Banana diversity in the Middle East (Jordan, Egypt, Oman)

The survey clarified the Musa situation at least for the three countries visited. The diversity in traditional bananas is a small to moderate one, depending on the country. With the practical consequence that the introduction of other cultivars or of new hybrids is a matter that deserves serious attention, especially in order to meet the perceived difficulties experienced by small-to-moderate income farmers. This reality brought the survey team to spend some time on the agronomical and economical aspects of banana cultivation in each country. This effort is reflected in the recommendations formulated for each visited country, based as they are on the observations and discussions that could be carried out within the rather limited time dedicated to the survey. The majority of the findings and respective recommendations however, deal with the taxonomical clarification of the observed banana cultivar diversity in the visited countries, thus conforming to the main objective of the survey.[L'etude a clarifie la situation de Musa au moins pour les trois pays visites. La diversite des bananiers traditionnels est faible a moyenne suivant le pays. En consequence, l'introduction d'autres cultivars ou de nouveaux hybrides merite attention, en particulier pour resoudre les difficultes eprouvees par les exploitants a revenu modeste ou moyen. Cette realite a conduit l'equipe de recherche a se pencher sur les aspects agronomiques et economiques lies a la culture du bananier dans chaque pays. Ce travail est reflete par les recommandations formulees pour chaque pays visite, a partir des observations et des discussions produites dans le temps limite de l'etude. La majorite des conclusions et des recommandations afferentes concernent la clarification taxonomique de la diversite observee des cultivars de bananier dans les pays visites, conformement a l'objectif principal de l'etude.]