Gros Michel banana

Gros Michel banana, sometimes known as "Big Mike," was the primary banana cultivar exported to the United States and Europe throughout the first half of the 20th century.

It is known for its excellent taste, size, and resistance to handling and transportation, making it the dominant export banana until the 1950s. Gros Michel is larger, has a thicker skin, and, by many accounts, a sweeter and more flavorful taste than the Cavendish variety, which replaced it as the most widely exported banana.

The decline of the Gros Michel as the leading export banana was due to Panama disease, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense. This soil-borne fungus attacks the banana plant's roots and vascular system, eventually killing the plant.

By the 1960s, Panama disease had devastated Gros Michel plantations across Central and South America, leading to the adoption of the Cavendish banana. The Cavendish was resistant to the strain of Panama disease that killed the Gros Michel, though it is now threatened by a new strain of the same fungus.