True plantains

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Plantain subgroup
Plantains.jpg
Plantains for sale
Genus Musa
Species Musa × paradisiaca
Hybrid parentage M. acuminata × M. balbisiana
Cultivar group AAB Group, Plantain subgroup
OriginSoutheast Asia, South Asia, West Africa

True plantains are a group of cultivars of the genus Musa (bananas and plantains) placed in the African Plantain subgroup of the AAB chromosome group. [1] Although "AAB" and "true plantain" are often used interchangeably, plantains are the most popular varieties among the AABs. [1] The term "plantain" can refer to all the banana cultivars normally eaten after cooking rather than raw (see cooking banana), or it can refer to members of other subgroups of Musa cultivars such as the Pacific plantains, [2] although in Africa little to no distinction is made between the two since both are commonly cooked. [3] True plantains are divided into four groups based on their bunch type: French, French Horn, False Horn and Horn plantains. [4]

Each bunch type has a variety of cultivars associated with it: [4]

In the 1990s the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture published two guides to help scientists and farmers identify plantains in West Africa and support their cultivation.

See also

References [7]

  1. 1 2 Langhe, Edmond; Vrydaghs, Luc; Maret, Pierre; Perrier, Xavier; Denham, Tim (2009). "Why Bananas Matter: An introduction to the history of banana domestication". Ethnobotany Research and Applications . 7. Department of Ethnobotany, Ilia State University: 165. doi: 10.17348/era.7.0.165-177 . hdl: 10125/12513 . ISSN   1547-3465. S2CID   31729330.
  2. Ploetz, R.C.; Kepler, A.K.; Daniells, J. & Nelson, S.C. (2007), "Banana and Plantain: An Overview with Emphasis on Pacific Island Cultivars", in Elevitch, C.R. (ed.), Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry (PDF), Hōlualoa, Hawai'i: Permanent Agriculture Resources (PAR), retrieved 2013-01-10[ permanent dead link ]
  3. Carney, Judith (2011-02-01). In the Shadow of Slavery. University of California Press. doi:10.1525/9780520949539. ISBN   978-0-520-94953-9.
  4. 1 2 "Plantain subgroup". ProMusa. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  5. 1 2 Swennen, Rony (1990-01-01). Plantain Cultivation Under West Africa Conditions: A Reference Manual (PDF). IITA. ISBN   9789781310614. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
  6. Swennen, Rony; Ortiz, Rodomiro (1997-01-01). Morphology and growth of plantain and banana (PDF). IITA. ISBN   9789781311277.
  7. Li, Lin-Feng; Wang, Hua-Ying; Zhang, Cui; Wang, Xin-Feng; Shi, Feng-Xue; Chen, Wen-Na; Ge, Xue-Jun (2013-11-18). "Origins and Domestication of Cultivated Banana Inferred from Chloroplast and Nuclear Genes". PLOS ONE. 8 (11): e80502. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...880502L. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080502 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   3832372 . PMID   24260405.