finger bananas and plantains in a store close to our analyzed. The Cavendish bananas and plantains had identical similarities in the chloroplast DNA of a cavendish banana, school. The cavendish bananas will act as the control matches, meaning they are very closely related. We expected lady finger banana and plantain. Our hypothesis is that the group in our experiment. The lady finger bananas and the these two organisms to be closely related because the top different types of bananas will have many genetic similarities plantains will be the experimental groups. We brought matches had some sort of connection to bananas. Although, because they fall under the same genus, grow in the same them to Yeshiva University High School for Girls and kept we were also expecting lady finger bananas to be as closely way, and have similar peel structures.We predicted there will them there until we started our project. We started related as the others the closest matches were tomatoes and be differences among these species because they differ in isolating the DNA from the plant by collecting seeds from eggplants, which is very unexpected.
    [Show full text]
  • Silicon in Banana Plants: Uptake, Distribution and Interaction with the Disease
    Silicon in banana plants: uptake, distribution and interaction with the disease fusarium wilt Kevan Walter Jones Bachelor of Science: Plant Science A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2013 School of Agriculture & Food Sciences Abstract Banana cultivation worldwide is under threat from a wide variety of pathogens and negative environmental factors. Most cultivated banana plants are vegetatively propagated, resulting in a dearth of breeding and a genetic bottleneck. This has led to enhanced susceptibility to a number of lethal plant diseases. Novel solutions are being pursued to enhance the innate defences of the banana plant in an effort to combat these diseases. Of all current banana diseases, Fusarium wilt poses the greatest overall threat. Fusarium wilt, sometimes known as Panama disease, is caused by the soilborne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc). A complex grouping of polyphyletic fungal strains, collectively referred to as races, is responsible for causing disease in banana. Race 1 of Foc caused the collapse of the global ‘Gros Michel’ trade industry in the mid-20th century. The industry recovered by substituting ‘Cavendish’ cultivars for ‘Gros Michel’, but a new race (race 4) is now threatening ‘Cavendish’ production. Breeding and transgenics programmes for developing Foc resistant banana cultivars are in progress, but advancement is slow and durable resistance cannot be guaranteed. In the interim, innovative control strategies for Foc are being sought. These strategies involve the development of new cultural controls or soil amendments and are intended to inhibit fungal inoculum in the soil or to upregulate innate plant defences.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of Banana Streak MY Virus-Based Infectious Clone Vectors in Musa Ssp. by Mary Nyambeki Onsarigo B. Ed. (Science)
    Assessment of banana streak MY virus-based infectious clone vectors in Musa ssp. by Mary Nyambeki Onsarigo B. Ed. (Science) 1996 M. Sc. (Agricultural Biotechnology) 2008 M. Sc. (Bioinformatics) 2010 Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities Science and Engineering Faculty A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queensland University of Technology 2017 Keywords Genotype, GFP, endogenous virus sequences, resistance © 2017 Mary Onsarigo Page i Abstract Banana streak disease, caused by a complex of different banana streak viruses (BSVs), occurs in all banana-producing countries. BSVs are genetically very diverse and can exist both as episomal forms or integrated into the host genome and both can be infectious to banana. Several field studies have assessed the infectivity of one or more BSV species on different banana genotypes with significant differences reported in virus incidence and symptom expression between and within genotypes. These studies used a severity index, based on symptom expression, to determine the resistance/susceptibility levels of the genotypes. Because of the great genetic variability amongst BSV species, symptoms of banana streak disease may vary widely and may be influenced by the cultivar and/or environmental conditions. Also this system of screening does not reflect the level of viral DNA accumulation (i.e. the viral load) within infected plants. Furthermore, there are no reports on the level of BSV DNA accumulation in different banana cultivars or Musa sp. Researchers at QUT had previously developed an infectious clone of one BSV species, Banana streak MY virus (BSMYV). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the infectivity of the BSMYV infectious clone in a broad range of Musa genotypes and cultivars.
    [Show full text]
  • New and Alternative Banana Varieties Designed to Increase Market Growth
    New and alternative banana varieties designed to increase market growth Jeff Daniells Department of Employment, Economic Development & Innovation Project Number: BA09041 BA09041 This report is published by Horticulture Australia Ltd to pass on information concerning horticultural research and development undertaken for the banana industry. The research contained in this report was funded by Horticulture Australia Ltd with the financial support of the banana industry. All expressions of opinion are not to be regarded as expressing the opinion of Horticulture Australia Ltd or any authority of the Australian Government. The Company and the Australian Government accept no responsibility for any of the opinions or the accuracy of the information contained in this report and readers should rely upon their own enquiries in making decisions concerning their own interests. ISBN 0 7341 2678 6 Published and distributed by: Horticulture Australia Ltd Level 7 179 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000 Telephone: (02) 8295 2300 Fax: (02) 8295 2399 © Copyright 2011 HORTICULTURE AUSTRALIA LIMITED Final report: BA09041 (20 May 2011) New and alternative banana varieties designed to increase market growth Jeff Daniells et al. Queensland Government Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation HAL Project Number BA09041 (20 May 2011) Project Leader: Jeff Daniells Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation Queensland Government, South Johnstone Research Station, PO Box 20, South Johnstone, 4859, Phone (07) 40641129, Fax (07) 40642249 E-mail: [email protected] Report Purpose: In line with HAL project guidelines, this report provides a project outline including technical summary or aims, outcomes and recommendations related to alternative banana varieties and the potential for their expansion in Australia.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Namwah'banana AKA 'Pisang Awak'
    'Namwah' Banana AKA ‘Pisang Awak’ Mature Height: 10-14' Type: Dessert or cooking The most popular banana in Thailand. Everyone should grow this variety! Disease resistant, easy to grow, and a beautiful light green plant with pink in the stem. Flavor has hints of Red Delicious Apple, melon, and jackfruit. Sweet, with a different texture than Hawaiian Apple bananas. Sweet, with a different texture than Hawaiian Apple bananas. Somewhat rare in Hawaii but becoming more common for good reason! 'Dwarf Namwah' Banana AKA ‘Dwarf Pisang Awak’ Mature Height: 6-11' Type: Dessert or cooking The most popular banana in Thailand. Everyone should grow this variety! Disease resistant, easy to grow, and a beautiful light green plant with pink in the stem. Flavor has hints of Red Delicious Apple, melon, and jackfruit. Sweet, with a different texture than Hawaiian Apple bananas. Somewhat rare in Hawaii but becoming more common for good reason! Same fruit as the Tall Namwah, but in a shorter, thick- trunked plant. 1000 Fingers Banana Mature Height: 7-12' Type: Dessert Rare in Hawaii! A very unusual banana, '1000 Fingers' is a beautiful, solid green plant that grows 7 to 12 feet tall and produces sweet 1-3” tiny bananas too numerous to count. The stem of fruit can be as long as 8 feet. The fruit are very sweet, fragrant and slightly acidic. Like a mix between a Williams and Apple banana. It seems to continue to flower and form fruit for as long as the parent plant can nourish it. The fruits are very resistant to bruising.
    [Show full text]
  • Integrated Crop Production of Bananas in Indonesia and Australia
    Final report project Integrated crop production of bananas in Indonesia and Australia project number HORT 2008/040 date published 1/06/2019 prepared by Agustin B. Molina co-authors/ Catur Hermanto, Tony Pattison, Siti Subandiyah, Winarno and contributors/ Sukarman collaborators approved by NA final report number FR2019-66 ISBN 978-1-925747-42-3 published by ACIAR GPO Box 1571 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia This publication is published by ACIAR ABN 34 864 955 427. Care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. However ACIAR cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information or opinions contained in the publication. You should make your own enquiries before making decisions concerning your interests. © Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) 2019 - This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from ACIAR, GPO Box 1571, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia, [email protected]. Final Report: Integrated crop production of bananas in Indonesia and Australia Contents 1 Acknowledgments .................................................................................... 3 2 Acronyms .................................................................................................. 4 3 Executive summary .................................................................................. 5 4 Background ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluation of Zinc in Various Arums, Bananas, Vegetables and Pulses from Five Upazila of Chittagong Region in Bangladesh by Spectro-Photometric Method
    IOSR Journal Of Environmental Science, Toxicology And Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) ISSN: 2319-2402, ISBN: 2319-2399. Volume 2, Issue 3 (Nov. - Dec. 2012), PP 32-37 www.Iosrjournals.Org Evaluation of Zinc in various Arums, Bananas, Vegetables and Pulses from Five Upazila of Chittagong region in Bangladesh by Spectro-photometric Method Faridul Islam1,, Sreebash Chandra Bhattacharjee2, Abu Sayeed Mohammad Mahmud3, Md. Tofayal Hossain Sarkar4, Most. Afroza Khatun5, Mohammed Abdus Satter6, Muhammad Shahjalal Khan7, Tarannum Taznin8 1,2,3,4Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) Laboratories, Chittagong. Chittagong- 4220, Bangladesh 5Chemical Engineering Department, Jessore Science & Technology University, Bangladesh 6Institute of Food Science and Technology, BCSIR, Dhaka, Bangladesh 7Area Nutrition Officer, Nestle Bangladesh Limited 8Department of Microbiology, Jessore Science and Technology University (JSTU), Bangladesh. Abstract: Zinc is an essential element needed by the body in small amounts as it is the most abundant trace metals in human. It deficiency is occurring in different climate regions of the world. It has become an important risk factor for plant growth as well as human health throughout the world. In this study, we observed the amount of zinc in different arums, bananas, vegetables and pulses which are locally available in Chittagong region of Bangladesh. The amount of zinc in twenty samples of arums was found to vary from 0.3174-9.0755 µg/g. The highest and lowest value was found in arums of Typhonium trilobatum (Patiya) and Amorphophallus campanulatus (Satkaniya) respectively. In bananas vary from 0.1430 to 2.7360 µg/g. The highest and lowest value was found in banana of Musa acuminata in Satkania and Ramgarh upazila respectively.
    [Show full text]
  • Study on the Potassium Content of Nigerian Bananas and the Methanolic Extraction, Phytochemical and Antimicrobial Studies of Oils from Banana Peels
    Covenant Journal of Physical and Life Sciences (CJPL) Vol. 3 No 1. June, 2015 Study on the Potassium content of Nigerian Bananas and the Methanolic Extraction, Phytochemical and Antimicrobial Studies of Oils from Banana Peels Oluwatosin Y. Audu*, Bamidele M. Durodola*, Raphael C. Mordi*, F. Elizabeth Owolabi*, Gabriella C. Uzoamaka*, Joan I. Ayo-Ajayi*, E. Afolake Fadairo*, Ifedolapo O. Olanrewaju*, Taiwo F. Owoeye*, S. John Olurunshola† *Department of Chemistry and †Department of Biological Sciences, School Natural and Applied Sciences, College of Science and Technology, Covenant University Km 10, Idiroko Road, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria [email protected] Abstract: Banana is eaten all over the world by all sections of the population. It is known to contain potassium and it has been suggested that it could serve as a source of potassium. Recently, a valuable chemical component, a lectin, called BanLec, was isolated from banana fruit and found to possess anti-HIV-1 activity. However, the peels of banana are thrown away as rubbish and farmers are known to use them as feed for their animals. It is therefore necessary to determine the potassium content of some Nigerian bananas and to also extract the oils from their peels. The components of the extracted oils are to be determined and tested for their biological activity. The potassium content of five (5) varieties of Nigerian bananas (Dwarf Cavendish AAA GP; Lady Finger AA GP; Dwarf Chinese Double; Double Dwarf Senorata AA GP; Giant Cavendish (Williams) AAA GP and Dwarf Red AAA GP) was determined using flame photometer. The potassium content varied from 0.15 mg/g (Dwarf Red) to 1.80 mg/g (Lady Finger).
    [Show full text]
  • Hort 2008/040 Final Report
    Final report project Integrated crop production of bananas in Indonesia and Australia project number HORT 2008/040 date published prepared by Agustin B. Molina co-authors/ Catur Hermanto, Tony Pattison, Siti Subandiyah, Winarno and contributors/ Sukarman collaborators approved by final report number ISBN published by ACIAR GPO Box 1571 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia This publication is published by ACIAR ABN 34 864 955 427. Care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. However ACIAR cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information or opinions contained in the publication. You should make your own enquiries before making decisions concerning your interests. © Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) XXXX - This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from ACIAR, GPO Box 1571, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia, [email protected]. Final Report: Integrated crop production of bananas in Indonesia and Australia Contents 1 Acknowledgments .................................................................................... 3 2 Acronyms .................................................................................................. 4 3 Executive summary .................................................................................. 5 4 Background ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • WO 2018/220581 Al 06 December 2018 (06.12.2018) W !P O PCT
    (12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (10) International Publication Number (43) International Publication Date WO 2018/220581 Al 06 December 2018 (06.12.2018) W !P O PCT (51) International Patent Classification: CI2N 15/82 (2006.01) (21) International Application Number: PCT/IB2018/053903 (22) International Filing Date: 31 May 2018 (3 1.05.2018) (25) Filing Language: English (26) Publication Language: English (30) Priority Data: 1708662.0 31 May 2017 (3 1.05.2017) GB (71) Applicant: TROPIC BIOSCIENCES UK LIMITED [GB/GB]; Norwich Research Park, Centrum, Colney Ln, Norwich NR4 7UG (GB). (72) Inventors: MAORI, Eyal; 24 HaEgoz Street, 7553913 Ris- hon-LeZion (IL). GALANTY, Yaron; 8 Benny's Way, Co- ton, Cambridge CB23 7PS (GB). PIGNOCCHI, Cristina; 49 Central Crescent, Hethersett, Norwich NR9 3EP (GB). = CHAPARRO GARCIA, Angela; 58 Grove Road, Nor- = wich NR1 3RW (GB). MEIR, Oflr; 7 Turnberry, Norwich, = Norfolk NR4 6PX (GB). = (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every _ kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, = AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BN, BR, BW, BY, BZ, ~ CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DJ, DK, DM, DO, = DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, = HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IR, IS, JO, JP, KE, KG, KH, KN, KP, = KR, KW,KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LU, LY,MA, MD, ME, = MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, = OM, PA, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, QA, RO, RS, RU, RW, SA, = SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM, TN, = TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW.
    [Show full text]
  • International ISHS-Promusa Symposium on Bananas And
    ISHS/ProMusa symposium Bananas and plantains: Toward sustainable global production and improved uses Bahia Othon Palace Hotel, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil 10-14 October 2011 Program and abstracts Co-organized by: Acknowledgements This ISHS/ProMusa symposium is sponsored by the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), Bioversity International, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Banco do Nordeste do Brasil (BNB) and Sociedade Brasileira de Fruticultura (SBF). The participation of delegates is supported by many organizations and individuals, without whose support this symposium would not have been possible. Numerous individuals and organizations generously contributed their time to the organization of this symposium. The abstracts in this publication were reviewed and edited by the members of the Scientific Committee. Special thanks go to: Alice Churchill, Fernanda V. Duarte Souza, Robert Miller, Charles Staver, Claudia Fortes Ferreira, Maurício Guzmàn, Miguel Angel Dita, Frederic Backry, Inge Van den Bergh, Jean-Michel Risede, Sebastião de Oliveira e Silva, Jorge Sandoval, Stefan Hauser, Thierry Lescot and to Bioversity’s Scientific Editor Vincent Johnson. Karen Lehrer and Claudine Picq are gratefully acknowledged for the copy-editing, formatting and layout of this publication. The contribution of all who have worked so hard towards the success of this meeting is gratefully acknowledged. Cover photo by Herminio Rocha/Embrapa ISHS/ProMusa symposium Bananas and plantains: Toward sustainable global production and improved uses Bahia Othon Palace Hotel, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil 10-14 October 2011 Program and abstracts Co-organized by: Program Monday, 10 October 2011 07:00-09:00 Registration 09:00-09:30 Welcome remarks 09:30-10:00 Opening Keynote: Panorama of the Banana Industry in Latin America and the Caribbean Islands D.H.
    [Show full text]
  • NATURE's NON-STOP
    ALL ABOUT BANANAS NATURE’s NON-STOP ENERGy SNACK PROJECT KIt Australian Bananas are Packed With Good Stuff Australian Bananas are bursting with long-lasting energy and have loads of health benefits including Potassium, Antioxidants, Fibre, Folate, Vitamin B6 and Low GI. Find out more in the Nutrition Section CUT out AND STICK ON Bananas help you refuel for any activity... Use these to stick on your school projects. Keep PumpInG Keep pla Keep creatIng yIng MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY STAGE There’s always a great way to eat Australian Cavendish bananas no matter how ripe they are. Unripe/Green Yellow & Ripe Early Browning Really brown Add these to Perfect for smoothies Great for banana breads Perfect to cook fresh salads and eating! and baking on the BBQ MIND BENDING FACTS Australians munch Bananas are bent due through 5,000,000 to a phenomenon known bananas every day as negative geotropism If you put each banana end to end it Once developed, instead of growing towards the would stretch from Sydney to Melbourne. ground, bananas turn towards the sun. That’s one long yellow highway! The fruit continues growing against gravity, giving the banana its familiar curved shape. MORE MIND BENDING FACTS At over 10,000 years old, Despite their firm bananas are the world’s texture, bananas are oldest fruit composed of 75% water That’s about 5 times older than the Colosseum That’s even more than a human body, in Italy, or the Parthenon in Greece. which are which is 60% water. around 2,000 years old! The banana is the best fruit source of vitamin B6 Vitamin B6 assists the formation of red blood cells and certain brain chemicals.
    [Show full text]