Bananas and plantains are major fruit crops in the tropics and subtropics, making a vital contribution to the economies of many countries. In the last 15 years, substantial changes have occurred in banana production, among them the increased importance of fungal and viral diseases and their serious impact on Cavendish export cultivars, smallholder plantains and cooking bananas. Changes in production systems such as protected greenhouse cultivation, organic, fair-trade and integrated cultivation and their respective certification schemes have also become prominent. This book provides an accessible review of the scientific principles of banana production and how these relate to field practices. Revised and updated with expanded coverage of world trade statistics and policies, breeding of new cultivars in relation to disease resistance and markets, prospects for genetically-modified bananas and the increasing role of endophytes in controlling pests and diseases, this new edition is an essential resource for researchers and students in horticulture.

About the Author
Dr Victor Galan Sauco is Research Professor (Emeritus) at the Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias (ICIA), Spain where he was Head of Research from 1980 to 2006. He has been President of the Spanish Society of Horticultural Science and is former Chair of the Mango Working Group of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). He has acted as a consultant for organisations such as the FAO, EMBRAPA and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID). Professor Galan Sauco is widely regarded as one of the world's leading experts on mangoes and has published widely on mangoes and other tropical fruits.


Book Information
ISBN 9781845936587
Author John Robinson
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint CABI Publishing
Publisher CABI Publishing
Weight(grams) 620g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 18mm