The Hindu Business Line : Cataloguing of wild bananas begins

Speaking to Business Line, Dr M. M. Mustafah, Director (in-charge) of the Tiruchy-based National Research Centre on Banana said the centre had completed the survey in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

"The process has just commenced in Nagaland and Manipur," he said. Stating that it would be difficult to share details at this stage, he conceded that overexploitation and loss of forest due to encroachment and logging, `Jhum' or shifting cultivation did result in loss of habitat, particularly in the periphery of forest. "But our germplasm collection number over a thousand species and our contribution to the global genetic base is phenomenal," he said.

Researchers say the sources of diversity occurred in the plains and valleys, where banana was a common backyard crop. The habitat of wild bananas was shared with tribal groups, who practiced shift cultivation. "Unfortunately, a growing number of sites where banana once grew are now denuded," lamented Dr. Mustafah.

Wild species found in the North Eastern parts of India include Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana and several species from the section of Rhodochlamys.

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