ABSTRACT
A functional approach to bunch formation in banana D. W. Turner, School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Australia; and D. J. Gibbs, Consultant, Australia
1 Introduction
2 Gross morphology and bunch form
3 Phases of development in banana
4 The floral phase: overview
5 Inflorescence
6 Formation of hands and fruit: independent but closely coordinated processes
7 Growth of the aerial true stem
8 Case study: photosynthate availability and bunch formation in banana
9 Conclusion
10 Where to look for further information
11 References
Sustainable management of bananas, whether in smallholder farming systems or in production for export, requires a sound knowledge of development and its response to environmental and soil conditions. Central to plant development are the processes of flower formation, which in bananas lay the foundations of yield of fresh fruit. The main objective of growing bananas is to produce fruit. For the purposes of crop management, we need to decide ‘critical’ stages of development in the life cycle such as the production of lateral shoots (suckers) and fruit-forming flowers. A functional approach integrates bunch formation with genetic and environmental cues and points to underlying mechanisms that can be used to guide plant improvement. Such an approach has been successful in wheat (Triticum aestivum), a temperate monocotyledon (Kamran et al. 2014).
