The birth of the Cavendish banana
Cavendish banana
Cavendish bananas are the fruits of one of a number of banana cultivars belonging to the Cavendish subgroup of the AAA banana cultivar group. The same term is also used to describe the plants on which the bananas grow.
Musa
Musa is one of two or three genera in the family Musaceae; it includes bananas and plantains. Around 70 species of Musa are known, with a broad variety of uses. Though they grow as high as trees, banana and plantain plants are not woody and their apparent "stem" is made up of the base…
What is the history of the Cavendish banana?
These bananas are now known to belong to the Dwarf Cavendish cultivar. Cavendish bananas entered mass commercial production in 1903 but did not gain prominence until later when Panama disease attacked the dominant Gros Michel ("Big Mike") variety in the 1950s.
What is the history of the banana?
History of cultivation. Cavendish bananas were named after William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire. Though they were not the first known banana specimens in Europe, in around 1834 Cavendish received a shipment of bananas (from Mauritius) courtesy of the chaplain of Alton Towers (then the seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury ).
What is a AAA Cavendish banana?
A Cavendish banana is the fruit of a banana cultivar belonging to the Cavendish subgroup of the AAA cultivar group. The same term is also used to describe the plants on which the bananas grow. They include commercially important cultivars like 'Dwarf Cavendish' and 'Grand Nain'.
What is a Dwarf Cavendish banana tree?
The Dwarf Cavendish banana tree is one of the most popular types of banana trees in existence. Learn how to grow this type of banana tree and where to buy one. Log in or sign up
Are Cavendish bananas man made?
Modern bananas, such as the cavendish are man-made in the sense that they have been bred to display the traits that we so like in the dessert banana. The soft creamy and sweet texture with practically no seeds are sterile hybrids of two more ancient varieties, the Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana.
Are Cavendish bananas cloned?
They are unable to reproduce sexually, instead being propagated via identical clones. Due to this, the genetic diversity of the Cavendish banana is very low.
How was the bananas genetically modified?
Bananas are typically genetically transformed using particle bombardment or Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (May et al., 1995; Sági et al., 1995).
Where was the Cavendish banana created?
The birth of the Cavendish banana Bananas have been grown at Chatsworth since 1830 when head gardener Joseph Paxton got his hands on a specimen imported from Mauritius.
Do real bananas still exist?
There are over 1000 different varieties of bananas growing around the world, subdivided into 50 groups. Some are sweet, like the Cavendish variety, which is the most common and most widely exported. It is named after Musa Cavendishii and was first grown at Chatsworth House in the UK in 1830.
How was the banana created?
Bananas as we know them began to be developed in Africa about 650 AD. There was a cross breeding of two varieties of wild bananas, the Musa Acuminata and the Musa Baalbisiana. From this process, some bananas became seedless and more like the bananas we eat today.
Is Cavendish banana a hybrid?
There are approximately 300 varieties of bananas across the globe. But there's one in particular - the Cavendish Banana - that's a sterile hybrid of varieties, bred for it's sweetness.
What did the original banana look like?
The original banana was different from current sweet yellow bananas. Instead, early bananas were green or red, and were prepared using a variety of cooking methods. These bananas are presently referred to as plantains or cooking bananas in order to distinguish them from the sweet bananas we know today.
Is the Cavendish banana genetically modified?
This gene, known as RGA2, was transplanted into the genome of the Cavendish banana by a technique known as transgenesis. The result was a genetically modified organism (GMO) – the plant contained genetic material from another organism.
What killed the original banana?
During the 1950s, an outbreak of Panama disease almost wiped out the commercial Gros Michel banana production. The Gros Michel banana was the dominant cultivar of bananas, and Fusarium wilt inflicted enormous costs and forced producers to switch to other, disease-resistant cultivars.
Who created Cavendish bananas?
Duke William George Spencer CavendishThis would be exciting news to Duke William George Spencer Cavendish, who first propagated the plant in 1834 and gave it his name. The U.S. eats 3 million tons of bananas each year—a stunningly large number for a country that produces very few.
Which banana went extinct?
Gros MichelBananas are the world's most popular fruit, but the banana industry is currently dominated by one type of banana: the Cavendish (or supermarket banana) that we all know and love. The Cavendish banana rose to fame in 1965 when the previous banana superstar, the Gros Michel, officially became extinct and lost the throne.
Is the Cavendish banana a GMO?
This gene, known as RGA2, was transplanted into the genome of the Cavendish banana by a technique known as transgenesis. The result was a genetically modified organism (GMO) – the plant contained genetic material from another organism.
Are all bananas clones of each other?
Despite their smooth texture, bananas actually do have small seeds inside, but they are commercially propagated through cuttings which means that all bananas are actually clones of each other. Banana fruits are parthenocarpic, which means that they don't need to be pollinated to produce fruits.
Are the bananas we eat genetically modified?
Banana Industry We have completely changed bananas genetically so that there are no more original bananas that aren't genetically modified. Domestic bananas have long since lost the seeds that allowed their wild ancestors to reproduce. If you eat a banana today, you're basically eating a clone.
Are all plantains clones?
Almost all modern cultivated varieties (cultivars) of edible bananas and plantains are hybrids and polyploids of two wild, seeded banana species, Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. Cultivated bananas are almost always seedless (parthenocarpic) and hence sterile, so they are propagated vegetatively (cloned).
The birth of the Cavendish banana
Bananas have been grown at Chatsworth since 1830 when head gardener Joseph Paxton got his hands on a specimen imported from Mauritius.
Bananas on the brink
For decades the most-exported and therefore most important banana in the world was the Gros Michel, but in the 1950s it was practically wiped out by the fungus known as Panama disease or banana wilt.
Early History
Bananas have become a staple fruit in the lives of every single human being around the world. Not only does it top the charts in sales compared to any other fruit available, but it is fourth in sales numbers of all agricultural products. The economies of many countries and millions of people depend on this iconic yellow fruit.
The Americas
Bananas reaching the Americas dates back to the 16th century when Portuguese sailors introduced the fruit from West Africa to the Americas, as well as explorers and missionaries brought bananas to the Caribbean.
Giant Cavendish
Starting the 1950’s researchers introduced a new banana variety which has kept its reining place through history, the Cavendish banana. Immune to the panama disease at that time, Cavendish banana had a near identical taste to the Gros Michel, tasting even sweeter.
1. Resistant to Panama Disease
Once Panama Disease started wiping out the Gros Michel banana the only other type that seemed resistant to the disease and had similar qualities was the Cavendish variety. Despite having a very different taste, and less sweet, the Cavendish banana proved to be extremely successful when exported to the United States.
2. Grows easily
The Cavendish Banana grows in pretty much any soil, making it great for mass production. This was highly important after the Gros Michel was wiped out, as farmers from different countries had to find a variety that would grow on the same soils and be able to be mass produced.
3. Genetically identical
Every single Cavendish Banana that is produced, exported, imported, and bought by the final consumer in a market is genetically identical. This characteristic makes it ideal for mass market adoption as every single banana bought has the same color, shape, and flavor.
4. Physically attractive
When consumers are asked to describe a banana, they will describe the physical qualities of a cavendish banana. The all around famous bright yellow, near perfect surface banana, with little to no brown spots.
5. Consistent quality and cost
The production and exporting process has made the final product as consistent as possible. The banana gets treated prior to shipping in container so the banana doesn’t ripen beforehand. During the harvesting process and cleaning every surface and handling step is made with extreme care not to damage the fruit.
