DiseasesUntil the late 1950s, a single banana cultivar “Gros Michel” had the yield, shipping and eating qualities that United Fruit (and other companies) wantedPanama disease, Fusarium oxysporum, was introduced to Central America in the 1920s.A search for a substitute led to the Vietnamese Cavendish cultivar, which is resistant to the disease.The Cavendish makes up 99+% of the current export banana trade.In 1993, a new strain of Fusarium oxysporum, tropical Race 4, was discovered and wiped out many of the Cavendish banana plantations in Southeast Asia.AGRI 116 1nd Edition Lecture 9 Outline of Last Lecture I. Apple biologyII. Apples and healthIII. Apple historya. In America b. John Chapman/ PollanOutline of Current Lecture II. Bananas- By the numbersIII. Banana BiologyIV. Banana Historya. Spreadb. Modern erac. DiseasesCurrent LectureBananas- By the numbersGlobal Gross Banana Exports (2012): 16.5 million metric tonsU.S. Import Price (2012) Avg. $984.00 per Metric TonBananas are one of the most commonly consumed fruit in the U.S. (7.6 billion pounds in 2008, ca. 25 lbs. per person).Ten major banana producing companies account for about. . .. Banana BiologyBanana: (Musa acuminate and M. balbisiana)Not trees  Giant herbs. Pseudostem- Stem is made of leaves rolled upFruit is produced from an inflorescenceThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Each pseudostem will produce one inflorescence (banana heart)- After fruiting, the mother plant dies.Wild Bananas- Wild bananas reproduce by seed. These are inedible.- Parthenocarpy- the natural or artificially induced production of fruit without fertilization of ovuleso Edible bananas result from parthenocarpic fruito These are seedless (there is no fertilization) and these fruit are (female) sterile.- Wild bananas reproduce by seed, maintain the population and genetic diversity.o Occasionally these wild populations will produce a seedless banana. These are edible but cannot reproduce.Humans have maintained these through vegetative propagation of the suckers.Vegatative propagation (AKA “Sucker” propagation)- The sucker plant is genetically identical to the mother plantAlthough seedless bananas are (female) sterile, they may produce some viable pollen.Parthenocarpic bananas can cross with wild bananas when they are growing in the same place.Sometimes this results in triploid bananas- Completely sterileo Female sterile (no seeds)o Male sterile (no pollen)- Larger individual fruit- Higher overall yieldMost banana cultivars in production today are triploids. They are sterile and cannot be used for traditional breedingBanana HistorySpreadBanana Area of Origin: New GuineaBy the mid-16th century, bananas and their production had moved around the world. By the mid-19th century, they were a luxury food item in the U.S.The Modern EraIn 1871, Minor Keith’s family signed a contract with Costa Rica to complete a railway linking the mountains to the coast. Costa Rica had difficulty meeting its obligations, and so granted him land and extensive rights to the railway he was building (800,000 acres of tax free land surrounding the tracks).In 1899, Keith’s railway merged with the Boston Fruit Company and became the United Fruit Company. The company (under various names) has dominated export production since then. Export banana production is capital intensive- Large amount of land, large amount of labor, reliable distribution once in the U.S. or Europe, reliable railways, reliable shippingo The Great White Fleet United Fruit excelled at vertical integration- Merger of companies at different stages of production and/or distribution in the same industry.o They owned the fields, railway, docks, and their own shipping fleetBetween 1900 and 1930, exports increased from 8.2 million brunches per year to 43.3 million from Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama. Diseases Until the late 1950s, a single banana cultivar “Gros Michel” had the yield, shipping and eating qualities that United Fruit (and other companies) wanted Panama disease, Fusarium oxysporum, was introduced to Central America in the 1920s. A search for a substitute led to the Vietnamese Cavendish cultivar, which is resistant to the disease. The Cavendish makes up 99+% of the current export banana trade. In 1993, a new strain of Fusarium oxysporum, tropical Race 4, was discovered and wipedout many of the Cavendish banana plantations in Southeast