PERFORMANCE OF BANANA CULTIVAR WILLIAMS UNDER MARATHWADA CONDITION

Banana has much more importance in determining the socioeconomic status of farmers. The leaves plant with bunch and fruits are used in most of the religious festivals while banana flower and stem are also used for making food items in Indian cuisine. Botanically banana fruits are wonder berry which form the staple food of millions of people across the globe providing more balanced food than any other fruit or vegetable. As a desert banana is more filling easy to digest fat free rich source of carbohydrates with calorific value of 90 Kcal/100g fruit. Plantains are rich in vitamin A (beta-carotenes) and they aid in digestion. Banana skin is also rich source of vitamins and curative to retina related disorders. Banana plays an important role in the diet of people due to its high nutritive value. It has a high carbohydrates content and supplies a good amount of energy (100 cal per 100g) and it is a good source of vitamins A B1 B2 and C (Simmonds 1990). It is also rich in important minerals like Ca K P and Fe and contains little amount of proteins and fats.