Herkunft, diversität und züchtung der banane und kultivierter zitrusarten

Bananas and plantains (Musa ssp.) are grown on more than nine million hectares with an annual world production estimated at 102 million tons. Banana ranks eighth in global crop production with main areas in Africa (35%), Asia and the Pacific (29%) and Latin America and the Caribbean (35%). Edible bananas are divided into dessert bananas and plantains. Dessert bananas are palatable when eaten raw, while plantain bananas are generally processed by cooking before consumption. Only about 15% of the banana production worldwide is exported, 85% is grown by small holders and selected for either home consumption or local trade. Bananas are considered to have originated in Southeast Asia where they were first domesticated by selection from wild species more than 5.000 years ago. They are either diploid or polyploid progenies of M. acuminata or they are derived from intraspecific or interspecific hybridization between the wild species M. acuminata and M. balbisiana. Bananas are important components of food security in the tropics and subtropics. However, numerous pests and diseases affecting banana are serious constraints to production. In particular, the most widely grown dessert banana for export, the Cavendish group, is increasingly threatened by a range of fungal and viral diseases and nematodes. Hence there are considerable breeding endeavours needed to enlarge the genetic base of the crop for improving the resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, quality and yield.