Banana Basics Quiz Quiz

Explore key facts about banana propagation methods in horticulture with these beginner-friendly questions. Discover how bananas are grown and multiplied in agriculture.

1. Banana Propagation Method

   Which method is most commonly used for propagating cultivated banana plants in agriculture?

   1. Seed planting
   2. Grafting branches
   3. Vegetative propagation using suckers
   4. Air layering

   Explanation: Bananas are typically propagated using vegetative suckers, which are shoots that develop from the base of the parent plant, because most commercial banana varieties are seedless. Seed planting is generally not feasible due to the lack of fertile seeds in edible bananas. Grafting and air layering are not common for bananas, as these methods are better suited to other plant types.

2. Banana Pseudostem

   What is the correct term for the main stem of a banana plant, which is actually made of tightly packed leaf sheaths?

   1. Trunk
   2. Crown
   3. Pseudostem
   4. Rhizome

   Explanation: The pseudostem of a banana plant is the false stem formed by leaf bases, not a true woody stem. Rhizome refers to the underground stem from which suckers grow. The crown is the growing point at the top of the plant. Trunk is incorrect since bananas do not form a woody trunk.

3. Tissue Culture Propagation

   Why is tissue culture sometimes used in banana propagation, especially for commercial farming?

   1. To produce disease-free planting material
   2. To speed up flowering
   3. To add flavor to bananas
   4. To make the fruits larger

   Explanation: Tissue culture enables the production of large numbers of uniform, disease-free plants, important in combating soil-borne diseases in bananas. It does not speed up flowering, increase fruit size directly, or influence the flavor of bananas.

4. Role of Rhizome

   In banana propagation, what is the main role of the underground rhizome?

   1. It stores edible fruit
   2. It forms the banana's true trunk
   3. It provides flowers for pollination
   4. It produces new suckers for plant multiplication

   Explanation: The rhizome is responsible for generating new suckers that grow into banana shoots, allowing propagation. It does not store fruit, functions as the trunk, or provide flowers. The pseudostem gives rise to flowers, not the rhizome.

5. Seedless Varieties

   Why do most cultivated banana varieties not reproduce through seeds?

   1. Their flowers are never pollinated
   2. Seedlings grow very slowly
   3. Their fruits are seedless due to being triploid hybrids
   4. Seeds are too large to plant

   Explanation: Most edible bananas are triploid hybrids and do not produce viable seeds, making sexual reproduction by seed impossible. The issue is not seed size, pollination failure, or slow seedling growth; it's the absence of fertile seeds.