Different Types of Bananas Cultivated in India: A Complete List

Table of Contents

• An Introduction to Banana Varieties in India
• Popular Types of Bananas in India
  • Robusta
  • Dwarf Cavendish
  • Rasthali
  • Poovan
  • Nendran
  • Red Banana
  • Ney Poovan
  • Virupakashi
  • Panchanadan
  • Monthan
  • Karpuravalli
  • Safed Velchi Musa
• Newly Developed Varieties of Banana

An Introduction to Banana Varieties in India

Banana is the most important fruit after mango and is widely known in India due to its nutritional values. The fruit is known for its sweet taste and is consumed both as a ripe fruit and for cooking purposes. In India, there are many dishes made from bananas like banana halwa, banana bread, banana shake, banana chips etc. The fruit is rich in fibre, minerals and vitamins. It is also a good source of energy that is why it is also recommended in diets by dieticians. In some parts of the country, the banana plant leaves are also used as a plate to serve food.

What are the Popular Types of Bananas in India?

Bananas are known since the ancient times in our country and India is a home to over 50 different varieties of bananas. However, banana cultivation in India is done to grow around 15-20 bananas varieties. Below is a list of the most famous varieties of banana in India. Let’s understand each type of varieties of bananas in detail.

• Robusta
• Dwarf Cavendish
• Rasthali
• Poovan
• Nendran
• Red Banana
• Ney Poovan
• Virupakashi
• Panchanadan
• Monthan
• Karpuravalli
• Safed Velchi Musa

Robusta

Robusta is a widely known variety of bananas in India. It is semi-tall and grown mostly in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and some parts of Karnataka for table purpose.

Some of the key characteristic features are:

• It is a high yielding variety with dark green in colour that turn bright yellow upon ripening.
• It produces bunch of large size weighs around 25-30 kg and has a sweet aroma.
• It is often used in cooking and is a popular ingredient in South Indian cuisine.

However, storage and transportation of these bananas is a challenge. Also, these banana variety are susceptible to Sigatoka leaf spot disease which is very destructive disease of bananas.

Dwarf Cavendish

Dwarf Cavendish is one of the most cultivated variety of bananas in India. It is widely famous and are grown extensively for table and processing purpose in the states Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar and West Bengal.

'Basrai' is the leading commercial variety of Cavendish group of bananas cultivated in Maharashtra. It is also popular in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 

The key features are:

• It is dwarf in stature that is why it is less prone to wind damage.
• It’s bunch weighs around 15-25 kg.
• This variety also performs well under light soils.
• It is green in colour which remains the same even after ripening.

In India, these types of bananas are often used in desserts like banana bread, banana pudding and banana chips.

Rasthali

Rasthali, also known as silk variety of bananas is widely popular and grown in the southern states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Bihar.

Some of the key features are:

• It is a mid-tall variety of bananas and is a highly priced cultivator for table purpose.
• This variety ranks top among all the other varieties of bananas in terms of taste and aroma.
• Throughout its development, it has yellowish green colour, but turns pale to golden yellow after ripening.
• It has thin skin and easy to peel and the texture resembles to silk that is why it is also known as silk banana.
• These bananas usually are eaten as a snack when fully ripe or used in cooking, particularly in South Indian cuisine.

However, the production of this banana variety is expensive due to factors like longer crop duration, susceptibility to Furasium wilt, and formation of hard lumps.

Poovan

Poovan is also known as Champa or Mysore. It is one of the major commercially cultivated throughout the country. It is widely grown in Karpura Chkkarakeli in Andhra Pradesh, Alpan in the North East Region, Poovan in Tamil Nadu, and Palayankodan in Kerala. Due to its climatic and marginal soil condition, Tamil Nadu is the major producer of poovan cultivar.

Some of the key characteristics are:

• The fruit is slightly acidic and firm and has attractive golden yellow colour.
• It is known for its sour-sweet taste and aroma.
• It is medium sized variety with good keeping quality.
• It is resistant to fruit cracking which makes this variety different from others.

These bananas are generally cultivated as a perennial crop. In Tamil Nadu and certain regions of Kerala, it is cultivated commercially for leaf industry.

Nendran

Nendran is a popular variety of bananas in Kerala. It is not only used as a fruit but also in processing. This variety is popular for its diversified stature. They are often used for making traditional dishes and tasty snacks.

Some of the key features are:

• It has pseudo stem colour in the early stages of its growth.
• The bunch has 5-6 hands which weighs around 12-15 kg.
• These bananas are green in colour which turns buff yellow when ripened.
• It remains starchy even after ripening.

Red Banana

Red bananas are widely popular in the states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is highly priced variety in these states. Its commercial cultivation is prominent in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu. It is popular as Lal Velchi in Bihar and other regions and as Chandra Bale in Karnataka.

Some of the key features are:

• Red bananas have reddish-purple skin and a sweet, creamy flesh.
• They are smaller than cavendish bananas and has delicious & sweet taste.
• It has creamy texture and nice aroma.
• Its bunches weigh around 20-30 kg.
• These bananas have fruity undertones similar to raspberries and mangoes when fully ripened.

Ney Poovan

Ney Poovan is the choicest diploid cultivator in the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. This variety is cultivated in backyards in Kerala, which is now shifting to large-scale cultivation.

Some of the key features are:

• The average weight of the bunch is 12-14 kg with 10-12 hands.
• These types of bananas are very sweet in taste, its pulp is firm with good aroma.
• These bananas have very thin and are suitable for processing, especially for the ‘Banana Fig’ and ‘juice’ industries.

Virupakashi

Virupakshi bananas, also known as Malai Vazhaipazham (Malai means mountains and Vazhaipalam means bananas in Tamil) are grown in Palani and Shevroy hills of Tamil Nadu under perennial cultivation. Even though not appealing to the eyes, it is highly popular in the market due to its distinct taste.

Some of the key characteristics are:

• They are grown as a shade tree for the coffee plantations in the hills.
• These bananas are thin and has nice aroma.
• They are dark green in colour with black spots.
• They have characteristic flavours when cultivated in higher elevation.

Panchanadan

This is a popular variety of Tamil Nadu. This variety is known for its cooling effects. These could be planted in Nendran plantations for gap filling purposes. Both the ripened and un-ripened fruits are used for edible purposes.

Some of the characteristic features are:

• It can be cultivated in marginal soils without any yield reduction.
• It is ideal crop for inter-cropping in arecanut and coconut garden.
• These bananas are thick & firm, and the average bunch weight is in the range of 12-15 kg (after 11-12 months).

Monthan

It is widely cultivated variety throughout the country. It is majorly cultivated for the processing. The new prolific 'Monthan' type clones of economic value namely 'Kanchi Vazhai' and 'Chakkia' are recently becoming popular in Tamil Nadu. It is also cultivated as the production of leaves in the Thanjore district of Tamil Nadu.

Some of the key features are:

• It is tall and a robust plant bearing bunches of 18-20 kg after 12 months.
• The skin is usually green and has many medicinal qualities as well.
• Fruits are stocky, bold, knobbed and pale green in colour.
• They are rich in starch content and its flour is used in the preparation of cookies and breads.

The raw fruits and the male flower buds of Monthan bananas have multiple utilities and suitable for pickle making.

Karpuravalli

Karpuravalli is a tall and robust plant suitable for marginal lands and soils produced under low input conditions. It is a popular variety grown in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and other North Eastern states where weather conditions are too extreme.

The key characteristic features are:

• This variety is considered as the sweetest among all the varieties in Indian bananas.
• These bananas are golden in colour and has very sweet and delicious taste with bunch weight of 25 kg.
• Its pulp is suited for the preparation of various products like ‘Juice’, ‘Wine’, ‘Sweet Chutney’, ‘Fig’, ‘Banana Fruit Bars’, etc.

Safed Velchi Musa

Safed Velchi Musa is a popular banana variety cultivated in the districts like Thane and Nasik of Maharashtra. In the South Kanara districts of Karnataka, it is cultivated under the shade of arecanut gardens. This variety is used in many desserts in India.

The key features are:

• It is medium sized and has a yellowish green colour.
• The average weight of the bunch is about 12 kg.
• It has reddish petiole margin, large fruits, very thin & papery rind and white firm flesh that is very sweet.

What are Some of the Newly Developed Varieties of Banana?

India has come up with new varieties of bananas in recent years. Let’s have a look on some of the new developed varieties of bananas below.

• Udhayam- Udhayam belongs to Pisang Awak group similar to Karpuravalli banana. This variety is suitable for cultivation in banana growing states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. It is comparatively dwarf in stature and is best suitable for processing industry.
• Kaveri Sugantham- This variety is a selection from somaclonal variant of tissue cultured Manoranjitham. Its bunch is compact and slightly angular in position and the fruits are dark in green at maturity and yellowish green at ripening.
• Kaveri Saba- This is a drought and salinity tolerant variety. It is a medium statured plant with 3- 3.5m height having dark green and shiny leaves with a bunch that is slightly angular in position. It is starchy and has a flattened blunt tip. Saba is more suitable for marginal cultivation and saline sodic soils.
• Kaveri Kalki (Namwa Khom)- This variety is a dwarf statured and the plant stature is robust and sturdy with short leaves and green pseudostem with pink streaks. Leaves are almost erect in position, therefore suitable for high density planting. It reduces the cost of cultivation as it needs no propping.
• Kaveri Haritha- Kaveri Haritha released as Central variety for the states Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and West Bengal. It has tightly packed bunch which is huge and cylindrical in shape. The bunch weight is approximately ranges from 28-30 kgs. The fruits are elongated ended with pointed tip. This variety has better cooking characteristics among all the newly developed varieties of bananas.
• Kaveri Kanya- Kaveri Kanya released as Central variety for the states Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal. This is a medium tall variety and is robust in nature. The bunch is tightly packed and huge and has truncated cone shape. Bunch weight is ranging from 26- 28 kgs. Fruits are shorter and thick skinned and it is wind tolerant variety.

These all are some popular varieties of bananas available in India. Now that you know of these popular varieties of banana, give them a try and let us know which one is your favourite.