"…provides a good overview of the status of genetic improvement of banana, highlighting both the challenges and potential of ensuring successful cultivation…making this volume a comprehensive foundation of knowledge on which future banana improvement strategies can be built." (Book Review Published in Chronica Horticulturae – Dr Karin Hannweg, ARC-ISTC, South Africa) Despite bananas being the world’s most exported and valuable fruit, banana production faces a number of challenges, primarily the extremely narrow genetic base currently available for commercial cultivation which increases the rate of vulnerability to diseases and other stresses. The sector faces increasing pressure to improve existing varieties, as well as to develop new varieties which retain key yield and quality characteristics and improved resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Achieving sustainable cultivation of bananas Volume 2: Germplasm and genetic improvement offers an authoritative discussion on the progress of identifying and broadening the genetic base for Musa species. This collection reviews the current conventional and molecular breeding techniques for breeding new varieties of banana, as well as providing coverage on improving traits in Cavendish. With its distinguished editors and international range of expert authors, Achieving sustainable cultivation of bananas Volume 2: Germplasm and genetic improvement will be a standard reference for university and other researchers in tropical fruit science, government and other agencies supporting banana cultivation, as well as commercial banana growers and retailers. This title is accompanied by two companion volumes: Achieving sustainable cultivation of bananas Volume 1: Cultivation techniques and Achieving sustainable cultivation of bananas Volume 3: Diseases and pests .