PRODUCTION
According to the Future
Harvest of the 95 million metric tons of bananas grown annually,
approximately one-third is produced in each of Latin America,
Africa, and Asia. Some 85 percent of the global crop is produced
for home consumption and local trade, largely without the use
of pesticides, leaving them highly susceptible to disease. The
15 percent of the global banana crop grown for export relies
heavily on chemical inputs.
CULTIVATION
The plant needs about one year of frost-free conditions to
produce a flower stalk. The plant requires a warm climate --
most of the varieties stop growing when the temperature falls
below 53° F. The temperature cannot be too hot either.
Growth slows down when the temperature rises above 80° F
and stop entirely at 100° F.
HISTORY
Bananas were originally cultivated in the Malaysian jungles
of Southeast Asia.
When Spanish explorers arrived in the Americas, they brought
the banana. According to historians, Friar Tomas de Berlanga
brought the first banana root stocks to the Western Hemisphere.
Bananas were officially introduced to the U.S. public at the
1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. Each banana was wrapped
in foil and sold for 10 cents.
BANANAS AND COFFEE
Bananas are often incorporated into coffee
cultivation as bananas grow best in full sun. and coffee plants
grow best in the shade.
SPECIES
Species: Musa acuminata Colla, M. X paradisiaca L. (hybrid)
Related species Abyssinian Banana (Ensete ventricossum Cheesman),
Musa balbisina Colla, M. ornata Roxb., M. textilis Nee
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