SoCal2warm

I was just reading through another thread, and came upon a diagram that was posted that showed that both the traits of sterility and parthenocarpy are import for edible bananas. Parthenocarpy, in the case of bananas, helps the fruits fill out and be bigger, so if a banana is only sterile but does not have the traits for parthenocarpy, the fruits will be quite skinny (almost shriveled) and not filled out.

I think the concept of "parthenocarpic" has a slightly different meaning within the context of discussing different species of fruits. That probably contributed to my prior confusion.

On the contrary, if a banana cultivar has only moderate sterility, but high parthenocarpy, then the banana will essentially be edible with adequate flesh, though will just have several seeds. (I don't think these type of cultivars are encountered very often)

The presence of seeds makes a banana fruit bigger, but the level of parthenocarpy makes them even a little bigger. (Two independent separate traits)

(Thread title: Are There Any Seeded Bananas Used As Food? post #9 )
"diagram to illustrate the interrelations of parthenocarpy and sterility in the bananas"