Sodak

There's a great article in October 2005 Smithsonian magazine.
"Building a better banana"
If anyone has a chance to check it out, it's worth the read.

MediaHound

Oh yea?
The August 2005 issue of PopSci has an excellent article on "The Banana Battles Extinction".
I have the print volume (I subscribe), but maybe it's available online.
How about the Smithsonian article? Is it on the web?

JoeReal

I posted a link to PopSci article in one of my very early posts.

Sodak

I think I read the article that JoeReal linked to. This article is written along the same lines, about the efforts to introduce new varieties, combatting diseases, gene splicing, genetic diversity, etc. It focuses more on the efforts in Africa and Belgium, and a little less on the efforts in Honduras.

It really paints a grim picture for the future of the Cavendish, and highlights the efforts of the main 5 people in the banana scientific community who are working on new hybrids.

I really enjoyed the article, but was left a little dismayed with the dim prognosis of the Cavendish.

Discussion?

JoeReal

I love more the plantain types than cavendishes and there are numerous other types of bananas out there for us to enjoy. I can live without those cavendishes. Perhaps this can be traced to growing my early years in a tropical country where I see a lot of leftover cavendish bananas rotting all over the place, from the shipyard loading docks to the market, there's so many of them as they are cultivated by Dole and Del Monte. Because of their abundance and very short shelf life in the tropics, I learned to appreciate more of our native types, and indeed they do taste light years better than cavendishes. Only after a long time in the US that I get accustomed to the cavendish types as there are few other choices anyway, but not anymore, now that I can grow other types. I guess I am biased, as long as it is not cavendish, I would like it, but in the absence of any other bananas out there, I can eat the cavendish without complaints. Their demise though, won't be missed by me, and that's just me.

Sodak

I agree with your Cavendish opinion, I think it's a shame that it is happening, and there's not much that really can be done to prevent many of the problems associated with the Cav. I have an Orinoco and a Raja Puri that should fruit next summer. Hopefully, they will mature enough before the first frost.

Here in my neck of the woods, we only get Cav's, Dwarf Red's, and plantains in the grocery store. I just made some excellent Tostones last week for the first time.

The article mentioned the problems with the Gros Michel in the '50s and it's history. It mentioned how the Big Mike was a much better tasting fruit than the Cav. also.

MediaHound

You sure did
Cavendish banana on the way out?