BANANA AND PLANTAIN - Tropical Fruits - page 186

Genus Musa

Edible bananas are derived from either Musa acuminata (A) or Musa balbisiana
(B), or a combination of both. Cultivars are diploid or triploid, with some new
tetraploids developed by breeding. Considerable somatic variation has led to a
great range of cultivars. Cultivars are described by their name and genomic
make-up, e.g. 'Pisang Raja' AAB, the AAB indicating that it is a hybrid with
two genomes of A and one genome of B. Most dessert bananas are AA or AAA,
with the triploid AAA being the most important in the trade. The dif erent
groups and subgroups have somewhat distinct fruit characteristics (Table 8.1).
M. acuminata has a number of morphological characters that separate it
from M. balbisiana . For example, M. acuminata has an open petiolar canal, which
in M. balbisiana is closed. M. acuminata has prominent bract scars, bracts that

Table 8.1. Fruit characteristics of some major cultivars within groups and subgroups.
Group Subgroup Characteristics

AA Sucrier Small fruit (8-12 cm long), thin golden skin, light orange

fi rm fl esh, very sweet, 5-9 hands per bunch, 12-18
fi ngers per hand

Lakatan Medium to large straight fruit (12-18 cm), golden yellow,

fl esh light orange, fi rm, dry, sweet and aromatic, 6-12
hands per bunch, 12-20 fi ngers per hand

AAA Gros Michel Medium to large fruit, thick skin, creamy white fl esh,

fi ne-textured, sweet and aromatic, 8-12 hands/bunch.
Susceptible to Panama disease

Cavendish Medium to large fruit, yellow skin, white to creamy fl esh,

melting, sweet, aromatic, 14-20 hands per bunch,
16-20 fi ngers per hand. Susceptible to Race 4 of Panama
disease

AAB Silk Small to medium yellow fruit (10-15 cm), thin yellow-

orange skin, white fl esh, soft, slightly subacid, 5-9 hands
per bunch, 12-16 fi ngers per hand, skin frequently has
blemishes

Pisang Raja Large fruit (14-20 cm), thick skin, cooking banana, creamy

orange fl esh, coarse texture, 6-9 hands per bunch, 14-16
fi ngers per hand

Plantain Yellow skin, creamy orange fi rm fl esh, few hands per

bunch

ABB Bluggoe Medium to large cooking banana, thick coarse skin turns

brownish-red when ripe, creamy orange fl esh, starchy, 7
hands per bunch

BBB Saba Stout, angular, medium to large cooking banana (10-15

cm), thick yellow skin, creamy white fl esh, fi ne-textured,
8-16 hands per bunch, 12-20 fi ngers per hand