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Monthan banana — south Indian cooking plantain Photo: placeholder pending image-fill pass

Monthan banana — south Indian cooking plantain

Monthan is a robust, ABB-genome group cooking banana cultivated principally across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and southern Andhra Pradesh. The variety is valued for the size and starchy texture of its fingers, which are used in traditional preparations such as bajji, podimas, kootu and the steamed dumpling "vazhakkai sevai". Unlike dessert Cavendish bananas, Monthan fruit is not eaten raw at ripeness; consumption is almost entirely as a vegetable. ICAR-NRCB Trichy and TNAU maintain agronomic packages for the variety.

Key characteristics

  • Genome group: ABB, cooking-plantain subgroup
  • Plant height: 10-11 ft, robust pseudostem
  • Crop cycle: 13-14 months from planting to harvest (longer than Grand Naine)
  • Bunch weight: 18-25 kg with 6-9 hands
  • Finger: stout, angular, 100-150 g; pale green skin, firm starchy pulp even at full maturity
  • Yield: 30-40 t/ha under irrigated conditions
  • Drought tolerance: high; performs in rain-fed settings where Cavendish fails

Cultivation

Monthan is typically planted at 8 ft x 8 ft to 9 ft x 9 ft spacing because of its larger canopy and longer cycle, giving 600-700 plants/acre. Sucker-based propagation predominates in smallholder fields; tissue culture is increasingly used in organised plantings. Drip-fertigation is standard in irrigated systems; the variety also performs well under furrow irrigation, supplemented by farmyard manure and balanced NPK with elevated potassium during finger filling. The variety is robust enough that staking is needed only in windy locations.

Pest and disease profile

Monthan is highly susceptible to Fusarium wilt Race 1 (Banana Fusarium Wilt Foc Tr4), which has historically devastated plantings in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It is moderately susceptible to Sigatoka leaf spots (Banana Sigatoka Yellow Mycosphaerella) and to corm weevil (Banana Corm Weevil Cosmopolites). Banana bunchy top virus (Banana Bunchy Top Virus) occurs but is less prevalent than in Cavendish blocks because of slower sucker exchange across farms.

Adoption and use

Monthan accounts for a sizeable share of the cooking-plantain segment in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka and supplies wholesale vegetable markets year-round. The variety is the principal raw material for traditional ABB-type curries and snacks in the region, and is also used in temple offerings and festival meals. Compared with Nendran (Banana Nendran Kerala Plantain), Monthan is preferred where firmer, less-sweet flesh is desired; Nendran is preferred for chips because of its longer fingers and starchier texture.

See also: Banana Nendran Kerala Plantain, Banana Grand Naine G9 Jain Tc, Banana Fusarium Wilt Foc Tr4, Banana Corm Weevil Cosmopolites, Banana Rasthali Silk India.

References

  1. Monthan — Variety profile. ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Trichy.
  2. Banana varieties — south Indian cultivars. TNAU Agritech Portal.