Do Bananas Have Seeds? The Answer May Surprise You

Bananas are one of people's favorite fruits, enjoying the reputation of “happy fruit” and “fruit of wisdom.” But unlike apples, pears, oranges and other fruits, bananas do not have obvious seeds inside the fruit, and none have ever been seen inside a banana. Many people therefore assume that bananas simply have no seeds at all. In fact, this is not the case. Let's take a look below and find out whether bananas really have seeds!

Do Bananas Have Seeds?

Bananas do have seeds. Hidden in the flesh of a banana are tiny black dots like sesame seeds. Everyone assumes these are seeds, but in fact they are only the seed coats. So where did the real seeds go? In fact, bananas originally did have seeds, but through continuous artificial improvement, the female flowers became unable to be fertilized and set seed, leaving behind only seed coats in the flesh. However, granular seeds can still be found inside the fruit of wild bananas.

Where Are Banana Seeds?

The earliest bananas in the world not only had seeds, but had many large seeds and very little flesh. Later, through long-term artificial cultivation, bananas with little fruit and many seeds were eliminated, while those with few seeds and more fruit were kept. After further long-term cultivation and improvement, today's banana took shape: the seeds degenerated, the fruit became fleshier, the sweetness increased, and the aroma became richer. When you bite open a banana, you will find rows of small brown dots on the cross-section; these are the degenerated seeds. People who do not know the history of bananas assume it was always seedless.

How Do Bananas Reproduce?

Since the seeds of artificially cultivated bananas have already degenerated and cannot be used for reproduction, how do bananas reproduce? Let's take a look below at the propagation methods of bananas!

1. Banana sucker propagation

Sucker propagation is a relatively common traditional seedling-raising method in banana cultivation. It mainly uses sword buds (red shoots) and tattered-clothing buds for propagation. Suckers used for division as planting material generally need to be more than 40 cm tall.

① Red shoot: large at the head and small at the tail, shaped like a bamboo shoot or sword, hence also called sword bud. It generally grows in November of the previous year, emerges above the ground when the weather turns warm after the beginning of spring that year, and is red in color. It is usually used for planting in March, April and May of that year. After planting, its characteristic is that it produces leaves first and then grows roots.

② Tattered-clothing bud: tattered-clothing buds generally grow in August, September and October of the previous year. Because they encounter drought and cold, they do not grow, and when winter comes their leaves wither. Due to low temperature and lack of water, the upper part grows more slowly while the lower part accumulates nutrients, so the nutrients are abundant. In shape they are small at the top and large at the bottom, with many roots, and are generally used for planting in February and March. After planting, they first develop roots and then send out leaves.

2. Banana corm propagation

Corm propagation is mainly a propagation method adopted to cultivate a large number of buds and seedlings in a short period. Plants that have not yet flowered or fruited, or the underground stems of large suckers (sprouting in October-November), are used as material. The best time for cutting into pieces is from November to January of the following year. Most can sprout, and when the seedlings are 40~50 cm tall in April, May and June they can be planted. The advantages of this propagation method are that it can reduce pests and diseases, has a high survival rate, and shows uniform growth and fruiting. The plants are shorter than those from sucker propagation in the early stage and are relatively wind-resistant, but it has the disadvantage of low yield in the first generation.

In the method of propagating by cutting the underground stem into pieces, first cut off the underground part of the plant, dig up the corm, leave the pseudostem 12~15 cm high, then cut the corm into small pieces, each weighing about 120 grams or more, each with one stout bud eye. Coat the cut surfaces with plant ash for antisepsis, then place the pieces flat on the bed at a plant and row spacing of 15 cm with the bud eyes facing upward, and cover with soil and straw, carrying out fertilizer management. One week before the buds and seedlings leave the nursery, spray Bordeaux mixture of equal amounts twice in succession to prevent leaf spot disease. If bunchy top diseased seedlings are found, they should be pulled out promptly and lime should be scattered for disinfection to prevent infection. In places where nematode damage is severe, scrape off the blackened, rotten outer skin of the underground stem beforehand and soak it in hot water at 54~55°C (or 5% formaldehyde) for 20 minutes to kill the nematodes, and then raise the seedlings.

3. Banana division propagation

Conventional banana propagation mainly uses suckers for division propagation. When the sucker grows to more than 40 cm, it can be divided, to be kept as the mother plant for the next generation or used as planting material. When dividing, first dig open the soil beside the sucker, then use a shovel to cut between the mother plant and the sucker. After the seedling is dug out, cut off the overly long and damaged roots, dry the cut in the shade or smear it with plant ash, and it can then be planted.

4. Banana tissue culture

For the production of banana planting material used in large-scale planting, tissue culture rapid propagation technology is mostly used. Using it can not only obtain a large number of test-tube seedlings in a short period, but also remove viruses such as mosaic disease, which is beneficial for increasing yield.

① Explant disinfection and primary culture: during operation, in banana planting areas without traditional diseases, select mother plants that are vigorous, bear fruit uniformly and have high yield, and dig up suckers that have just emerged above the ground as induction material. During disinfection, first peel off the leaf sheaths outside the sucker and rinse clean with water. Under sterile conditions, disinfect with 75% alcohol solution for 30 seconds, then disinfect with HgCl2 at a concentration of 0.1% for 20 minutes, then rinse with sterile water 7~8 times. Cut out the shoot tip, divide the shoot tip into 2 parts, place them in an induction medium of MS+3~6 mg/L BA+3% sugar+7.0 g/L agar, place in a dark light incubator, maintain the temperature at 28~30°C, and culture for 40~50 days to sprout.

② Subculture proliferation of clustered shoots: the clustered shoots obtained from primary culture can be subcultured and proliferated in a medium of MS+3~6 mg/L BA+0.2 mg/L NAA+3% sugar+7.0 g/L agar. Under a light environment of 28~30°C and 1500 lx, subculture proliferation can be carried out once every 20~25 days, obtaining a proliferation rate of 2.0~2.7 times. During the culture process there should be sufficient light, and the daily 1500 lx light period should be no less than 8 hours. If there is no light or insufficient light, the color of the pseudostem and leaf stalks fades, turns green, or even becomes white, affecting the proliferation rate. Subculture generally should not exceed 12 generations, otherwise mutation is easily caused.