What are 10 facts about bananas?
Here are some rather interesting facts:
- A banana is a berry not a fruit.
- Banana does not grow on a tree but on an herb.
- Bananas are sterile; you can’t sow seeds and grow them.
- Bananas have been cultivated for the past 10,000 years or so in Southeast Asia.
What does a banana produce?
Bananas produce ethylene gas (C2H4), which acts as a plant hormone. Plants have genes called ETR1 and CTR1 that regulate lots of other genes involved with growth, ageing and cell death.
What are 3 facts about bananas?
About 100 billion bananas are consumed globally each year. It is believed bananas originated about 10,000 years ago and may have been the world’s first fruit. The yellow fruit is classified as a berry. The original wild banana contained many large, hard seeds and much pulp.
How much banana is produced?
Available data indicate that between 2000 and 2017, global production of bananas grew at a compound annual rate of 3.2 percent, reaching a record of 114 million tonnes in 2017, up from around 67 million tonnes in 2000.
What is special about bananas?
Bananas contain fiber, potassium, folate, and antioxidants, such as vitamin C. All of these support heart health. A 2017 review found that people who follow a high fiber diet have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those on a low fiber diet.
Where do bananas grow?
Today they are grown in tropical regions across the globe, from South and Central America to India, China and Africa. Bananas grow in hot, tropical climates. Banana plants look like trees but are actually giant herbs related to lilies and orchids. The plant grows from a root clump (rhizome), similar to a tulip bulb.
How are bananas harvested?
Bananas are harvested by hand. When the fruit is ripe the stems are cut down and wet sponges are placed in between the bananas to protect them from bumps and bruising. The bananas are checked for quality and graded from one to 25 depending on any damage found. The clusters of bananas are then cut into smaller bunches.
How do bananas produce ethylene?
Ethylene is an important plant hormone. In bananas and many other fruits, production of ethylene surges when the fruit is ready to ripen. This surge triggers the transformation of a hard, green, dull fruit into a tender, gaudy, sweet thing that’s ready-to-eat.
What’s special about bananas?
Bananas are low in calories and have no fat, no sodium, and no cholesterol. They contain vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and vitamin B6. Research shows that eating bananas may lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes, as well as decrease the risk of getting some cancers.
What climate do bananas grow in?
tropics
Banana plants like warm and wet conditions, along with fertile soils. They grow best in the tropics, with an average temperature in the high-20s Celsius, and can be found in plantations in a wide band between 30 degrees north and south of the equator.
Who is the biggest banana producer?
India
Rank Table of 10 World’s Biggest Banana-Producing Countries
| Rank | Countries | Production of Banana |
|---|---|---|
| (in Tons) | ||
| 1 | India | 30,460,000 |
| 2 | China, mainland | 11,655,700 |
| 3 | Indonesia | 7,280,659 |