Tropical and subtropical fruits (2+1)

Charecteristics of different varieties if Banana

Ney poovan/Elakkibale (AB):

• It is commercially cultivated in Kerala and Karnataka.
• The plants are medium sized with slender, yellowish pseudostem, having reddish petiole margin.
• Small fruits flesh firm, sweet and highly fragrant.

• The average bunch weight is about 12 kg.
• It is tolerant to leaf spot and fusarium wilt, but susceptible to banana bract mosaic virus.
Kunnans (AB):

• It is a back yard cultivar of Kerala and Karnataka.
• The plants are medium sized and slender fruits with firm pulp with good taste.
• Mainly used as infant food after conversion into banana flour.
• It is tolerant to leaf spot and fusarium wilt.
AAA group: Cavendish sub-group
Dwarf Cavendish/Basrai (AAA)

• It is the most important commercial cultivar of India the plant is dwarf, fruit large, curved, skin thick and greenish, flesh soft and sweet.
• Even after ripening the fruit is greenish in colour, but fruits ripening during winter season develop yellow colour.
• The keeping quality is not good; The average bunch weight is about 20kg and suitable for high density planting, and susceptible to leaf spot disease.


Musa 'Super Dwarf' Cavendish


Gross Michel (AAA)

• It is the main cultivar of this sub-group.
• Gross Michel was the leading cultivar in the world banana trade until the late 1950.
• The variety has lost its commercial status due to susceptibility to panama wilt.

Red Banana Sub-group

Red Banana (AAA)

This cultivar is grown throughout the world. The colour of the pseudostem, petiole, midrib and fruit peel is purplish red. The fruit is of good size and has a characteristic aroma. The average bunch weight is 20 kg. It thrives well in humid tropics and at higher altitudes. It is highly susceptible to bunchy top, fusarium wilt and nematode.


Silk Sub-Group

Rasthali (AAB)

• It is one of the most popular commercial choicest table cultivar of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Bihar.
• The plant is tall and can be easily identified by the yellowish green stem with brownish blotches.


• Reddish margins of the petiole and leaf sheath.
• The average bunch weight is about 12 kg.
• Fruits are medium, thin skin, yellow in colour flesh firm, sweet with a pleasant aroma.
• It has the disadvantage of longer duration, severe susceptibility to fusarium wilt, easy dropping of fruits from bunch.
• Susceptible to sun injury and formulation of hard lumps in the pulp.

Mysore Sub-group
Poovan/Champa (AAB)

• The plant is tall, hardy and grows vigorously, one of the distinguishing characters of the plant is the rose pink colour on the outside of midrib, fruit is medium to small, yellow skin firm flesh with sub-acidic taste, good keeping quality, the average bunch weight is about 15kg.
• It is resistant to panama wilt and fairly resistant to bunchy top highly susceptible to banana bract mosaic and streak virus.