so they can grow together in a bunch.

They’re fighting gravity looking for the sun.

To give them exactly the right angle for eating from your hand.

So they can hold the ice cream better in a banana split.

Because they are not straight.

Sun kinks

(Answered by my railroad husband)

because they grow that way so Jas can have a trivia question ...

I agree with a sun search

It’s called negative geotropism, also called negative gravitropism. Rather than growing towards the sun, which would be phototropism, is bananas grow against gravity. Most of you are well aware of negative geotropism occuring in asparagus, in the fridge, in the dark.

Sun has nothing to do with it.

P.S. Thought of another common example: snapdragons! If they aren’t stored upright, they will form indesirable kinks, making them unsellable for the florist trade. They have to be shipped and stored cut side down as soon as they are cut at the primary growers.

tropism, response or orientation of a plant or certain lower animals to a stimulus that acts with greater intensity from one direction than another.

rhizo, isn’t the reason that they are looking for a light source? They are also phototrophic. They are fighting between gravity and the search for light. When my dillweed falls over from the weight of it’s head it will turn up again looking for light. There is a reason why they defy gravity.

Bananas are torn between gravity and the search for a light source.

I believe the sun has a lot to do with it.

”bananas contain a chemical called auxin, a plant hormone that affects how the plant responds to sunlight. This creates a curved shape as the banana is effectively folding against itself in search of the sun. So, banana goes through a process called negative geotropism.”

The auxins in the banana fruit react solely to gravitational pull. If the clusters of bananas are completely covered and blocked from the sun, they will still bend upwards in the negative response to gravity.

Actually, if a living plant falls over, including trees, they will bend up over time due to geotropism. Phototropism is important for plants but that is not what’s steering this phenomenon. By the way, roots grow down because of positive geotropism.

We’ll have to agree to disagree, rhizo!

I think there are are three forces happening at the same time. Gravitational pull and the need for light, and auxin. Auxin is affected by many environmental factors.

Roots do not need light to thrive. That is the difference between a stem/flower and a root.

Sun kinks. 😁

BTW, I knew Lonejack would get it. A sun kink is when a railroad track buckles/bends due to extremely hot weather. I don’t think that is the case for bananas, though.

Here’s what Chiquita has to say.

https://www.chiquita.com/blog/healthy-snacks-that-are-curvy-and-proud/

Here’s a differing opinion.

https://nuttyscientistscanada.ca/why-bananas-are-curved-upwards

The good news is;

“The banana is a one of the perfect health food. It is low in calories and contains fiber, potassium, magnesium and Vitamins B6 and C” 🙂

Yes, roxsol, there are several forces at work. But not at the same time nor in the same place on the plant body. Maybe it’s easier to understand with snapdragons?

rhizo, I’m not sure what answer Jasdip has but because it is asked as a ”trivia” question I know that the answer will not necessarily be based on science.

This is a fun thread and your comments have given me something to think about. I have enjoyed the discussion. Thanks.

eta Actually, with a banana question, I’m surprised it didn’t get raunchy.

Rox, you mean like being a throat goat? 🤣

Throat goat? I like to learn something new every day and Jasdip that was it! I have never heard that term before. I just looked it up.

LOL, Jasdip you did not disappoint. I knew this thread would go there.

eta That banana ain’t gettin’ no sun.

I had to refrain myself Roxsol. Didn't want to get flagged ya know! LOLOL

The Chiquita site is pretty confusing, lol. Talks about negative geotropism (which has nothing to do with the sun), but then talks about the sun! I guess advertising people aren’t expected to know the science. 🍌🤓

rhizo, the Dole website does the same thing! It’s a conspiracy. 😉

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/worklife/a10253398/why-bananas-are-bent/

“Once they're much bigger in size, the fruit goes through a process called negative geotropism. Which basically means instead of continuously grow towards the ground, they start to turn towards the sun, in order to retrieve light.

Dole say the fruit does this because bananas grow in rainforests, where there is little sunlight, and if they were to grow towards the small amount of light that penetrates sideways through the vegetation, the plant could overbalance and topple over.

So, they're forced to grow upwards towards the breaks of light in the canopy.“

The Australian Banana Growers are more scientific,

https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/06/05/2590147.htm

Bananas start life very, very straight but as the bunch emerges from the top of the plant and the bracts roll back (bracts are the leathery purple things that separate the hands of bananas) and fall off, the bananas begin to spread out and turn upward.

They do this because bananas are negatively geo-tropic. This means that they grow away from the pull of gravity, as opposed to turning upward toward the sun.

Ignorance, lack of scientific information. It’s a complicated concept to follow if a person doesn’t have a detailed education with a fair amount of plant physiology involved. Because really…..how important is it, anyway? Not!