ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the origin and distribution, nutritional composition, medicinal values, climatic requirement, soil requirement, cultivated varieties and post-harvest management of plantain. The edible plantain is believed to have originated in the hot tropical regions of Southeast Asia. India is believed to be one of the centres of origin of plantain. Plantain requires a deep soil rich in organic matter. Soil depth and drainage are the two most important considerations in selecting the soil for growing plantain. Plantains are eaten as a vegetable and are cooked prior to consumption. The high potassium content of plantain helps in regulating the body's electrolyte balance and controls blood pressure. It is a crop of tropics and subtropics, requiring hot and humid climate. Pseudostem weevil, rhizome weevil, aphid, thrips, fruit and leaf scarring beetle, and nematodes are the insect pests that attack plaintain during its lifetime.