Conversion of native rainforest ecosystems in Limón Province of Costa Rica to banana and pineapple monoculture has led to reductions in biodiversity and soil quality. Agroforestry management of cacao (Theobroma cacao) is an alternative system that may maintain the agricultural livelihood of the region while more closely mimicking native ecosystems. This study compared physical, biological and c...

Accumulating evidence shows that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) acts as a multifunctional signaling molecule in plants, whereas the interaction between H2S and ethylene is still unclear. In the present study we investigated the role of H2S in ethylene-promoted banana ripening and senescence by the application of ethylene released from 1.0 g·L-1 ethephon solution or H2S with 1 mM sodium hydrosulfide (Na...

Materials and methods: Six Control group sows and six treatment (Banana) group sows were used, each with 10 piglets. Treatment consisted of daily topical application of isoamyl acetate (banana scent) on the skin of the sows’ mammary glands during the 21 days of suckling. Preference of the piglets for the banana scent was tested with a V-maze at 4 and 21 days of age. After weaning, pigs were reg...

Banana besides its nutritive value the biomass can be used as resources for natural fibre. North east India and Assam in particular has a vast potential of extraction and value addition of natural fibre, especially from banana. Banana farming generates huge quantities of biomass most of which goes as waste due to non‐availability of suitable technology for its commercial utilization. Banana fib...

Banana (Musa spp.) is an important staple food as well as cash crop in tropical and subtropical countries. Various bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases and pests such as nematodes are major constraints in its production and are currently destabilizing the banana production in sub-Saharan Africa. Genetic engineering is a complementary option used for incorporating useful traits in banana to byp...

Banana is one of the most consumed fruits in Brazil and an important source of minerals, vitamins and carbohydrates for human diet. The characterization of banana superior genotypes allows identifying those with nutritional quality for cultivation and to integrate genetic improvement programs. However, identification and quantification of the provitamin carotenoids are hampered by the instrumen...

What is colour constancy? Colour constancy is the tendency of objects to appear the same colour even under changing illumination. A yellow banana appears yellow whether you see it in the tungsten light of the kitchen or in sunlight outdoors. Under these different conditions, the banana reflects very different light spectra to your eyes, but you see instead its unchanging material properties. Th...

Hypocholesterolaemic and hypoglycaemic effect of banana blossom were studied in high-cholesterol fed rats. Experimental groups were fed for 4 weeks, with casein as the basal diet (CN), in comparison with two diets containing 0.5% cholesterol (CD) and 0.5% cholesterol + 21% banana blossom powder (CDB). Serum total cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol level, and serum glucose concentrations were lowe...

– In the Shadows of State and Capital: The United Fruit Company, Popular Struggle, and Agrarian Restructuring in Ecuador, 1900-1995, by S. Striffler. Durham & London: Duke University Press, 2002. – Banana Wars: Power, Production, and History in the Americas, edited by S. Striffler and M. Moberg. Durham: Duke U.P., 2003. – Banana Wars: The Anatomy of a Trade Dispute, edited by T.E. Josling and T...

East Africa highland banana (Musa spp., AAA-EAHB) or ‘matooke’ is a major staple crop grown for food and sale by smallholder farmers in Uganda. Banana yields in farmers’ fi elds average 15 t/ha fresh weight (FW), and have remained small compared with yields of 60 to 70 t/ha/yr achieved at a research station with fertilizer application (Tushemereirwe et al., 2001; Smithson et al., 2001). Low ban...