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GENETIC RESOURCES OF

TROPICAL UNDERUTILIZED

FRUITS IN INDIA

National Bureau of Plant Genetic ResourcesPusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012, INDIA

S.K. Malik

Rekha Chaudhury

O.P. Dhariwal

D.C. Bhandari

National Bureau of Plant Genetic ResourcesPusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012, INDIA

GENETIC RESOURCES OF TROPICAL UNDERUTILIZED

FRUITS IN INDIA

S.K. Malik Rekha Chaudhury

O.P. Dhariwal D.C. Bhandari

The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), is a nodal organization under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for the management of plant genetic resources in India. NBPGR operates as per the

mandate of the Government of India and actively contributes to global efforts in

ensuring food and nutritional security. The institute also recognizes the need to integrate

ex situ and in situ conservation approaches in a network mode with all its stakeholders.

NBPGR's mission is to ensure the country's agricultural growth and development by

ensuring unrestricted availability of germplasm and associated information for use in

research and utilization as per the national and International legislations

Malik SK, Chaudhury R, Dhariwal OP and Bhandari DC. 2010. Genetic Resources of Tropical Underutilized Fruits in India. NBPGR, New Delhi, p.168.

The Director,National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi-110 012© National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, 2010

Alpha Printographics (India)Mobile : 9999039940, 9811199620

.

Citation:

Published by:

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Dedicated

to

This publication is dedicated to Dr. Rajeshwar

Kumar Arora, Former Officiating Director,

National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources

(NBPGR) and Coordinator South Asia,

International Plant Genetic Resources Institute

(rechristened as Bioversity International)- an

excellent plant scientist who dedicated his life to

the study of plants, especially in the area of

plant genetic resources of underutilized native

species

Indian agriculture, passing through various revaluations has achieved unprecedented development. Production and productivity of many crops have increased manifold. But the challenges of malnutrition, income to farmers and threat of climate change continue, which has to be addressed. In this context, underutilized crops appear to be the crop of future and need focused attention as it can meet nutritional needs and sustain the effect of climate change. The underutilized fruit crops of Indian origin like bael, chironji, jamun, karonda, ker, khirni, lasora, mahua, etc. are directly interwoven in the socio-economic fabric of rural masses and especially of tribes dwelling in remote hot, arid and fragile ecosystems. These potential crops of the future are awaiting their full utilization now. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), the nodal national organization responsible for plant genetic resources management in India, has been undertaking explorations and collections in consultation and collaboration with scientists of relevant horticultural institutes of ICAR and SAUs for a holistic approach for PGR collection and utilization. The aim is to ultimately facilitate the PGR utilization by the collaborators and other stakeholders. In this publication the authors have provided the details of explorations and collections conducted by them from various states of India and basic information on origin and distribution, general description of species, propagation methods, cultivars/selections, uses and genetic resource management undertaken at NBPGR and other centres. The information has been generated in the field and experiments conducted on seed physiology and developing conservation techniques in the laboratory are discussed along with information drawn from the available literature.

I am sure this publication would be a useful source of information to scientists, especially horticulturists, policy makers, teachers and students and would pave the way for their popularization and utilization. Information on genetic resources and on identified quality genotypes, wherever provided in the text need to be further utilized and germplasm to be established in the field and to be multiplied using vegetative propagation for commercial utilization.

I compliment the authors for bringing out this informative publication and to the NBPGR for always championing the cause of plant genetic resources.

Foreword

India is endowed with a rich genetic diversity of tropical fruits. Many of these fruits have got due attention since time immemorial and became popularised due to their larger appeal and ethos. These fruit species have been grown as commercial crops in organized way in orchards and prospered continuously due to their economic, social and religious importance. Mango, citrus, banana and guava due to the presence of vast diversity and acceptable flavour and taste were supported and improved by local fruit growers and horticulturists for wide adoption. The less important, so-called underutilized fruits remained uncared for and remained confined mainly to natural wild, semi-wild and semi-domesticated conditions albeit with large ever increasing variability. Besides their importance as potential horticulture species these plants are incidentally store houses of genes for adaptation to hot and hardy climates, salt tolerance, diseases tolerance and several essential nutritional values. In the present publication, out of large number of underutilized tropical fruits, only 16 genera have been elaborated based on their diverse usages, potential in horticulture and importance as future fruit crops. The exploration and collections undertaken mainly in the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and some northeastern states have led to the assemblage of sizeable genetic diversity of 16 fruit species which has still remained untapped. The information originally generated at NBPGR during various surveys, explorations and collections and from interaction with local people, tribals, farmers and forest staff along with laboratory data on physico-chemical characterization and seed physiology, seed storage behaviour and cryopreservation has been presented. Efforts have been made to assemble the basic and relevant information scattered across various publications. Genetic resource management on these species being undertaken under AICRP on Arid Fruits and work being done at various horticultural institutes and state agricultural universities has been duly presented. Authors believe that this humble effort is only a beginning of gigantic task we have ahead to identify the desirable genotypes from this vast genetic wealth based on detailed characterization and evaluation. This would add required value to these resources to make them worthy for intensive utilization. Developing vegetative propagation methods, popularising these species to farmers with due market support for fruits and value added products would only ensure the commercial cultivation of these fruits and bring them in mainstream of Indian horticulture. The role of agricultural scientists and horticulturists is to make these species profitable for farming and provide suitable place in the changing farming patterns due to inevitable climate change which alone would save them from extinction. We gratefully acknowledge everybody who had assisted wholeheartedly in preparation of this publication. We profusely thank all the past Directors of NBPGR who encouraged and spurred us to undertake these studies. Authors welcome any valued suggestion from the readers for the improvement of presented information.

S.K. MALIK

REKHA CHAUDHURY

O.P. DHARIWAL

D.C. BHANDARI

Preface

Authors sincerely acknowledge the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources for providing the facilities and funding for undertaking the work on genetic resources of tropical underutilized fruits. We are thankful to Project Coordinator and partners of ICAR funded project on “National Network on Underutilized Fruits” under which some of the explorations and work has been undertaken. Our sincere thanks are due to Dr. O.P. Pareek, Ex-Director, NRCAF (now CIAH), Bikaner, Dr. V. Ramanatha Rao, Honorary Research Fellow, Bioversity International, Rome & Adjunct Senior Fellow, Bangalore and Dr. B.M.C. Reddy, Ex Director, CISH, Lucknow for encouragement to work on underutilized fruits. We sincerely acknowledge the help rendered by following persons for their valuable input:

1. Dr. Z. Abraham, Principal Scientist and Officer In-charge, NBPGR RS, Thrissur

2. Dr. Sanjay Singh, Principal Scientist, CHES (CIAH), Godhra

3. Dr. A.K. Singh, Principal Scientist, CISH, Lucknow

4. Dr. R.A. Kaushik, Head, Horticulture Division, MPUAT, Udaipur

5. Dr. Dhurendra Singh, Senior Scientist, CIAH, Bikaner

6. Dr. N.K. Dwivedi, Principal Scientist and Officer In-charge, NBPGR RS, Jodhpur

7. Dr. R.P.S. Deswal, Associate Professor, CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal

8. Dr. Rakesh Srivastava, Senior Scientist, NBPGR, New Delhi.

9. Dr. Rajwant K. Kalia, Senior Scientist, Centre for Plant Biotechnology, CCSHAU, Hisar

10. Dr. N.S. Panwar, Sr. Technical officer, NBPGR, New Delhi

11. Mr. Rakesh Singh, Sr. Technical officer, NBPGR, New Delhi

12. Mr. Ravish Choudhary, SRF, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi

13. Ms. Jyotsna Joshi, SRF, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi

14. Dr. Susheel Kumar, RA, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi

15. Mr. Digvender Pal, SRF, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi

16. Dr. Sushil Kumar, PPV & FRA, New Delhi

17. Mr. Devender Kr. Nerwal, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi

18. Mr. Anang Pal Singh, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi

Acknowledgments

Contents

i. Forewordii. Preface iii. Acknowledgements

1. Introduction 1

2. Genetic resource management 32.1 Exploration and collection 32.2 Characterization and evaluation 52.3 Conservation 7

2.3.1 Conservation strategies 72.3.2 In situ conservation 82.3.3 Ex situ conservation 9

2.3.3.1 Field genebanks 92.3.3.2 Genebank and cryogenebank conservation 9

2.4 Nutritional value, market demand and indigenous 11 technical knowledge

3. Description of fruit species 183.1 Aegle marmelos (Bael) 183.2 Buchanania lanzan (Chironji) 253.3 Capparis decidua (Ker) 383.4 Carissa species (Karonda) 473.5 Cordia species (Lasora) 543.6 Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu) 643.7 Emblica officinalis (Aonla) 703.8 Garcinia species (Kokam, Malabar tamarind and 75

Mysore gamboge) 3.9 Grewia subinaequalis (Phalsa) 883.10 Madhuca indica (Mahua) 933.11 Manilkara hexandra (Khirni) 1003.12Pithecellobium dulce (Manila tamarind) 1143.13 Salvadora species (Pilu and Miswak) 1203.14 Syzygium cumini (Jamun) 1323.15Tamarindus indica (Tamarind) 1393.16Ziziphus species (Ber) 147

4. Future perspective 154

5. References 156AnnexureAcronyms

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Genetic Resources of Tropical Underutilized Fruits in India

1. Introduction

Southeast Asia is represented by more than 500 species of fruits (Arora and Rao,1995), while the Hindustani region of diversity represents 344 species of fruits havingvast potential for new crops (Arora, 1995). This area has been the center of origin ofa number of tropical and temperate fruit species, most of which are still growing in wildor semi-wild state. Despite the vast genetic diversity of these fruits, only importantfruits like mango, banana, citrus and guava have gained in the productivity andacceptability by the people. Many of the indigenous tropical and temperate fruits havestill remained underexploited due to the lack of awareness of their potential, marketdemand and low and erratic bearing in many cases. These species have multipurposeuses as fruits, vegetables and also have therapeutic and medicinal properties. Geneticresources of such fruits are facing a great threat of extinction due to climate change,large-scale urbanization and developmental projects. To safeguard the existing diversityof underutilized fruits and to achieve sustainable development based on use of availablegenetic wealth, promotion and conservation of these species is of immense importance.Organized production and processing for value addition of products would enhanceincome of small and marginal farmers and also help in on-farm conservation of valuablegermplasm. At NBPGR an extensive collection, characterization and conservationprogramme has been undertaken for identification of promising germplasm and tosupport the improvement programmes being undertaken in these fruit species.

Genetic resources of tropical underutilized fruits have not been given desiredattention due to their comparatively less commercial importance and limited researchon genetic improvement of cultivars. Opening of the world markets and developmentof new biotechnological methods of genetic modifications in high value commercialfruits would further keep the attention away from these traditional underutilized fruitsleading to great loss in genetic diversity of these fruits. Several other factors such aschange in climatic conditions, introduction of new irrigation methods and canals, largescale developmental activities taking place in developing economies like India is leadingto alarming loss of genetic resources of these species. These genetic resources arewell adapted to the stressed, arid and semi-arid ecosystems having high potential formitigating inevitable climate change scenario, and hence need immediate attention. Inview of the great importance of these underutilized fruit species and urgent need tostrengthen the genetic resources and improvement work, Indian Council of Agricultural

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Research launched a “National Network Project on Underutilized Fruits” to collect,introduce, characterize, evaluate, conserve and utilize the genetic resources of thesespecies. CISH, Lucknow, CIAH, Bikaner, NBPGR, New Delhi, CHES, Chettalliand CARI, Andaman and Nicobar are the partners in this project. Under this projectgermplasm of khirni, karonda, bael, jamun, mahua, wood apple, tamarind, Garcinia,etc. have been collected and characterized and several promising genotypes havebeen identified. There is a need to further evaluate these identified genotypes andrelease the cultivars for respective areas.

In the present publication, sixteen important underutilized fruits namely Aeglemarmelos (Bael), Buchanania lanzan (Chironji), Capparis decidua (Ker), Carissaspecies (Karonda), Cordia species (Lasora), Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu),Emblica officinalis (Aonla), Garcinia species (Kokam, Malabar tamarind and Mysoregamboge), Grewia species (Phalsa), Madhuca indica (Mahua), Manilkarahexandra (Khirni), Pithecellobium dulce (Manila tamarind), Salvadora species (Piluand Meswak), Syzygium cumini (Jamun), Tamarindus indica (Tamarind) andZiziphus species (Ber and Jharber) have been discussed. Besides these some otherindigenous species which are of substantial importance in Indian context are Feronialimonia (Wood apple), Phoenix sylvestris (Wild date), Alangium salvifolium (Banjamun) and Ficus palmata (Wild fig). Genetic resource management and related issuesin the 16 Indian tropical underutilized fruits and their related species have beendiscussed.

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2. Genetic Resource Management

2.1 Exploration and collection

Germplasm collection of underutilized fruit crops has received less priority incomparison to the field crops. Germplasm of these fruits species have been collectedat various horticultural organizations to identify promising genotypes for high yield andgood fruits quality. Overall 2552 accessions of 16 underutilized fruits being discussedin this publication have been collected by various organizations in India and nationalidentity (IC Numbers) have been obtained from the NBPGR since 1976. These includeAegle marmelos (57), Buchanania lanzan (187), Capparis decidua (118), Carissaspecies (50), Cordia species (134), Diospyros melanoxylon (24), Emblica officinalis(159), Garcinia species (541), Grewia species (36), Madhuca indica (153),Manilkara hexandra (74), Pithecellobium dulce (24), Salvadora species (207),Syzygium cumini (198), Tamarindus indica (248) and Ziziphus species (342).Besides this large number of collections of these fruit species are being maintained inthe field genebanks at various national and state institutes and horticulture researchorganizations where national identity is still to be obtained. Therefore, reporting theexact number of collections and assessment of germplasm diversity in collectedgermplasm in these fruits species requires collective efforts of various stake holders.Besides the ICAR institutes (Central Institute of Arid Horticulture, Bikaner, CentralInstitute of Sub-tropical Horticulture, Lucknow) and some state universities, most ofthese fruit crops are being managed under the All India Coordinated Project on AridFruits for developing fruit growing technology to build a viable commercial cultivationin the arid regions and to improve the economic condition of the people, their nutritionand health standard at 13 centres of ICAR Institutes and State Agricultural Universitiesas detailed below (Table 1):

At NBPGR systematic exploration programmes to collect the germplasm ofimportant underutilized fruits have been undertaken since last twelve years. Twentyspecific exploration and collection missions have been executed in the north, west,central and south Indian states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, MadhyaPradesh, Himachal Pradesh (foot hills of Himalayas), Kerala, Karnataka andMaharashtra for the collection of several underutilized tropical and sub-tropical fruits.The targeted fruit species were collected from wild and semi-wild areas of forest,

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marginal forest lands, homestead gardens, orchards and from farmers fields. Details offruiting period, importance and uses of these fruits species has been provided underthe description of individual fruits. During the explorations general field observations,status of natural populations, probable threats to species, breeding behavior andassociated indigenous technical knowledge on use was gathered. For collection ofgermplasm, selective sampling strategy was used and an indigenous collection number(IC number) allotted to an individual accession. In most of these fruits species elitetrees were identified based on phenotypic characters. Fruits from selected plants werecollected and after initial characterization of fruits the data was shared with thehorticulturists to facilitate the utilization of these genotypes. Vegetative cuttings or budwood was also collected in some of the fruits for establishment in the field genebanksof respective institutes. Area of collection of these fruit species is depicted in the map(Fig. 1). Passport data of individual fruits and variability collected at NBPGR hasbeen described under the individual descriptions of species.

Table 1. Mandate crops and centres of All India Coordinated project on AridFruits

Center Name Crop

Abohar Date palmAnantapur Ber, Custard apple, pomegranate, aonla, phalsa, tamarindAruppukottai Ber, Custard apple, pomegranate, aonla, phalsa, tamarindBangalore Pomegranate, custard apple, figBawal Ber, pomegranate, date palmBikaner Date palmFaizabad Aonla, ber, bael, jamunJobner Ber, aonla, pomegranateMundra Date palmRahuri Pomegranate, ber, custard apple, fig, aonlaSK Nagar Ber, aonla, custard apple and pomegranateCIAH, Bikaner Aonla, BaelCISH, Lucknow BaelCHES, Godhra Aonla, Ber, palmyra palm, TamarindNRC Pomegranate, PomegranateSolapur

(Source: CIAH, Bikaner)

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2.2 Characterization and evaluation

Tropical fruit species are mostly heterozygous due to high degree of outcrossingand require systematic morphological characterization backed by the molecularcharacterization to study the extent of variability and utilization of existing germplasm.Systematic characterization of physico-chemical characters of available germplasmwould provide the extent of genetic diversity in the fruits species and facilitate inidentifying the superior genotypes with desired characters. Characterization andevaluation of fruits especially tropical underutilized fruits has not been undertaken in a

Fig. 1: Collection sites of tropical underutilized fruits from India

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systematic way till now, therefore, selection of elite genotypes or cultivars in most ofthese fruits is lacking. Another reason for the limited information on these aspects isthe less priority to these fruits in comparison to high value major fruit species.Characterization and evaluation work is also limited due to the availability of thesefruits species only in the natural wild and semi-wild conditions. Recently, the effortshave been made to undertake the systematic collection, initial characterization andestablishment of superior genotypes in the field genebanks for detailed evaluation.Due to the perennial nature and specific climatic and edaphic needs of these fruits ittakes many years in flowering and fruiting in field genebanks causing delay in thecharacterization and evaluation. In some important underutilized fruit species vegetativepropagation methods have been developed recently and field establishment of identifiedgenotypes by using the scion from the original sources on local rootstocks have beenundertaken. Recently the characterization and evaluation of some collected germplasmand identified cultivars or released varieties of important underutilized fruits namelyaonla, ber, bael, jamun, phalsa, khirni, karonda, mahua and tamarind have beenundertaken at various locations (Pathak and Pathak, 1993; Singh et al., 1999). Fieldperformance and multi-location trials of indentified cultivars or selections of severalarid fruits is extensively being undertaken at various centers of AICRP on Arid Fruitsand performance is being reported regularly for recommendation of suitable cultivarsfor particular region or state (Pareek and Nath, 1996; ICAR website)

For physico-chemical characterization the fruits were carried to the laboratory,wherever possible. Due to highly perishable nature of fruits, some of the characterizationdata has been undertaken in the field during the collection and exploration. Someimportant phenotypic plant characters desirable in the specific fruit species were alsorecorded and specified in the passport data. Further the fruits were carried to thelaboratory in sufficient numbers to characterize and extract the seeds to be used forvarious experiments and cryopreservation. During the present study efforts have beenmade to attempt preliminary characterization of fruits and seeds of the collectedgermplasm for important qualitative and quantitative characters. For morphologicalcharacterization, minimum descriptors developed by NBPGR (Mahajan et al, 2002)were used, wherever available. Information generated have been shared with theconcerned horticulture scientists on the elite and promising collections for undertakingfurther characterization and evaluation of such genotypes for utilization andcommercialization. Molecular characterization studies have also been lacking in thetropical underutilized fruits. However, the efforts have now been initiated at severalcrop based institutes and at NBPGR to characterize the available germplasm usingmolecular markers to analyze the existing genetic diversity for the efficient utilization ofgermplasm.

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2.3 Conservation

2.3.1 Conservation strategies

Conservation of plant genetic resources is attempted using two basic approaches,the in situ and ex situ ensuring conservation in the natural habitat and in man madegenebanks, respectively. Plant genetic resources, comprising a wide range of usefulplant species, possess diverse mechanisms of reproduction and regeneration. Selectionof suitable conservation strategy depends upon reproductive and breeding mechanismand physiology of seeds and plant propagules. These factors determine the samplesize of the propagules to be stored, and the appropriate conservation technologies tobe applied. Accordingly, different conservation strategies have been suggested andutilized by conservation biologists for achieving successful conservation of targetedspecies (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2: Conservation strategies for horticultural genetic resources (HGR)

Conservation of horticulture genetic resources (HGR) and specifically theunderutilized fruit species which are still grown as natural wild and in semi-wild conditionswould require adoption of complementary conservation strategies where, suitable insitu and ex situ conservation methods are be employed to achieve the successfulconservation. Within this group of underutilized fruit crops specific conservation strategyis to be developed and adopted based on extent of genetic diversity available,mechanism of propagation, reproductive biology of species and present biologicalstatus of the species. Horticulture genetic resources of underutilized fruits comprisefollowing candidates for conservation based on their biological status and propagationmethod (Fig. 3).

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2.3.2 In situ conservation

In situ conservation involves promoting growth of plant species in their naturalhabitats where evolutionary processes continue to operate, making it a dynamic system.Majority of the underutilized fruits grow in the diverse climatic and edaphic conditionsand are adapted to arid and semi-arid conditions. In situ conservation is important forunderutilized fruit species still occurring as natural wild or in the semi-domesticatedconditions using following two approaches:

1) Conservation in the natural habitats like protected areas and national reserves:Specific area based on presence of natural diversity are to be identified for speciesfound as only natural wild. Priority species in this category are Buchanania lanzan,Capparis decidua, Diospyros melanoxylon, Manilkara hexandra, Salvadoraoleoides, S. persica, Tamarindus indica and Pithecellobium dulce. For specieswhere both natural wild and cultivated genotypes are available wild populations are tobe protected immediately. Such species are Aegle marmelos, Emblica officinalis,Grewia species, Carissa species, Cordia species, Madhuca species and Ziziphusspecies. Fruit species and possible protected area for in situ conservation are to befinalized based on diversity maps and biodiversity conservation policy of respectivestate government.

Fig. 3: Candidates for conservation in HGR and their propagation methods

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2) In situ on-farm conservation would be an ideal approach for conserving localnatural selections, cultivars and farmer’s varieties. In some of underutilized fruits localselections or farmers varieties have been developed or identified since time immemorial.These local selections are being grown as isolated plants or in small numbers in thehomestead gardens, farmers fields, backyards or in the common panchayat lands invillages. Such selections need urgent attention for further characterization, evaluationand on-farm conservation. Underutilized fruits where such selections are indentifiedand available are Syzygium cumini, Cordia myxa, Tamarindus indica, Aeglemarmelos, Emblica officinalis and Ziziphus species.

2.3.3 Ex situ conservation

2.3.3.1 Field genebanks

Ex situ conservation of underutilized fruits is important to safeguard the geneticwealth and to use germplasm for the genetic improvement to develop desirable cultivarsor varieties. Field genebanks have an important place in conservation and maintenanceof clonally propagated species, tree species with long juvenile phase, species that donot produce true-to-type seed, or produce recalcitrant seeds whose laboratoryconservation technology has not been standardized so far. Presently several fieldgenebanks for diverse horticultural species are operational throughout the world. InIndia field genebanks of citrus, mango, mulberry, oil palm and several other fruit specieshave been established and are being maintained at state and ICAR horticulturalinstitutions or state agricultural universities at different locations. As far as underutilizedfruits are concerned field genebank conservation has been recently undertakenespecially under the AICRP on Arid Fruits at various ICAR institutes and their regionalstations, some important institutes are CIAH, Bikaner, CISH, Lucknow, CAZRI,Jodhpur, NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur, IIHR, Bangalore and at several stateagricultural universities and their regional stations namely CCSHAU, Hisar and RegionalStation, Bawal, Haryana; MPKV, Rahuri, Maharashtra; GAU, Sardar Krushinagar,Gujarat; RAU, Bikaner, Rajasthan; SKN College of Agriculture, RAU, Jobner,Rajasthan; MPUAT, Udaipur, Rajasthan; ANDUAT, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh andstate horticulture stations at Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other states.

2.3.3.2 Genebank and cryogenebank conservation

Conservation of underutilized fruit species is being undertaken in the laboratory ingenebank and cryogenebank at NBPGR, New Delhi. Conservation of plant germplasmin the form of seeds is the most convenient and reliable method being practiced ingenebanks. Germplasm of tropical underutilized fruits species where the seeds arerelatively larger and have high moisture content at the time of shedding pose problems

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in traditional conservation. Hence, there is need to study their basic seed physiology,longevity and seed storage behaviour. Seed storage behaviour in its simplest form ismeasured in terms of survival and longevity of seed under various storage conditions.Information on this is available for only about 3% of the higher plant species (Hongand Ellis, 1996). Various research groups in different countries are undertaking researchon this aspect mainly on their indigenous species. Seed storage behaviour in severalcases is misinterpreted because of scanty data generated on survival and longevity ofseed and lack of detailed information on physiological characteristics. Conservationistcan recommend and adopt short-, medium- and long-term seed storage only aftercorrect identification of seed storage behaviour. Seed storage behaviour has broadlybeen divided into three categories. Initially Roberts (1973) defined two categoriesnamely orthodox and recalcitrant. Later another category of seed storage behaviourwas designated by Ellis et al. (1990) and termed intermediate, where the behaviour isin between orthodox and recalcitrant. Orthodox seeds can be desiccated to desiredmoisture contents and can be conserved in the conventional genebanks comprising ofcold storage modules maintained at –20oC. While non-orthodox (intermediate andrecalcitrant) seeds are not amenable to conventional genebank regimes, being sensitiveto desiccation and suffering chilling injury, and thus, require special conservationprotocols. Many plant species especially of tropical origin, e.g. rubber, several Citrusspecies, Garcinia species, jackfruit, cocoa, Madhuca species produce such seeds.Several different methods based on cryopreservation have been developed forgenebank conservation of such non-orthodox seeded species (Malik et al., 2004).Cryopreservation, storage of biological materials at ultralow temperatures (-196°C),is the only method available for the long-term conservation of non-orthodox seedsand several vegetative explants such as shoot apices, meristems, dormant buds andsomatic embryos.

Conservation of germplasm in the form of seeds for underutilized fruits specieswhich are predominantly cross pollinated, only ensures the genepool conservation ofthese species due to the heterozygous nature of seeds. As most of these species arefound natural wild or semi-wild and propagated through seeds in nature, conservationof available genetic variability essentially required for the selection of desired genotypestherefore, needs to be protected safely and timely. In most of these fruit species farmersor local people are propagating progenies of these fruits using seeds as no commercialcultivars are available and even if few have been identified, clonally developed plantingmaterial is not available. Once the promising genotypes or cultivars are identified inthese species, conservation of their vegetative tissues to achieve true-to-typeconservation can be attempted using in vitro methods. It is to emphasize here thatconservation of vegetative tissues in these tropical woody species would be an enormous

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task as most of the species are known for their recalcitrance as far as in vitroestablishment is concerned and equally difficult task would be to successfullycryopreserve the vegetative tissues excised from in vitro cultures. It is, therefore,recommended to conserve the available genetic diversity of such economically importantspecies in the best possible ways to fulfill the objective of safe guarding these indigenousspecies from genetic erosion. For genetic improvement and genotype conservation,collected and characterized elite genotypes are presently being conserved in the fieldgenebanks at various horticultural organizations. It is, therefore, emphasized that acomplementary conservation strategy (Rao, 1998) involving the use of more than onerelevant approach would be the best option for achieving safe conservation of theseunderutilized fruit species facing severe threat of extinction. In the present publicationinformation generated since last 15 years at the cryolab of Tissue Culture andCryopreservation Unit of NBPGR, New Delhi on seed germination, longevity, seedstorage behavior, desiccation and freezing sensitivity and developing cryopreservationprotocols of sixteen genera has been provided in tables 2, 3, 4 and 5.

2.4 Nutritional value, market demand and indigenous technical knowledge

Human body cannot synthesize vitamin-C like other animals and depends on foodsources to obtain it. Fruits and vegetables are the main source of various vitamins,minerals, antioxidants and soluble fibers. Humans since its evolution, depended heavilyon the natural food and diversity of plants growing around them. Such plant specieswere, therefore, domesticated first. As far as fruits are concerned, these are the lastdomesticated plants and still several wild fruit species are under domestication oncelocal people recognised them to be important for their use and commercial value(Burkill, 1951-52). People prefer to have fruits with good taste and having less unpleasanttannins and glycosides which are amply available in the wild fruits. Another preferenceis for the larger fleshy or edible part and no or less seediness in fruits.

Many of these fruits are highly perishable and difficult to store in the fresh form.Some of them are not easy to eat out of hand. A few are not acceptable as a fresh fruit,because of high acidity and/or strong astringent taste. However, all these fruits haveunlimited potential in the world trade in their processed form. Presently various valueadded products such as jam, pickles, chutney, squashes, dried form of fruits, pulp etc.are being exported to targeted Indian populations living in other countries. For exampleMalabar tamarind is being exported to countries wherever Malayalees are settled inthe World as this makes an important ingredient of their food preparations especiallyfish curries. Similarly, other products prepared and processed under small scale industryare exported to USA, Europe and to several other countries as per their demand andfound important place in super markets along with other Indian products. Therefore,

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Table 2. Effect of liquid nitrogen exposure on germination of seed, embryoand embryonic axes of different underutilized fruits.

Species name Explant CMC Germination Viability (%) at CMCsubstrata/ BC ACmedium

Aegle marmelos Seed 4.4 TP, BP 70 65.5

Embryo 5.1 TP, in vitro 70.5 75Buchanania lanzan Seed 6.3-12.4 BP, TP, moss grass 50 46.5Capparis decidua Seed 6-8 BP, TP, moss grass 77 75Carissa spp. Seed 6-8 BP, TP, moss grass 70-80 65-70Cordia spp. Seed 6-8 BP, TP 100 95.5Diospyros melanoxylon Seed 11.96 BP, moss grass 75 80Emblica officinalis Seed 6.0 TP 70 72.5Garcinia spp. Seed 34.0 Peat moss, 33.5 0

in vitro cultureGrewia spp. Seed 9.2 BP, TP (Pretreated 45 40

with 25% HClfor 8 min.)

Madhuca indica Seed 42.2 Moss grass 50 0Embryonic 20.5 In vitro 35 12.5axis

Manilkara hexandra Seed 6.5 BP, soilrite, 70-100 50moss grass

Pithecellobium dulce Seed 6.0 TP, BP 85 82.2Salvadora oleoides Seed 9.5 BP, TP, moss grass 40 10

Embryonic axis 8.2 In vitro culture 65 64.4Syzygium cumini Seed 43.7 Peatmoss, 20.5 0

in vitro cultureTamarindus indica Seed 7.5 BP, moss grass 85.0 83.5

Ziziphus nummularia Seed 3.2 TP 65.5 58.9

BP- Between paper; TP- Top of paper; BC- Before Cryo; AC- After Cryo; CMC- CriticalMoisture Content

13


Tabl

e 3. D

esic

catio

n an

d fr

eezi

ng se

nsiti

vity

in u

nder

utili

zed

frui

t spe

cies

.

Spe

cies

Initi

al m

oist

ure

Initi

al vi

abili

tyD

esic

cate

dV

iabi

lity

(%)

Via

bilit

y (%

)co

nten

t (%

)(%

)m

oist

ure

at D

MC

afte

rco

nten

t (%

)cr

yoex

posu

re

Aegl

e m

arm

elos

20.3

6 (±5

.39)

97.2

2 (±2

.77)

5.6 (

±0.5

1)96

.11 (

±2.4

2)84

.44 (

±2.7

7)

Buch

anan

ia l

anza

n7.

45 (±

0.65

)88

.89 (

±2.7

8)6.

02 (±

0.08

)75

.75 (

±3.7

9)68

.78 (

±2.0

2)C

appa

ris

deci

dua

29.5

2 (±2

.14)

97.2

2 (±2

.77)

7.68

(±0.

62)

83.3

3 (±4

.81)

78.9

8 (±2

.41)

Car

issa

car

anda

s18

.45 (

±1.4

8)71

.66 (

±8.8

1)9.

26 (±

1.24

)54

.11(

±2.4

0)53

.33 (

±14.

17)

Cor

dia

myx

a24

.65 (

±1.2

9)93

.89 (

±3.0

9)7.

30 (±

0.63

)87

.89 (

±8.3

0)72

.33 (

±4.3

3)D

iosp

yros

mel

anox

ylon

28.5

2 (±2

.2)

90 (±

0.5)

11.9

6 (±1

.2)

83.3

(±1.

1)80

(±1.

5)Em

blic

a of

ficin

alis

11.8

2 (±2

.85)

73.8

9 (±3

.88)

5.64

(± 0.

28)

58.3

3 (±4

.40)

51.0

0 (±2

.40)

Gar

cini

a sp

p.45

.5 (±

1.48

)10

0 (±0

.0)

31.4

(±2.

40)

44.5

(±2.

78)

0.0G

rew

ia s

ubin

aequ

alis

16.2

2 (±0

.63)

81.1

1(±3

.09)

6.06

(±0.

25)

52.7

8 (±7

.34)

50.0

0 (±7

.63)

Mad

huca

spp

.51

.55 (

±0.5

3)81

.25 (

±0.2

5)22

.4 (±

1.24

)50

.00 (

±2.8

8)18

.30 (

±2.4

0)M

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

37.3

5 (±1

.09)

86.1

1 (±2

.78)

10.5

5 (±0

.79)

67.7

8 (±6

.40)

52.2

2 (±9

.24)

Pith

ecel

lobi

um d

ulce

37.9

4 (±1

.89)

96.6

7 (±3

.33)

7.00

(±1.

41)

85.0

0 (±2

.88)

75.0

0 (±4

.80)

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

es26

.36 (

±0.8

9)89

.42 (

±6.8

2)8.

78 (±

0.95

)71

.70 (

±4.1

6)40

.20 (

±2.3

4)Sy

zygi

um c

umin

i50

.43 (

±4.3

3)64

.0 (±

2.20

)35

.37(

±0.3

2)40

.00 (

±3.4

4)0.0

Tam

arin

dus

indi

ca34

.98 (

±3.6

4)97

.22 (

±2.7

8)6.

73 (±

0.99

)95

.00 (

±2.8

8)93

.89 (

±3.0

9)Zi

ziph

us n

umm

ular

ia25

.74 (

±3.6

5)91

.66 (

2.32

)5.

30 (±

1.12

)90

.67 (

±5.7

0)86

.11(

±2.7

8)

14


Table 4. Desiccation and freezing sensitivity and longevity of seeds as aparameter to ascertain seed storage behaviour in underutilized fruit species.

Species Storage % decline % decline Seed Accessionsperiod in viability in viability storage cryostored

at ambient after after LN behavior in the formtemperature desiccation exposure ascertained of seed/

(25-32ºC) to CMC by our embryo/till 50% studies embryonicviability axes

(in months)

Aegle marmelos 24 months 1.07 11.60 I* Seed & Embryo

Buchanania lanzan 5 months 11.68 5.85 I ** Seed

Capparis decidua 6 months 13.50 3.79 I*** Seed

Carissa carandas 3 months 12.57 0.42 I Seed

Cordia myxa 6 months 5.63 13.67 I Seed

Diospyros melanoxylon 10 months 15 5 I Seed

Emblica officinalis 10 months 11.49 4.27 O Seed

Garcinia spp. 20 days 80 100 R Nil

Grewia subinaequalis 4 months 22.97 1.46 I Seed

Madhuca indica 7 days 40 80 R Embryonic axis

Manilkara hexandra 45 days 15.78 10.54 I Seed &

Embryonic axis

Pithecellobium dulce 14 months 11.28 8.5 O Seed

Salvadora oleoides 15 days 15.84 30 R Seed &

Embryonic axis

Syzygium cumini 30 days 80 100 R Nil

Tamarindus indica 18 months 2.15 1.15 O Seed

Ziziphus nummularia 24 months 0.90 2.52 O**** Seed

CMC=Critical Moisture Content * also reported by Parihar et al, 2010O=Orthodox ** also reported by Naithani, 2001I=Intermediate *** also reported by Agroforesrty Tree databaseR=Recalcitrant **** also reported by Hong et al, 1996

15


Table 5. Seed longevity and number of accessions cryostored of underutilizedfruit species

Species Shelf life i.e. longevity No. of accessionsat ambient temperature cryostored in the(25-34ºC) Cryogenebank in the

form of seed/ embryo/embryonic axes

Aegle marmelos 36 months 80Buchanania lanzan 11 months 127Capparis decidua 14 months 88Carissa carandas 5-6 months 9C. edulis 1C.grandiflora 1C. spinarum 3Cordia myxa 3-4 months 24C. crenata 3C. obliqua 1C. rothii 9Diospyros melanoxylon 15 months 16Emblica officinalis 19 months 31Garcinia sp. 30-45 days 0Grewia subinaequalis 6-7 months 13G. rothii 1G. tiliaefolia var. tiliaefolia 1Madhuca indica 7 days 2M. longifolia 12Manilkara hexandra 4 months 46Pithecellobium dulce 24 months 14Salvadora oleoides 2-3 weeks 23S. persica 12Syzygium cumini 30 days 0Tamarindus indica 20 months 10Ziziphus nummularia 22 months 15Z. oenoplia 3Z. oxyphylla 1Z. rotundifolia 15Z. rugosa 5Z. xylopyrus 3

16


organised processing and export of these fruits would provide an opportunity toconsumers all over the world to enjoy these tropical fruits in the form of processedproducts. Apart from processing, market potential and strong campaigning is necessaryto create awareness and consciousness among the producers and consumers ofunderutilized tropical fruits.

Most of the tropical underutilized fruits are often available only in the local marketsand are rarely known in other parts of the country. These fruit species have the abilityto grow under stressed and adverse conditions and are also known for their medicinal,therapeutic and nutritive values. Because of their curative and nutritional properties,these fruits have been used by local people for nutrition and curing several diseases.Many of these species have been used as traditional medicinal plants and some ofthem have found important place in the Indian Systems of Medicine and in Unani,since the time immemorial. Tribal populations particularly children and women of theselocalities are fulfilling their nutritional requirements by consuming these fruits availablefreely in their vicinity. In addition, some of these fruits have excellent flavour, juicinessand have very attractive appearance. There is always a good market demand all overthe world for new food products especially which are highly nutritious and delicatelyflavoured. Urban consumers today are becoming increasingly conscious and aware oftheir health and nutritional aspects of their food due to prosperity and awareness.Demand for natural, herbal and non-synthetic food products is increasing among urbanmiddle and upper middle class of developing and developed countries. There is anincreased emphasis by government and non-government agencies to popularise thetraditional and natural products. In India the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga &Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Ministry of Health andFamily Welfare, Government of India has been effectively taking up the cause ofprotecting and popularising the Indian System of Medicines for the benefit of largepopulation due to its being nature friendly and affordable. Several private organisationshave established naturopathy and herbal clinics based on the natural products extractedfrom these underutilized fruits to increase immunity and also to cure various ailments.In view of all these recent developments in traditional health sector, underutilized fruitplants rich in vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and with other medicinal propertieshave bright market future. The underutilized tropical fruits discussed in this publicationhave an important role to play in satisfying the present day market demands. Nutritionalstatus of fruits being discussed in this publication is given in the table 6.

17


Tabl

e 6. F

ood

valu

e of s

ome p

rom

ising

und

erut

ilize

d fr

uits

per

100

g ed

ible

por

tion

Frui

tsC

alor

ies

Prot

ein

(g)

Fat (

g)C

arbo

-Fi

bre

(g)

Cal

cium

Phos

-Ir

on (m

g)V

itam

in A

scor

bic

(Kca

l)hy

drat

es(m

g)ph

orus

A (I

U)

acid

(g)

(mg)

(mg)

Aegl

e m

arm

elos

137

1.8-

2.62

0.2-

0.39

28.1

-31.

82.

985

500.

691

.61.

1

Buch

anan

ia l

anza

n65

619

.0-2

1.6

59.1

12.1

3.8

279

528

8.5

-5.

0

Cap

pari

s de

cidu

a10

05.

91.

2320

.87

-15

3.8

50.8

2.0

-13

3

Car

issa

car

anda

s42

.59.

40.

39-1

.12.

57.4

.63

0.51

-2.9

0.62

-1.8

121

28-

1619

9-11

Cor

dia

myx

a65

1.8-

2.0

1.0

12.2

0.3

4060

--

-

Embl

ica

offic

inal

is65

0.07

-0.5

0.1-

0.2

15-2

1.8

1.9-

3.4

12.5

-20

26.0

0.48

-0.5

1750

0-62

5

Gre

wia

sub

inae

qual

is72

.41.

3-1.

580.

90-1

.82

14.7

81.

2-1.

7712

939

3.1

800

22

Mad

huca

ind

ica

-1.

371.

6122

.69

-45

221.

151

240

.5-4

2

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

ra-

0.48

2.42

27.7

4-

8317

0.92

675

15.6

7

Pith

ecel

lobi

um d

ulce

78.8

2-3.

30.

4-0.

518

.2-1

9.6

1.1-

1.2

1342

0.5

2513

8

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

es-

6.0

2.0

762.

063

016

78.

0-

2.0

Syzy

gium

cum

ini

620.

70.

15-0

.314

-16

0.3-

0.9

8-15

15-1

6.2

1.2-

1.62

805.

7-18

Tam

arin

dus

indi

ca-

2-3

0.6

41.1

-61.

42.

934

-94

34-7

80.

2-0.

9-

44

Zizi

phus

num

mul

aria

-2.

01.

093

2.0

6012

07.

0-

88

Sour

ce: P

aree

k et

al.,

199

8

18


Botanical name: Aegle marmelos (L) Correa.

Common name: English - Bengal Quince; Hindi – Bael, bel, belli etc.

Family: Rutaceae

Origin and distribution: It is native to India (Zeven and de Wet, 1982) and foundthroughout southeast Asia. In India this fruit is grown in indogangetic plains and sub-Himalayan tracts, north-east India and dry and deciduous forests of central and southernIndia. Besides occurring as natural wild, bael is commonly grown in the homesteadgardens, backyards, religious places and in the farmer’s fields. Main growing statesare Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttaranchal andOrissa.

General description: Bael is a medium sized tree attaining the height up to 20 ft. withdeciduous and hardy nature (Fig. 4A, B). This is a thorny tree with dimorphic branchesand trifoliate leaves and erenate leaflets. Flowers are whitish-green, scented and bisexual.Fruits are of small to very large size with varying shape from oblong to ovate, round,globose and elongated containing hard outer cover (skull) and soft creamy pink toreddish pulp full of hairy seeds. Seeds have hard and hairy seed coat, flat in shape andmucilaginous. Polyembryony is also reported in this species.

Propagation: Bael is mainly propagated by seeds due to which the vast geneticvariability is present in the nature. Vegetative propagation using patch budding, shieldbudding, and chip budding have been successfully demonstrated. Whip grafting hasalso been successfully undertaken in bael (Maiti et al., 1999).

Cultivars/selections: Some important seedling selections have been made based onplace of occurrence namely, Gonda selection, Mirzapuri, Kagzi, Sewan large etc. andNB selections made by ANDUAT, Faizabad and Pant cultivars by GBPUAT, Pantnagar.Some promising selections have also been identified from the germplasm collectedfrom West Bengal (Mazumdar, 2004). Bael fruit is gaining lot of importance and dueto the high market demand in the summer months for fresh fruits and squash, organized

3.1 Aegle marmelos (Bael)

3. Description of fruit species

19


orcharding of this fruit crop is picking up in the parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Haryana,Rajasthan and other parts of country. The demand for good planting material of suitablecultivar would also increase in future due to large scale commercial cultivation.

Important uses: Bael tree is of historical importance in Indian culture and varioususes have been described in the literature. Pulp of the fruit is consumed raw and alsoprocessed to make diverse value added products, most common are sharbat, squash,murabba, jam, etc. In the various states fresh juice of bael is sold in the market especiallyin the summers and taken as soft drink. Dried pulp is also used in several parts ofcountry. Pulp has several medicinal properties and commonly used for the cure ofdiarrhoea, dysentery and other stomach ailments. Leaves, root and bark also havemedicinal properties and used widely in the Indian System of Medicine. The crystallinesubstance known as ‘marmelosin’ extracted from fruits have therapeutic properties(Mazumdar, 2004). Trifoliate leaves are used in prayer /puja of Lord Shiva.

Genetic Resource Management

Collection: Germplasm of bael has been widely collected from several states especiallyfrom the parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and WestBengal by ANDUAT, Faizabad, and CIAH, Bikaner, CISH, Lucknow, CCSHAU,Regional Research Station, Bawal, CAZRI, Jodhpur and NBPGR Regional Station,Jodhpur. Diversity of bael has been collected from east-central India (Jharkhand andBihar) and 33 genotypes were collected (Nath et al., 2003). Several promisingcollections have been identified from the germplasm collected from Faizabad, Basti,Lucknow, Gonda, Mirzapur, Deoria, Varanasi and Agra districts of Uttar Pradesh andevaluated for physico-chemical characters and field performance. At NBPGRexplorations for the collection of bael germplasm have been made from wild and semi-wild locations of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. 15 accessions have beencollected from various sites as indicated in the Fig. 5. Sizable variability in fruits size,shape, pulp, flavour, TSS, seeds size, shape and colour was recorded. Detailed passportdata of germplasm collected by NBPGR is presented in the Table 7.

Characterization: Germplasm diversity of bael collected from various districts ofUttar Pradesh and Bihar have been characterized and evaluated at ANDUAT, Faizabadand Fruit Research Station, Basti. Several promising cultivars and selections havebeen made based on bearing, medium size of fruit, optimum skull thickness, less numberof seeds, less mucilage and fiber content. Some important selections made are NB-4,NB-5 and NB-9, out of these NB-5 has been adjudged the best selection (Pareekand Nath, 1996). Several other selections made from the collected germplasm are

20


Gonda selection, Mirzapuri, Etawah Kagzi, Sewan large, Deoria, etc. Nath et al.,(2003) identified five promising genotypes of bael on the basis of fruit characters andbearing behavior from the germplasm collected from Jharkhand and Bihar.

Bael collections made at NBPGR were characterized for various physico-chemicalcharacters and details have been given in the Table 8. A total of 4 varied accessionswere characterized for fruit and seed characters. Fruits were large with length varyingfrom 6.28 to 8.14 cm and width from 6.33 to 8.64 cm. Fruit weight showed vastvariation, lightest fruit being of 144 gm and heaviest of 378 gm. TSS value rangedfrom 34.21 to 45.6 ºB. Seeds were small and light weight with length verifying from0.62 to 0.72 cm and diameter from 1.63 to 1.96 cm. Average seed weight was about0.1 gm for all accessions. The heaviest fruits with highest TSS were recorded forIC546120 followed by those in IC546131.

Conservation: Conservation of genetic resources of bael is being undertaken atvarious field genebanks of ICAR institutes and state agricultural universities. Sizablecollection is being maintained at CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal (10),ANDUAT, Faizabad (22), CIAH, Bikaner (16), CISH, Lucknow (44), GBPUAT,Pantnagar (10), CAZRI, Jodhpur (5) and also at NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur.

Fig. 5: Collection sites of bael from Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh

Haryana

Rajasthan

Madhya Pradesh

21


Basic studies on seed germination, seed storage behavior and longevity have beenundertaken at NBPGR. Freshly harvested seeds of diverse accessions showedgermination from 60-100% with moisture content varying from 12-20% (Table 3 and4). The seeds retained viability well upto 2 years of storage at ambient temperature.Intermediate seed storage behavior has been ascertained by our studies (Table 4).Desiccation of seeds to 5.6% moisture content before cryostorage resulted in highsurvival of about 95% (Table 3). However, exposure to LN resulted in 11% decline inviability indicating chilling sensitivity. Embryos and embryonic axes also survived Liquidnitrogen (LN) exposure with 75% survival (Table 2). A total of 80 diverse accessionsincluding Kagzi, Mirzapuri, Gonda Selection and several wild types have beencryostored in the Cryogenebank at NBPGR. Our results are similar to that reportedby Parihar et al. (2010) who observed that seeds had short viability and showedchilling sensitivity as majority of seeds lost viability after 12 months storage at -20OC.

22


Tabl

e 7. P

assp

ort d

ata

of A

egle

mar

mel

os (B

ael)

germ

plas

m co

llect

ed fr

om v

ario

us st

ates

S.C

olle

ctor

ICCr

opBo

tani

cal

Vern

acul

ar B

iolo

gica

lD

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

titud

eLo

ngitu

deNo

.N

umbe

rN

umbe

rN

ame

Nam

eNa

me

Nam

eSt

atus

1M

KD

-101

5240

57Ba

elAe

gle

mar

mel

osBe

alW

ildRe

war

iH

arya

na28

.1776

.50

2M

D - 8

2755

2934

Bael

Aegl

e m

arm

elos

Billa

Wild

Nee

mac

hM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.4174

.87

3M

D - 8

4355

2950

Bael

Aegl

e m

arm

elos

Billi

Wild

Nee

mac

hM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.4375

.09

4M

D-3

3243

7020

Bael

Aegl

e m

arm

elos

Bel

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.7379

.72

5M

D-3

3343

7021

Bael

Aegl

e m

arm

elos

Bel

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.7379

.72

6M

D-0

6/20

5461

03Ba

elAe

gle

mar

mel

osB

elpa

ther

Wild

Chi

ttorg

arh

Raj

asth

an24

.3274

.40

7M

D-0

6/22

5461

05Ba

elAe

gle

mar

mel

osB

elpa

ther

Wild

Chi

ttorg

arh

Raj

asth

an24

.3274

.40

8M

D-0

6/32

5461

15Ba

elAe

gle

mar

mel

osBe

lW

ildU

daip

urR

ajas

than

24.34

73.61

9M

D-0

6/37

5461

20Ba

elAe

gle

mar

mel

osBe

lW

ildSi

rohi

Raj

asth

an25

.1773

.08

10M

D-0

6/47

5461

30Ba

elAe

gle

mar

mel

osBe

lW

ildSi

rohi

Raj

asth

an24

.8572

.87

11M

D-1

0/1

5845

50Ba

elAe

gle

mar

mel

osBi

lleW

ildU

daip

urR

ajas

than

24.34

73.42

12M

D-1

0/2

5845

51Ba

elAe

gle

mar

mel

osBi

lleW

ildU

daip

urR

ajas

than

24.34

73.42

13M

D-1

0/4

5845

53Ba

elAe

gle

mar

mel

osBi

lliW

ildU

daip

urR

ajas

than

24.10

73.41

14M

D-1

6741

7234

Bael

Aegl

e m

arm

elos

Bel

Wild

Uda

ipur

Raj

asth

an24

.1673

.75

15M

KD

-90

5240

46Ba

elAe

gle

mar

mel

osBe

alW

ildA

lwar

Raj

asth

an27

.8676

.32

23


Tabl

e 8. C

hara

cter

izat

ion

data

of A

egle

mar

mel

os (B

ael)

germ

plas

m b

ased

on

frui

ts a

nd se

eds c

hara

cter

s

S. N

o.C

oll.

No.

IC N

o.Fr

uit

Seed

Len

gth

Wid

thW

eigh

tTS

SL

engt

hD

iam

eter

Wei

ght

(cm

)(c

m)

(gm

)(c

m)

(cm

)(g

m)

1M

D-0

6/20

5461

037.

706.

5117

8.66

42.7

00.

721.

960.

13

2M

D-0

6/22

5461

056.

286.

6114

4.46

34.2

10.

651.

670.

06

3M

D-0

6/32

5461

157.

546.

3316

8.31

43.1

50.

641.

680.

07

4M

D-0

6/37

5461

208.

148.

6437

8.08

45.6

00.

621.

630.

08

24


25


Botanical name: Buchanania lanzan Sperg. syn. B. latifolia Roxb.

Common name: Chironji, Charoli, Chawar, Achar, Cuddapah almond, Piyal

Family: Anacardiaceae

Origin and distribution: Chironji originated in the Indian sub-continent (Zeven andde Wet, 1982). The tree is found as natural wild in the tropical deciduous forests ofnorth, western and central India mostly in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa,Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

General description: Buchanania lanzan is medium size tree, upto 40-50 ft. highwith a straight trunk (Fig.6A). Trees have the alternate bearing nature as present in themango. Tree shows deciduous nature for short time in summer and new leaves comein the late May. Leaves 6-10 inches, oblong, obtuse; flowers whitish green, sessile;fruit drupe, green when immature and dark black at ripened stage (Fig 6C, D). Fruitsjuicy with moderate sweet and acidic pulp. Flowering is in the month of January-February and fruits ripen in April-May. It is a very common tree species of forests ofMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. Most of the tribals are collecting thefruits directly from the forest area. Fruits are generally collected at green stage toextract the kernels. Locally chironji is known as achar or charoli and nut is known asguthali. Chironji makes an important contribution to the tribal economy of these statesalongwith two other species namely Madhuca indica (Mahua) and Diospyrosmelanoxylon (Tendu). All these three species are available in the conjunction in theforest and during summers fruits are collected. These trees play very important role inthe socio-economic condition of tribal population of this area (Fig. 6E).

Propagation: Chironji is propagated through seeds. Vegetative propagation throughsoft wood grafting and chip budding is successful but rarely tried as there is no demandfor planting material for commercial cultivation. Presently the trees are available onlyin the forest or marginal lands near the villages. It is a highly heterozygous, crosspollinated fruit crop and seedling selections are required to be identified with desirablecharacters.

3.2 Buchanania lanzan (Chironji)

26


Cultivars/selections: No identified cultivars or selections identified in this importantminor fruit at present as no organized commercial cultivation is practiced. Work is inprogress to identify and release some high yielding, dwarf and suitable selections ofchironji at CHES (CIAH), Godhra and CISH, Lucknow. There is an urgent need toidentify superior selections /cultivars in chironji for promotion of this highly potentialindigenous horticultural fruit crop. Germplasm already collected and preliminarycharacterized may be used for the further detailed characterization and evaluation forfield performance.

Important uses: Bark of tree is used for tanning. Fruit is eaten raw having pleasant,sweetish, sub-acid flavour and consumed by local people and also sold in the nearbyvillage markets. Fruits are washed and nuts are dried (Fig. 6F) and stored for selling inthe market. Seed is collected and kernel is extracted either at home or in the largequantity taken to the local market for mechanical extraction of kernel by breaking thenut using modified floor mills. Separated seed is an economically important part of theplant used as dry fruit in traditional sweet dishes. Kernel is of very high value and fetchRs. 300-400.00 per Kg in market. Kernel is rich in protein content (20-30%) andhave high oil content (40-50%), which is highly nutritious.


Collection: Genetic resources of chironji have not been given due attention till now,therefore, very limited collections have been made. Genetic diversity of chironji hasbeen collected from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Chhatisgarh andRajasthan by CHES (CIAH), Godhra, CISH, Lucknow and NBPGR, New Delhi.CHES (CIAH), Godhra collected 30 variable accessions from Gujarat (Singh, 2007).At CISH, Lucknow 8 accessions of chironji have been identified and collected fromUttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (CISH, Annual report, 2008). Recently, NBPGR,New Delhi have taken up specific exploration and collection missions in the diversityrich areas of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan for the collectionof chironji and 74 accessions have been collected. Details of area surveyed and passportdata is given in Fig. 7 and Table 9.

Characterization: 30 accessions collected from Gujarat has been characterized forphysico-chemical characters at CHES (CIAH), Godhra by Singh et al, (2006). 8collections have been found promising for important horticultural traits and are beingevaluated for field performance at CHES (CIAH), Godhra. Germplasm collectedfrom the parts of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar have been characterized for fruitweight, total soluble solids, acidity, protein content and earliness (Rai, 1982).

27


A large collection of 52 accessions were characterized for fruit and kernel character toanalyze the existing variability in chironji (Table 10). The fruit length x width rangedfrom 0.4 cm x 0.8 cm to 1.18 cm x 1.52 cm exhibiting a large variation. The fruitweight also showed variation from 0.21 to 0.66 gm. Accordingly the kernel also hadsimilar variation with length x width ranging from 0.36 cm x 0.54 cm to 1.1 cm x 1.3cm and weighed from 0.03 to 0.65 gm.

Conservation: Chironji is facing severe genetic erosion as a result of activities relatedto afforestation in tribal inhabitated areas (Singh, 2007). No organized cultivation ofchironji is practiced and fruits are directly collected from the natural wild trees occurringin the forest and marginal lands, therefore, the species is facing a great threat.Occasionally the trees are cut partly or completely by the tribals to collect the fruits.Many of the populations have been completely wiped off in the recent past due todevelopmental activities and want of agriculture land by farmers.

There are no standard cultivars available in chironji since little work has been done toexploit genetic resources. A number of seedling strains with a lot of variation providescope for selection of better varieties (Singh, 2007). When propagated by seed forroot stock preparation, 80-85% germination is achieved. Sulphuric acid treatmentpromoted the seed germination (Singh, 2007).

Fig. 7: Collection sites of Chironji in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh

Rajasthan

MadhyaPradesh

Gujarat

28


In studies at NBPGR a short shelf life of chironji seeds of upto 11 months was noted.Freshly shed seeds showed 7-8% moisture and about 90% germinability (Table 3).Seeds on desiccation to about 6% moisture showed a decline in viability by 11-13%.On exposure to LN, a 8% further decline in viability was apparent. The seeds at6.02% moisture after cryostorage showed about 70% recovery. Lower recoverypercentages were seen for seeds exposed to LN at suboptimal moisture levels. Naithani(2001, pers. comm.) recorded similar observations and reported that Buchananialanzan seeds stored at fresh moisture content of 16% showed decline in viability to35-68% after 280 days of storage and those stored at 10 and 7% moisture showeddecline in germinabilty (58-88%) on 280 days of storage. The critical moisture contentwas reported by Naithani (2001, pers. comm.) to be between 6.3 and 12.4%. Basedon the desiccation sensitivity and tolerance to freezing, intermediate seed storagebehaviour has been ascertained. Naithani (2001, pers. comm.), however, describerecalcitrant seed storage behaviour of chironji seeds. 127 accessions collected fromdifferent agroclimatic zones have been successfully cryopreserved at NBPGR (Table 5).

29


Tabl

e 9. P

assp

ort d

ata

of B

ucha

nani

a la

nzan

(Chi

ronj

i) ge

rmpl

asm

colle

cted

from

var

ious

stat

es

S.

Col

lect

orIC

Cro

pB

otan

ical

Nam

eVe

rna-

Bio

lo-

Dis

tric

tSt

ate

Lati-

Long

i-N

o.N

umbe

rN

umbe

rN

ame

cula

rgi

cal

tude

tude

Nam

e S

tatu

s

1M

D -

812

5529

19C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Cha

war

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

22.2

674

.13

2M

D -

813

5529

20C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Cha

war

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

22.2

074

.09

3M

D -

814

5529

21C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Cha

war

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

22.2

574

.19

4M

D -

815

5529

22C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Cha

war

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

21.4

173

.68

5M

D -

816

5529

23C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Cha

war

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

21.4

173

.68

6M

D -

817

5529

24C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Cha

war

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

21.4

173

.68

7M

D -

818

5529

25C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Cha

war

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

21.4

173

.68

8M

D -

849

5529

56C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Cha

war

Wild

Dah

odG

ujar

at22

.63

74.1

0

9M

DS-

10/1

658

4565

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anC

haw

arW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at21

.41

73.6

8

10M

DS-

10/1

758

4566

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anC

haw

arW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at21

.41

73.6

8

11M

DS-

10/1

858

4567

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anC

haw

arW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at21

.41

73.6

8

12M

D -

825

5529

32C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Cha

roli

Wild

Dha

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.37

75.3

8

13M

D -

826

5529

33C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Cha

roli

Wild

Dha

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.37

75.3

8

30


14M

D-3

0243

6990

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Raise

nM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.33

77.8

0

15M

D-3

0543

6993

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Raise

nM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.33

77.8

0

16M

D-3

0643

6994

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Seho

reM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.20

77.0

8

17M

D-3

0743

6995

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Raise

nM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.87

75.4

3

18M

D-3

0943

6997

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Hos

hang

abad

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.0

078

.22

19M

D-3

1143

6999

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Hos

hang

abad

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.6

078

.45

20M

D-3

1243

7000

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Hos

hang

abad

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.6

277

.75

21M

D-3

1343

7001

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Hos

hang

abad

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.6

277

.75

22M

D-3

1443

7002

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Bet

ulM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h21

.97

78.0

8

23M

D-3

1543

7003

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Saga

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.62

78.4

9

24M

D-3

1643

7004

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Saga

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.42

78.3

5

25M

D-3

2043

7008

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Saga

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.56

78.1

1

26M

D-3

2343

7011

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Pann

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.34

79.8

1

27M

D-3

2443

7012

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Pann

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.18

80.5

6

28M

D-3

2543

7013

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Pann

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.31

80.1

9

29M

D-3

2643

7014

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.73

79.9

5

31


30M

D-3

2743

7015

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.53

79.4

6

31M

D-3

3443

7022

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.66

79.7

8

32M

D-3

3543

7023

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.91

79.6

3

33M

D-3

3643

7024

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.86

79.4

0

34M

D-3

3743

7025

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.58

79.7

0

35M

D-0

6/24

5461

07C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Chi

ronj

iW

ildC

hitto

rgar

hR

ajas

than

24.3

274

.40

36M

D-0

6/25

5461

08C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Chi

ronj

iW

ildC

hitto

rgar

hR

ajas

than

24.3

274

.40

37M

D-0

6/26

5461

09C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Chi

ronj

iW

ildC

hitto

rgar

hR

ajas

than

24.3

274

.40

38R

S/N

SP-2

255

3215

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rWild

Chh

indw

ara

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.2

178

.44

39R

S/N

SP-2

355

3216

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

r Wild

Chh

indw

ara

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.2

478

.37

40R

S/N

SP-2

555

3218

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildC

hhin

dwar

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.27

78.3

6

41R

S/N

SP-2

655

3219

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildH

osha

ngab

adM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.30

78.2

7

42R

S/N

SP-2

755

3220

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildH

osha

ngab

adM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.38

78.2

3

43R

S/N

SP-2

855

3221

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildH

osha

ngab

adM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.38

78.2

3

44R

S/N

SP-2

955

3222

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildH

osha

ngab

adM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.24

78.2

1

45R

S/N

SP-3

055

3223

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildH

osha

ngab

adM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.46

78.1

6

32


46R

S/N

SP-3

155

3224

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildH

osha

ngab

adM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.41

78.0

9

47R

S/N

SP-3

255

3225

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildH

osha

ngab

adM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.42

77.5

5

48R

S/N

SP-4

5531

97C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Ach

ar/C

har

Wild

Nar

sing

hpur

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.5

179

.19

49R

S/N

SP-5

5531

98C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Ach

ar/C

har

Wild

Nar

sing

hpur

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.5

079

.21

50R

S/N

SP-7

5532

00C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Ach

ar/C

har

Wild

Nar

sing

hpur

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

20.5

079

.23

51R

S/N

SP-8

5532

01C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Ach

ar/C

har

Wild

Nar

sing

hpur

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

20.4

779

.24

52R

S/N

SP-9

5532

02C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Ach

ar/C

har

Wild

Nar

sing

hpur

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

20.4

779

.24

53R

S/N

SP-1

055

3203

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildN

arsi

nghp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h20

.47

79.2

4

54R

S/N

SP-1

5531

94C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Ach

ar/C

har

Wild

Raise

nM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.06

77.5

4

55R

S/N

SP-2

5531

95C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Ach

ar/C

har

Wild

Raise

nM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.04

77.5

5

56R

S/N

SP-3

5531

96C

hiro

nji

Buch

anan

ia la

nzan

Ach

ar/C

har

Wild

Raise

nM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.07

77.5

5

57R

S/N

SP-3

755

3230

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildRa

isen

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.2

877

.34

58R

S/N

SP-3

355

3226

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildSe

hore

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.4

877

.40

59R

S/N

SP-3

455

3227

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildSe

hore

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.5

277

.43

60R

S/N

SP-3

555

3228

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildSe

hore

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.5

277

.43

61R

S/N

SP-1

155

3204

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildSe

oni

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.3

279

.35

33


62R

S/N

SP-1

255

3205

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildSe

oni

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.1

979

.32

63R

S/N

SP-1

355

3206

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildSe

oni

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.1

779

.34

64R

S/N

SP-1

455

3207

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildSe

oni

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.0

079

.30

65R

S/N

SP-1

555

3208

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildSe

oni

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.0

079

.29

66R

S/N

SP-1

655

3209

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildSe

oni

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

21.5

479

.31

67R

S/N

SP-3

855

3231

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildVi

dish

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.65

78.1

5

68R

S/N

SP-3

955

3232

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildVi

dish

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.40

78.0

7

69R

S/N

SP-1

755

3210

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildC

hhin

dwar

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.24

78.3

7

70R

S/N

SP-1

855

3211

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildC

hhin

dwar

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.24

78.3

7

71R

S/N

SP-1

955

3212

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildC

hhin

dwar

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.24

78.3

7

72R

S/N

SP-2

055

3213

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildC

hhin

dwar

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.24

78.3

7

73R

S/N

SP-2

155

3214

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildC

hhin

dwar

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.24

78.3

7

74R

S/N

SP-3

655

3229

Chi

ronj

iBu

chan

ania

lanz

anA

char

/Cha

rW

ildB

hopa

lM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.24

77.3

2

34


Tabl

e 10.

Cha

ract

eriz

atio

n of

Buc

hana

nia

lanz

an (C

hiro

nji)

germ

plas

m b

ased

on

frui

ts a

nd se

eds c

hara

cter

s

S.N

o.C

oll.

No.

IC N

o.Fr

uit

Seed

Len

gth

(cm

)W

idth

(cm

)W

eigh

t (g

m)

Len

gth

(cm

)W

idth

(cm

)W

t (gm

)

1M

D-8

1255

2919

0.94

(±0.

02)

1.08

(±0.

02)

0.44

(±0.

02)

0.70

(±0.

03)

0.50

(±0.

00)

0.07

(±0.

00)

2M

D-8

1355

2920

1.05

(±0.

05)

1.04

(±0.

05)

0.37

(±0.

02)

0.68

(±0.

04)

0.52

(±0.

03)

0.06

(±0.

01)

3M

D-8

1455

2921

1.22

(±0.

03)

1.16

(±0.

02)

0.61

(±0.

03)

0.78

(±0.

03)

0.54

(±0.

02)

0.25

(±0.

15)

4M

D-8

1555

2922

0.98

(±0.

05)

1.18

(±0.

03)

0.49

(±0.

04)

0.54

(±0.

04)

0.72

(±0.

04)

0.07

(±0.

01)

5M

D-8

1655

2923

0.9(

±0.0

3)0.

82(±

0.08

)0.

39(±

0.02

)0.

62(±

0.02

)0.

5(±0

.04)

0.21

(±0.

09)

6M

D-8

1755

2924

1.16

(±0.

04)

1.16

(±0.

02)

0.56

(±0.

02)

0.86

(±0.

02)

0.66

(±0.

02)

0.1(

±0.0

1)

7M

D-8

1855

2925

1.16

(±0.

02)

1.16

(±0.

04)

0.47

(±0.

03)

0.76

(±0.

02)

0.57

(±0.

02)

0.06

(±0.

01)

8M

D-8

2555

2932

1.08

(±0.

02)

1.1(

±0.0

20)

0.39

(±0.

01)

0.68

(±0.

02)

0.48

(±0.

02)

0.06

(±0.

00)

9M

D-8

2655

2933

1.08

(±0.

02)

1.1(

±0.0

20)

0.39

(±0.

01)

0.74

(±0.

02)

0.58

(±0.

04)

0.09

(±0.

01)

10M

D-8

4955

2956

1.22

(±0.

02)

1.1(

±0.0

3)0.

44(±

0.01

)0.

74(±

0.02

)0.

54(±

0.02

)0.

08(±

0.00

)

11M

D-0

6/24

5461

071.

4(±0

.03)

1.2(

±0.0

0)0.

58(±

0.03

)1.

3(±0

.00)

1.1(

±0.0

0)0.

36(±

0.01

)

12M

D-0

6/26

5461

091.

43(±

0.04

)1.

03(±

0.04

)0.

55(±

0.02

)1.

15(±

0.02

)0.

83(±

0.02

)0.

24(±

0.01

)

13M

D-1

0/16

5845

651.

00(±

0.03

)0.

43(±

0.18

)0.

31(±

0.02

)0.

66(±

0.00

)0.

47(±

0.00

)0.

06(±

0.00

)

14M

D-1

0/17

5845

661.

18(±

0.02

)1.

16(±

0.03

)0.

51(±

0.02

)0.

78(±

0.02

)0.

58(±

0.01

)0.

11(±

0.01

)

15M

D-1

0/18

5845

671.

09(±

0.02

)1.

00(±

0.01

)0.

35(±

0.01

)0.

67(±

0.02

)0.

51(±

0.03

)0.

07(±

0.01

)

35


16R

S/N

SP –

155

3194

1.28

(±0.

07)

0.98

(±0.

03)

0.46

(±0.

01)

0.7(

±0.0

4)0.

46(±

0.02

)0.

08(±

0.00

)

17R

S/N

SP –

255

3195

1.14

(±0.

02)

1.08

(±0.

02)

0.47

(±0.

02)

0.78

(±0.

02)

0.6(

±0.0

0)0.

08(±

0.00

)

18R

S/N

SP –

355

3196

1.06

(±0.

04)

0.96

(±0.

05)

0.42

(±0.

02)

0.76

(±0.

02)

0.54

(±0.

02)

0.06

(±0.

00)

19R

S/N

SP –

455

3197

1.06

(±0.

04)

1(±0

.04)

0.33

(±0.

02)

0.66

(±0.

07)

0.5(

±0.0

5)0.

05(±

0.01

)

20R

S/N

SP –

555

3198

1.08

(±0.

02)

1.04

(±0.

02)

0.4(

±0.0

3)0.

72(±

0.02

)0.

54(±

0.02

)0.

08(±

0.01

)

21R

S/N

SP –

755

3200

0.92

(±0.

02)

0.82

(±0.

02)

0.24

(±0.

02)

0.58

(±0.

02)

0.44

(±0.

02)

0.04

(±0.

00)

22R

S/N

SP –

855

3201

0.96

(±0.

02)

1.02

(±0.

02)

0.29

(±0.

01)

0.68

(±0.

02)

0.44

(±0.

02)

0.04

(±0.

00)

23R

S/N

SP –

955

3202

1.08

(±0.

03)

0.98

(±0.

03)

0.45

(±0.

04)

0.62

(±0.

02)

0.5(

±0.0

3)0.

06(±

0.01

)

24R

S/N

SP –

10

5532

031(

±0.0

3)0.

94(±

0.02

)0.

32(±

0.03

)0.

7(±0

.03)

0.48

(±0.

02)

0.05

(±0.

01)

25R

S/N

SP –

11

5532

040.

94(±

0.02

)0.

92(±

0.03

)0.

29(±

0.01

)0.

64(±

0.02

)0.

5(±0

.03)

0.06

(±0.

00)

26R

S/N

SP –

12

5532

051.

16(±

0.05

)1.

12(±

0.03

)0.

5(±0

.05)

0.76

(±0.

02)

0.58

(±0.

02)

0.08

(±0.

01)

27R

S/N

SP –

13

5532

060.

86(±

0.02

)1(

±0.0

0)0.

3(±0

.01)

0.76

(±0.

02)

0.52

(±0.

02)

0.08

(±0.

01)

28R

S/N

SP –

14

5532

070.

94(±

0.05

)0.

92(±

0.04

)0.

28(±

0.04

)0.

62(±

0.05

)0.

46(±

0.04

)0.

06(±

0.01

)

29R

S/N

SP –

15

5532

081(

±0.0

3)1(

±0.0

3)0.

41(±

0.03

)0.

62(±

0.05

)0.

48(±

0.04

)0.

06(±

0.01

)

30R

S/N

SP –

16

5532

091(

±0.0

4)1.

06(±

0.02

)0.

37(±

0.01

)0.

7(±0

.03)

0.52

(±0.

02)

0.07

(±0.

01)

31R

S/N

SP –

17

5532

101.

04(±

0.05

)1(

±0.0

0)0.

28(±

0.02

)0.

56(±

0.05

)0.

36(±

0.07

)0.

03(±

0.01

)

32R

S/N

SP –

18

5532

110.

8(±0

.03)

0.9(

±0.0

3)0.

24(±

0.02

)0.

6(±0

.03)

0.46

(±0.

02)

0.05

(±0.

01)

33R

S/N

SP –

19

5532

121.

06(±

0.04

)1.

06(±

0.02

)0.

32(±

0.01

)0.

58(±

0.04

)0.

42(±

0.03

)0.

04(±

0.01

)

34R

S/N

SP –

20

5532

130.

9(±0

.03)

0.98

(±0.

02)

0.29

(±0.

02)

0.7(

±0.0

3)0.

48(±

0.02

)0.

08(±

0.01

)

36


35R

S/N

SP –

21

5532

141.

06(±

0.04

)1(

±0.0

4)0.

42(±

0.02

)0.

64(±

0.02

)0.

52(±

0.02

)0.

07(±

0.01

)

36R

S/N

SP –

22

5532

151.

52(±

0.07

)1.

06(±

0.05

)0.

66(±

0.02

)1.

04(±

0.02

)0.

86(±

0.04

)0.

47(±

0.08

)

37R

S/N

SP –

23

5532

161.

14(±

0.02

)1.

1(±0

.05)

0.56

(±0.

04)

0.92

(±0.

03)

0.96

(±0.

04)

0.27

(±0.

02)

38R

S/N

SP –

25

5532

181.

1(±0

.00)

1(±0

.03)

0.44

(±0.

01)

0.7(

±0.0

0)0.

52(±

0.02

)0.

07(±

0.00

)

39R

S/N

SP –

26

5532

191.

16(±

0.05

)1.

1(±0

.03)

0.51

(±0.

05)

0.66

(±0.

06)

0.46

(±0.

06)

0.06

(±0.

02)

40R

S/N

SP –

27

5532

201.

1(±0

.06)

1.06

(±0.

07)

0.53

(±0.

06)

0.68

(±0.

03)

0.52

(±0.

03)

0.07

(±0.

01)

41R

S/N

SP –

28

5532

211.

04(±

0.02

)0.

94(±

0.02

)0.

36(±

0.03

)0.

72(±

0.02

)0.

52(±

0.02

)0.

08(±

0.00

)

42R

S/N

SP –

29

5532

220.

98(±

0.05

)0.

9(±0

.03)

0.28

(±0.

03)

0.66

(±0.

02)

0.5(

±0.0

3)0.

05(±

0.01

)

43R

S/N

SP –

30

5532

230.

88(±

0.03

)0.

84(±

0.04

)0.

21(±

0.02

)0.

63(±

0.02

)0.

5(±0

.00)

0.05

(±0.

01)

44R

S/N

SP –

31

5532

240.

92(±

0.02

)0.

96(±

0.04

)0.

26(±

0.01

)0.

66(±

0.02

)0.

54(±

0.02

)0.

08(±

0.01

)

45R

S/N

SP –

32

5532

251.

1(±0

.03)

1.1(

±0.0

0)0.

49(±

0.02

)0.

78(±

0.02

)0.

6(±0

.00)

0.1(

±0.0

0)

46R

S/N

SP –

33

5532

261.

2(±0

.04)

1.12

(±0.

02)

0.6(

±0.0

2)0.

74(±

0.02

)0.

54(±

0.02

)0.

08(±

0.00

)

47R

S/N

SP –

34

5532

271.

08(±

0.03

)1.

08(±

0.04

)0.

42(±

0.02

)0.

73(±

0.02

)0.

57(±

0.02

)0.

05(±

0.02

)

48R

S/N

SP –

35

5532

281.

06(±

0.04

)1.

06(±

0.04

)0.

44(±

0.02

)0.

68(±

0.04

)0.

54(±

0.02

)0.

08(±

0.00

)

49R

S/N

SP –

36

5532

291.

06(±

0.05

)1.

02(±

0.04

)0.

39(±

0.06

)0.

7(±0

.05)

0.52

(±0.

03)

0.08

(±0.

01)

50R

S/N

SP –

37

5532

300.

98(±

0.04

)0.

88(±

0.02

)0.

65(±

0.54

)0.

64(±

0.02

)0.

48(±

0.02

)0.

28(±

0.02

)

51R

S/N

SP –

38

5532

310.

96(±

0.02

)0.

98(±

0.03

)0.

27(±

0.01

)0.

74(±

0.02

)0.

54(±

0.04

)0.

07(±

0.01

)

52R

S/N

SP –

39

5532

321.

18(±

0.03

)1.

08(±

0.04

)0.

41(±

0.04

)0.

68(±

0.04

)0.

53(±

0.02

)0.

06(±

0.01

)

37


38


Botanical name: Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew, syn. C. aphylla Roth.

Common name: Ker, Teet, Dela, Kair

Family: Capparidaceae

Origin and distribution: C. decidua is native to Indian subcontinent and distributedas natural wild in the arid and semi arid regions of north-west India mainly in the Indiandesert, which covers the parts of western Rajasthan. Besides, this species is widelydistributed in the drier parts of Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab.

General description: C. decidua is a succulent, spiny bush or occasionally a smalltree (Fig. 8A). Branches numerous, divaricating forming a sub-globose crown. Leavesare present only in the young shoots, stipules thorny, nearly straight. Unique feature ofthis plant is that leaves are produced when soil moisture is depleted to its maximum.Flowers, pinkish-red and rarely yellow. Fruits globose or ovoid berry with many seeds,green when immature and turn shining red at ripening stage (Fig. 8D). It flowers twotimes a year during February-March and July-August. Seeds show dimorphism withvariable morphological features. This species is highly tolerant and adapted well toextreme temperatures and drought conditions. Fruits are directly harvested from thenatural wild bushes by local people and sold in the local market for very good price ofRs. 50-60/- per kg. From fully developed bush 5-15 kg of immature fruits are collected.

Propagation: Species is occurring in natural wild and propagation is through seeds.Propagation is also reported through root suckers in nature. It can be multiplied byseeds and also spreads by root suckers (Chandra et al, 1994).Vegetative propagationis attempted through hard wood and semi-hard wood cuttings.

Cultivars/selections: No identified cultivars or selections have reported in this speciestill now, however, some promising accessions with good horticulture characters havebeen collected and established at field genebank at CCSHAU, Regional ResearchStation, Bawal, NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur and CIAH, Bikaner. Thesecollections are to be evaluated and suitable selections or cultivars are to be releasedfor organized cultivation of this highly economically important fruit species.

3.3 Capparis decidua (Ker)

39


Important uses: Plant produces hard, heavy and termite resistant timber. Unripefruits are edible and used as fresh vegetable and also pickled in various ways. Fullyripen fruits are sweet and eaten raw by local people. Fruits are rich in proteins,carbohydrates and minerals. Seeds contain approximately 20% of edible oil. Rootbark and stem are reported to contain a spermidine alkaloid and isocodonocarpineeffective in treatment of asthma, inflammation and cough (Ahmad et al., 1989).


Collection: C. decidua germplasm has been collected from Rajasthan, Haryana andGujarat, 57 accessions have been collected by NBPGR in collaboration withCCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal, based on prolific bearing, brancheswith less or no spines and bold fruit size. 65 collections have been made by CIAH,Bikaner and elite type have been identified. Enormous variability have been reportedin plants growth habit, spiny nature, branching pattern, foliage colour, flowering andfruiting behavior, fruit shape, size and colour, number of seeds per fruit etc. There is aneed to collect more germplasm of C. decidua from the western Rajasthan andadjoining area of Punjab and Haryana as populations of this important multipurposeindigenous fruits are vanishing fast due to the large scale developmental activities,urbanization and arrival of Rajasthan canal in this area. Due to enhanced irrigationthrough canal network in several of these districts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjabnamely Bikaner, Sriganganagar, Suratgarh, Hanumangarh, Sirsa, Hisar, Abohar andFazilka, wild populations of this species have already been squeezed. Passport dataof collected germplasm is given in the Table 11 and locations of collection has beendepicted in the Fig. 9.

Characterization: Germplasm of C. decidua has been characterized based on plantcharacters in the field. CIAH, Bikaner have made 65 collections and elite type havebeen identified based on plants growth habit, spiny nature, branching pattern, foliagecolour, flowering and fruiting behavior, fruit shape, size and colour, number of seedsper fruit etc. Prolific fruiting type and genotypes with less or no spines have beenidentified during exploration in the parts of Haryana and Rajasthan by NBPGR.Accessions IC345829, IC345837, IC345840, IC345842 and IC345845 have beenfound to be with less or no spines, while accessions numbers IC345819 and IC561789have been identified for prolific bearing and bold fruits. Some of the accessions havebeen characterized based on fruit and seed characters (Table 12). A total of 6accessions were characterized for fruit and seed characters. Fruit showed large variationin TSS, however, length and width did not vary much. The fruit length x width variedfrom 0.23 cm x 0.26 cm to 0.29 cm x 0.31 cm and seed diameter from 0.23 to 0.88cm. TSS values ranging from 17.25 to 23.55 ºB were recorded. Sizable variability

40


was observed in seed size, shape and color in this species (Fig. 7F). Presence ofdimorphic seeds have been reported in C. decidua during characterization ofgermplasm collected from Rajasthan (Paul and Sen, 1987). Seeds weighed only 1/10th of the weight of the whole fruits. The heaviest fruits having high TSS and lightseeds were seen in accessions IC561789, 561770 and 561795.

Conservation: Conservation of ker germplasm is presently being undertaken usingex situ conservation approach at ICAR institutes and state agricultural universitieslocated in Rajasthan and Haryana. Germplasm in the filed genebank is being maintainedat CAZRI, Jodhpur (20 accessions), CIAH, Bikaner (65 accessions), CCSHAU,Regional Research Station, Bawal and NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur (22accessions).

Deora and Shekhawat (1995) mentioned the short seed viability in this speciesand limited establishment of new seedlings in the nature. Micropropagation of ker hasbeen successfully reported by them with 3-5 shoots per explants using in vitro cultureof nodal explants. In studies undertaken at NBPGR, seed germination ranged from50-90% and moisture from 29 to 30% and lost half of their germinability by 6 monthsstorage at room temperature (Table 4). The seeds on desiccation to critical moisturecontent of 8% showed 14% decline in viability, however, survival in LN remained

Fig. 9: Collection sites of Ker from Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat

Haryana

Gujarat

Rajasthan

41


unchanged. Hence, seeds desiccated to 7% moisture content showed recovery of80% after cryostorage. Based on short seed longevity and desiccation sensitivity,seeds have been categorized as intermediate in this species. Seed storage behaviorhas been reported as intermediate (ICRAF Agroforestry Tree Database). A total of88 diverse accessions have been successfully cryostored at NBPGR, New Delhi(Table 5).

42


Tabl

e 11

. Pas

spor

t dat

a of

Cap

pari

s de

cidu

a (K

er) g

erm

plas

m c

olle

cted

from

var

ious

sta

tes

S.N

o.C

olle

ctor

ICC

rop

Bot

anic

alVe

rna-

Bio

lo-

Dis

tric

tSt

ate

Lati-

Lon

gi-

Num

ber

Num

ber

Nam

eN

ame

cula

rgi

cal

tude

tude

Nam

eSt

atus

1M

KD

-102

5240

58K

erC

appa

ris

deci

dua

Teet

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.2

476

.53

2M

KD

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5775

Ker

Cap

pari

s de

cidu

aTe

etW

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na28

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76.4

8

3M

KD

-434

5776

Ker

Cap

pari

s de

cidu

aTe

etW

ildR

ewar

iH

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na28

.09

76.4

8

4M

D-0

8/1

5617

70K

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appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

Jhun

jhun

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than

28.0

475

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5M

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5617

71K

erC

appa

ris

deci

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Teet

Wild

Jhun

jhun

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than

28.0

475

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6M

DG

-08/

2056

1789

Ker

Cap

pari

s de

cidu

aTe

etW

ildJa

isal

mer

Raj

asth

an26

.76

70.7

6

7M

DG

-08/

2656

1795

Ker

Cap

pari

s de

cidu

aTe

etW

ildJo

dhpu

rR

ajas

than

26.4

570

.30

8M

DG

-08/

2756

1796

Ker

Cap

pari

s de

cidu

aTe

etW

ildJo

dhpu

rR

ajas

than

26.0

373

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9M

D-0

8/9

5617

78K

erC

appa

ris

deci

dua

Teet

Wild

Bik

aner

Raj

asth

an28

.02

73.1

4

10M

KD

-634

5778

Ker

Cap

pari

s de

cidu

aTe

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ildA

lwar

Raj

asth

an28

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76.2

9

11M

KD

-92

5240

48K

erC

appa

ris

deci

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Teet

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

27.8

676

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12M

KD

-934

5781

Ker

Cap

pari

s de

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76.6

2

13M

KD

-52

3458

24K

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appa

ris

deci

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Teet

Wild

Bhi

wan

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arya

na28

.45

75.8

2

14M

KD

-53

3458

25K

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appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

Bhi

wan

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arya

na28

.45

75.8

2

15M

KD

-54

3458

26K

erC

appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

Bhi

wan

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arya

na28

.45

75.8

2

16M

KD

-55

3458

27K

erC

appa

ris

deci

dua

Teet

Wild

Bhi

wan

iH

arya

na28

.76

76.1

4

43


17M

KD

-56

3458

28K

erC

appa

ris

deci

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Teet

Wild

His

arH

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na28

.93

75.6

4

18M

KD

-57

3458

29K

erC

appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

His

arH

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na28

.93

75.6

4

19M

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-58

3458

30K

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appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

His

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.04

75.8

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20M

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-59

3458

31K

erC

appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

His

arH

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na28

.80

75.7

4

21M

KD

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3458

32K

erC

appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

His

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75.6

2

22M

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-61

3458

33K

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appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

His

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75.6

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23M

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-62

3458

34K

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appa

ris

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Wild

His

arH

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75.6

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24M

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-63

3458

35K

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appa

ris

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Wild

His

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75.8

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25M

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-75

3458

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appa

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Wild

Bhi

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76.1

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-76

3458

48K

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appa

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Bhi

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76.1

1

27M

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5773

Ker

Cap

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76.6

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28M

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-16

3457

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appa

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Wild

Rew

ari

Har

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28.0

876

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29M

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-18

3457

90K

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appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

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28.2

176

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30M

KD

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3457

94K

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appa

ris

deci

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Teet

Wild

Mah

ende

rgar

hH

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76.8

3

31M

KD

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3458

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appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

Mah

ende

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na28

.14

76.1

4

32M

KD

-31

3458

03K

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appa

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Wild

Mah

ende

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76.2

8

33M

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3458

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Wild

Mah

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75.9

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34M

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3458

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Mah

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75.9

9

35M

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-45

3458

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Wild

Mah

ende

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76.0

7

36M

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-46

3458

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Wild

Mah

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76.0

7

37M

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-47

3458

19K

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appa

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Teet

Wild

Mah

ende

rgar

hH

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na28

.24

76.2

7

44


38M

KD

-48

3458

20K

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appa

ris

deci

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Teet

Wild

Bhi

wan

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arya

na28

.79

76.3

6

39M

KD

-49

3458

21K

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appa

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Wild

Bhi

wan

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na28

.79

76.3

6

40M

KD

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3458

22K

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appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

Bhi

wan

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.79

76.3

6

41M

KD

-65

3458

37K

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appa

ris

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Wild

Bhi

wan

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arya

na28

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76.0

7

42M

KD

-66

3458

38K

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appa

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Wild

Bhi

wan

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na28

.82

76.1

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43M

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-67

3458

39K

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appa

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Teet

Wild

Bhi

wan

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.82

76.1

4

44M

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-68

3458

40K

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appa

ris

deci

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Teet

Wild

Bhi

wan

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arya

na28

.82

76.1

4

45M

KD

-69

3458

41K

erC

appa

ris

deci

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Teet

Wild

Roh

tak

Har

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28.8

376

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46M

KD

-70

3458

42K

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appa

ris

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Wild

Roh

tak

Har

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28.8

376

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47M

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-71

3458

43K

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appa

ris

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Wild

Roh

tak

Har

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28.8

376

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48M

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-72

3458

44K

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appa

ris

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Teet

Wild

Bhi

wan

iH

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na28

.65

75.9

4

49M

KD

-73

3458

45K

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appa

ris

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Wild

Bhi

wan

iH

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na28

.65

75.9

4

50M

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-79

3458

51K

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ris

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Wild

Gur

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Har

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28.2

377

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51M

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-80

3458

52K

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Gur

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Har

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28.3

177

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52M

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-81

3458

53K

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Har

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28.3

376

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53M

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-82

3458

54K

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appa

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Gur

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Har

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28.3

376

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54M

KD

-37

3458

09K

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appa

ris

deci

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Ker

Wild

Jhun

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ajas

than

28.1

975

.45

55M

KD

-38

3458

10K

erC

appa

ris

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Ker

Wild

Jhun

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ajas

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28.0

675

.21

56M

KD

-39

3458

11K

erC

appa

ris

deci

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Ker

Wild

Jhun

jhun

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than

28.0

375

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57M

D-1

2439

5838

Ker

Cap

pari

s de

cidu

aK

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haru

chG

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at21

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72.9

7

45


Tabl

e 12

. Cha

ract

eriz

atio

n of

Cap

pari

s de

cidu

as (K

er) g

erm

plas

m b

ased

on

frui

ts a

nd s

eeds

cha

ract

ers

S.N

o.C

oll.

No.

IC N

o.Fr

uit

Seed

Len

gth

(cm

)W

idth

(cm

)W

eigh

t (g

m)

TSS

Dia

m. (

cm)

Wei

ght

(gm

)

1M

D-0

8/1

5617

700.

29(±

0.01

)0.

30(±

0.01

)4.

33(±

0.18

)21

.80(

±0.3

9)0.

27(±

0.01

)0.

44(±

0.01

)

2M

D-0

8/2

5617

710.

23(±

0.01

)0.

27(±

0.01

)4.

23(±

0.10

)19

.25(

±0.3

7)0.

32(±

0.01

)0.

44(±

0.01

)

3M

D-0

8/9

5617

780.

29(±

0.00

)0.

31(±

0.01

)5.

07(±

0.06

)17

.60(

±0.2

3)0.

88(±

0.36

)0.

57(±

0.01

)

4M

DG

-20

5617

890.

28(±

0.02

)0.

26(±

0.01

)5.

55(±

0.12

)23

(±1.

58)

0.23

(±0.

01)

0.51

(±0.

01)

5M

DG

-26

5617

950.

25(±

0.00

)0.

30(±

0.02

)4.

13(±

0.11

)23

.55(

±0.3

6)0.

26(±

0.02

)0.

44(±

0.01

)

6M

DG

-27

5617

960.

28(±

0.01

)0.

29(±

0.01

)5.

05(±

0.17

)17

.25(

±0.3

7)0.

32(±

0.01

)0.

49(±

0.03

)

46


47


Botanical name: Carissa species- C. carandas L, syn. C. congesta Wight.; C.spinarum L. and C. grandiflora Bert. Ex A. DC.

Common name: C. carandus -Karonda, Karmada, Karvanda; C. spinarum –Kaunda, Kalivi; C. grandiflora- Natal plum.

Family: Apocynaceae

Origin and distribution: C. carandas and C. spinarum are native to India (IndexKewensis, 1985-190) while C. grandiflora is native to South Africa. C. carandus isalso grown in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. In India it isfound wild in the Western Ghats, Konkan area of Maharashtra and throughout thesemi-arid regions. It is widely cultivated in the home gardens, farmer’s fields andorchards as hedge plant and occasionally few plants are grown for commercial purpose.Carissa species has been of much socio-economic importance in the tribal area ofGujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.

General description: Karonda is a small to big shrub usually 2-4 m tall (Fig. 10A).The stem is rich in white latex and the branches contain sharp spines (Fig. 10B).Flowers are small, measuring 3-5 cm in diameter, with white colour. The fruit is aberry, which is formed in clusters of 3-10 fruits. The fruit is globose to broad ovoid inshape and contains many seeds. Young fruits are pinkish white and become red todark purple when mature. At maturity fruit color vary from white, green and pinkishred depending on the genotype. Seed 3-5 per fruit, blackish brown, flat, eleptical lightin weight. Flowering starts in the month of January-February and fruits mature in May-June. Fruits are generally harvested at immature stage for vegetable purpose, fullyripen fruits are consumed fresh or processed.

Propagation: Karonda is usually propagated by seeds and seeds are to be sownimmediately after extraction as longevity of seeds is short. Vegetative propagation isattempted using air layering but rarely used for propagation. Softwood grafting successis 40-50% in karonda (Singh and Ravishankar, 2010).

3.4 Carissa species (Karonda)

48


Cultivars/selections: In karonda no known cultivars have been developed, however,few selections based on location and quality of fruits have been identified. Some of theknown selections are PK-3, PK-4, Pant Manohar, Pant Dudarshan and Pant Suvarnafrom Horticultural Research Station, GBPUAT, Regional Station Patharchatta andtwo selections from ANDUAT, Faizabad namely Maroon colored and White pinkblush have been identified.

Important uses: Immature fruits are used as vegetable while mature fruits are eatenraw. Fruits are processed as pickle, jam, jelly and marmalade for home use and nowcommercial preparations are also made for domestic use and for export by foodprocessing companies. The fruit is very sour at maturity but it is sourish sweet whenripe. It is eaten fresh or stewed with salt or sugar. In Rajasthan karonda fruits arecommonly cooked with green chillies to make a tasty dish taken with chapattis. Karondabushes are suitable for hedging in the home gardens and are sometimes grown as anornamental plant due to its beautiful cherry-like fruits. Fruits are very rich source ofiron and vitamin C, therefore, ethnomedically the fruits are used for curing anemia andas an astringent, antiscorbutic and as a remedy for biliousness. A leaf decoction is usedagainst fever, diarrhoea, and ear ache. The roots serve as a stomachic, vermifuge andremedy for itches and insect repellent.


Collection: Genetic diversity of karonda is spread throughout India, however, mainareas of variability exists in the states of Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh,Orissa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and in the western Ghats. Aravali Hillsof Haryana and Rajasthan mainly the Mt. Abu, Chittorgarh and Sirohi districts are richin diversity. Germplasm of Carissa species have been widely collected fromMaharashtra, 212 collections have been made from Kolhapur (Sawant et al., 2003)and being maintained at College of Agriculture, Kolhapur. Germplasm have also beencollected from eight districts of western Maharashtra, one district of Marathwada andone of Goa and 111 accessions from 45 locations have been collected and classifiedfor fruit characters (Ghate et al., 1997). At NBPGR germplasm of C. congesta and C.spinarum have been collected from the natural wild populations of Rajasthan, Gujaratand Madhya Pradesh (Fig. 11). While C. grandiflora was collected from field genebankof Regional Research Station, PAU, Abohar where two plants of this species are beingmaintained since last several decades. No work on popularization of this species hasbeen undertaken in India, inspite of bearing promising horticulture traits like bold fruitssize with good amount of pulp, bright red colour at ripen stage and very good sour-sweetish taste (Fig. 10F). The passport data of collected germplasm is given in Table 13.

49


Characterization: Collected germplasm of karonda have been characterised for planttype specially less spines, fruit colour, size, shape, bearing, pulp colour, taste, numberof seeds per fruit etc. 16 distinct types of karonda genotypes have been identifiedbased on these characters from the germplasm collected from western Maharashtra(Ghate et al., 1999). At MPKV, Rahuri four promising genotypes were identified(Karale et al., 1989). Singh et al. (1999) identified 4 genotypes of Karonda based oncolour of the fruits and grouped in to, green, green with purple blush, white with pinkblush and maroon. Quality characters of fruits and field performance of karondaselections PK-3, PK-4, Pant Manohar, Pant Sudarshan and Pant Suvarna have beenevaluated at GBPUAT Regional Station, Patharchatta (Mishra and Jaiswal, 1998).Based on morphological characterization of fruits and seeds of 8 accessions of Carissa,fruit length, width and weight showed large variation (Table 14). Over all the fruitlength varied from 1.05 cm to 2.09 cm, width varied from 0.85 to 1.44 cm and weightvaried from 0.40 gm to 2.09 gm. Not much variation in seed weight was recorded asvalues ranged from 0.02 in IC 546088 to 0.06 gm in IC546100. The largest andheaviest fruits with smaller seed were recorded in accession IC546088.

Conservation: Germplasm of karonda and its wild species is being maintained atvarious field genebanks in the country mainly in the states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat. Major centres where germplasm is being maintained are College

Fig. 11: Collection sites of Karonda from Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh

Punjab

Rajasthan

Madhya Pradesh

50


of Agriculture, Kolhapur (212), MPKV, Rahuri; CAZRI, Jodhpur (13); CISH,Lucknow (25 superior genotypes); CIAH, Bikaner (5); ANDUAT, Faizabad;CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal (4); NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur.

Seeds of karonda have short viability and should be sown just after extraction fromfruits (Kumar et al., 2007). Our studies at NBPGR have led to categorization of seedstorage behaviour as intermediate. Fresh seeds exhibited 18.4% moisture and 72%germinability. Seeds showed shelf life of 5-6 months with 50% decline in germinabilityby 3 months (Table 4). Seeds showed slight desiccation sensitivity and high freezingtolerance as on desiccation to 9% moisture, a 12% decline in viability was recorded.Seeds desiccated to critical moisture content between 6-8% showed survival of 65-70 % after LN exposure. In Cryogenebank 14 accessions of Carissa spp. comprising9 of C. carandas, 1 each of C. edulis and C. grandiflora and 3 of C. spinarum havebeen cryostored (Table 5).

51


Tabl

e 13.

Pas

spor

t dat

a of

Car

issa

spec

ies g

erm

plas

m co

llect

ed fr

om v

ario

us st

ates

S.C

olle

ctor

ICC

rop

Bot

anic

al N

ame

Vern

a-B

iolo

-D

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

ti-L

ongi

-N

o.N

ame

Num

ber

Nam

ecu

lar

gica

ltu

detu

deN

ame

Stat

us

1M

D-1

0/31

5845

80K

aron

daC

aris

sa c

aran

das

Kar

mad

aW

ildR

atla

mM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.18

75.1

4

2M

D-1

0/32

5845

81K

aron

daC

aris

sa c

aran

das

Kar

mad

aW

ildR

atla

mM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.18

75.1

4

3M

D-0

6/33

5461

16K

aron

daC

aris

sa c

aran

das

Kar

onda

Wild

Siro

hiR

ajas

than

24.7

672

.69

4M

D-0

6/13

5460

96K

aron

daC

aris

sa c

aran

das

Kar

mad

aW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

174

.93

5M

D-0

6/14

5460

97K

aron

daC

aris

sa c

aran

das

Kar

mad

aW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

174

.93

6M

D-0

6/15

5460

98K

aron

daC

aris

sa c

aran

das

Kar

mad

aW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

174

.93

7M

D-0

6/17

5461

00K

aron

daC

aris

sa c

aran

das

Kar

mad

aW

ildC

hitto

rgar

hR

ajas

than

24.3

274

.40

8M

D-0

6/18

5461

01K

aron

daC

aris

sa c

aran

das

Kar

mad

aW

ildC

hitto

rgar

hR

ajas

than

24.3

274

.40

9M

D-0

6/5

5460

88K

aron

daC

aris

sa c

aran

das

Kar

onda

Wild

Ajm

erR

ajas

than

26.5

774

.70

10M

D-4

9347

0389

Nat

al p

lum

Car

issa

gra

ndifl

ora

Nat

al p

lum

Cul

tivat

edA

boha

rPu

njab

30.1

574

.18

11M

D-0

6/34

5461

17K

aron

daC

aris

sa s

pina

rum

Kar

onda

Wild

Siro

hiR

ajas

than

24.7

672

.69

52


Table 14. Characterization of Carissa species germplasm based on fruits andseeds characters

S. No. Coll. No. IC No. Fruit Fruit Fruit Seedlength width weight weight(cm) (cm) (gm) (gm)

1 MD-06/5 546088 2.09 1.44 2.09 0.02

2 MD-06/13 546096 1.28 1.09 0.79 0.06

3 MD-06/14 546097 1.05 0.93 0.40 0.03

4 MD-06/15 546098 1.11 0.85 0.40 0.03

5 MD-06/17 546100 1.43 1.16 0.93 0.06

6 MD-06/18 546101 1.24 1.10 0.72 0.05

7 MD-06/33 546116 1.26 1.11 0.89 0.05

8 MD-06/34 546117 1.35 0.93 0.63 0.05

53


54


Botanical name: Cordia species - C. myxa L., syn. C. dichotoma Forst. F. ; C.rothii Roem. syn. C. gharaf (Forst. f.) Ehrenb. and Asch.; C. crenata Delile Fl.

Common name: English - Indian cherry; Vernacular–Lasora, Laseda, Gonda, Gondi

Family: Boraginaceae

Origin and distribution: Native of Northwestern India (Stewart and Brandis, 1992)and distributed throughout country mainly in warmer regions upto altitude of 5,000 ft.,it is found as natural wild and occasionally cultivated. C. myxa is grown in thehomestead gardens, backyards and farmers fields as isolated tree or few in numbers.

General description: Medium sized tree, deciduous, leaves simple, alternate, leatheryin texture, variable in shape and size, broadly ovate or cut into margin, tip obtuse, baserounded or cordate. Fruit drupe, rounded or pear shaped, containing sticky pulp inwhich seed is embedded. Immature fruits are green which turn yellow to pink whenmature (Fig. 12A). Flowering occurs during February-March and fruits are harvestedduring May-June. Tree of Cordia crenata is smaller than C. myxa and fruits are acuteand smaller in size. C. rothii is a small spreading tree (Fig. 12F) with long, cuneate-oblong, entire leaves, fruits are very small turn shining reddish when mature and highlymucilagenous and sweet.

Propagation: Lasora is propagated through seeds, freshly harvested seeds are usedfor raising seedlings. Vegetative propagation through budding is successful but rarelytaken up. Recently it has been reported to be propagated through patch budding with70-80% success (Singh et al, 2010).

Cultivars/selections: There are no identified cultivars or selections available in lasora.Some farmer’s selections are used for raising new plants. There is no organizedcultivation of this fruit, however, recently some progressive farmers have started smallcommercial orchards in Rajasthan and Haryana using local selections (Fig. 12C).Fruits are in high demand for processing as pickle and for other medicinal uses. Therefore,future of this fruit species is very high and commercial cultivation would be picking upespecially in the north, west and central India.

3.5 Cordia species (Lasora)

55


Important uses: Unripe fresh fruits are acrid and used for vegetable and pickle. Ripefruits are eaten fresh. Fruit pulp is rich in carbohydrates, extractive matter and ash.Fruit is highly mucilaginous and used in cough mixture to cure diseases of chest and isgiven in bilious infections as a laxative. Fruit of lasora fetch Rs. 50-80/- per kg in theurban markets and are always in the high demand.


Collection: Genetic diversity of Cordia species especially C. myxa has been collectedby NBPGR from Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradeshand Uttar Pradesh. 134 accessions of various Cordia species have been collected.45 accessions of elite germplasm have been collected by NBPGR in collaborationwith CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal from Rewari, Mahendergarh andBhiwani districts of Haryana and germplasm was established at field genebank atCCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal and NBPGR, Regional Station, Jodhpur.At NBPGR 57 accessions comprising of C. myxa, C. crenata and C. rothii havebeen collected from six states of India. Collected germplasm represented the sizablediversity in fruit weight, shape, size, surface feature, pulp content, seed size, weightand shape. One promising accession with bold fruits, shining surface and prolific bearing

Fig. 13: Collection sites of Cordia species from various states

Rajasthan

Madhya Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

Haryana

Gujarat

56


have been identified by local farmers near Kotputli, Rajasthan. Details of germplasmhas been given in Table15 and locations of germplasm collections has been presentedin the Fig 13.

Characterization: Germplasm of C. myxa collected from various sources have beencharacterized based on morphological traits of fruit and seed characters. Singh et al.(1999) identified two types of lasora fruits based on fruit maturity one early type withsmall, turnip shaped fruits and another late type with large size and spherical shapefruits. There are no standard varieties of lasora, however, they can be grouped intotwo on the basis of their fruit size namely bold and small fruits (Kaushik and Dwivedi,2004). At NBPGR a total of 24 accessions were used for physico-chemicalcharacterization. Characterization data has been presented in the Table 16. Fruitswere ovoid to oval in shape. Fruit length varied from 1.41 cm to 2.72 cm and widthfrom 1.29 to 2.92 cm. Fruit weight showed large variation from 1.12 gm to 9.82 gmwith TSS ranging from 0.680 B to 1.140 B. Pulp thickness was recorded to range from0.23cm to 0.56cm. With regard to variability in seed characters and length rangedfrom 1.01cm to 1.17cm and width from 1.07cm to 1.91cm. Seed weight showedlarge variation amongst the accessions as it varied from 0.21g to 1.26 g. Among all theaccessions seven were found better in terms of economic value for large fruits, higherTSS, pulp thickness and small ligher seeds. These accesions are IC546090 for highfruit length and width, followed by IC564563. Highest TSS were found in accessionIC564553, 564548 and 564553. Pulpiest fruits were found in IC564547, 564559and 564556. The lightest seeds was found in IC564550, 564555 and 564563.

Conservation: Germplasm of lasora is being conserved in the field genebank atCCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal (30), CIAH, Bikaner (65), NBPGRRegional Station, Jodhpur (73) and ANDUAT, Faizabad.

Lasora is generally propagated by seeds. In addition budding can be successfullydone on seedling rootstocks during July-September. Detailed studies conducted atNBPGR showed that seeds are shed at about 25% moisture and exhibit highgerminability (94%). Seeds exhibit desiccation tolerance (Table 4). However, whenexposed to LN, a 14 % decline in viability was recorded indicating freezing sensitivityof seeds which led to its characterization as intermediate seed storage behaviour.Seeds showed 50% decline in viability by 6 months. Seeds with high recovery wereobtained on cryostorage between 6-8% moisture content. Seeds of C. myxa (24accessions), C. crenata (3 accs), C. obliqua (1 acc) and C. rothii (9 accs) has beencryostored successfully (Table 5).

57


S.

Col

lect

orIC

Cro

pB

otan

ical

Vern

a-B

iolo

-D

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

ti-

Long

i-

No.

Num

ber

Num

ber

Nam

e N

ame

cula

rgi

cal

tude

tude

Nam

eSt

atus

1M

D-9

7555

3682

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a cr

enat

aG

ond

Wild

Man

diH

imac

hal P

rade

sh31

.35

76.5

2

2M

KD

-19

3457

91In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.1

076

.51

3M

KD

-21

3457

93In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Mah

ende

rgar

hH

arya

na28

.27

76.2

5

4M

KD

-25

3457

97In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Mah

ende

rgar

hH

arya

na28

.27

76.1

4

5M

KD

-26

3457

98In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Mah

ende

rgar

hH

arya

na28

.27

76.1

4

6M

KD

-51

3458

23In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Bhi

wan

iH

arya

na28

.79

76.3

6

7M

KD

-64

3458

36In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Cul

tivat

edH

isar

Har

yana

29.0

975

.99

8M

KD

-83

5240

39In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.0

576

.58

9M

KD

-84

5240

40In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.0

576

.58

10M

KD

-85

5240

41In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.0

576

.58

11M

KD

-86

5240

42In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.0

576

.58

12M

KD

-87

5240

43In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.0

276

.53

Tabl

e 15.

Pas

spor

t dat

a of

Cor

dia

spec

ies g

erm

plas

m co

llect

ed fr

om v

ario

us st

ates

58


13M

D-3

3955

3646

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Lasy

ada

Wild

Kan

gra

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

32.1

276

.11

14M

D-9

3655

3643

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Lasy

ada

Wild

Kan

gra

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

32.0

176

.29

15M

D-9

3755

3644

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Lasy

ada

Wild

Kan

gra

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.5

976

.28

16M

D-9

3855

3645

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Lasy

ada

Wild

Kan

gra

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.5

876

.28

17M

D-9

4055

3647

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Lasy

ada

Wild

Kan

gra

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

32.1

376

.09

18M

DS-

156

4544

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Wild

Una

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.2

576

.20

19M

DS-

1056

4553

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Wild

Kan

gra

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.5

276

.15

20M

DS-

1156

4554

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Cul

tivat

edH

amirp

urH

imac

hal P

rade

sh31

.47

76.2

0

21M

DS-

1256

4555

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Cul

tivat

edH

amirp

urH

imac

hal P

rade

sh31

.46

76.2

0

22M

DS-

1356

4556

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Lasi

yada

Wild

Ham

irpur

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.4

676

.20

23M

DS-

1556

4558

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Loos

eda

Cul

tivat

edH

amirp

urH

imac

hal P

rade

sh31

.46

76.2

4

24M

DS-

1656

4559

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Lasi

yada

Wild

Kan

gra

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.5

776

.27

25M

DS-

1756

4560

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Cul

tivat

edH

amirp

urH

imac

hal P

rade

sh31

.48

76.2

8

26M

DS-

256

4545

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Wild

Una

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.2

576

.20

27M

DS-

2056

4563

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Lasi

yada

Wild

Bila

spur

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.3

176

.38

28M

DS-

2256

4565

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Lasi

yada

Wild

Bila

spur

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.2

376

.45

59


29M

DS-

356

4546

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Wild

Una

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.2

776

.18

30M

DS-

456

4547

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Wild

Una

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.2

976

.14

31M

DS-

556

4548

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Wild

Una

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.2

976

.11

32M

DS-

656

4549

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Wild

Una

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.2

876

.10

33M

DS-

756

4550

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Wild

Una

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.3

076

.10

34M

DS-

856

4551

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Wild

Una

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.4

576

.06

35M

DS-

956

4552

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

oda

Wild

Kan

gra

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

31.5

076

.10

36M

D-3

0143

6989

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Lave

daW

ildG

una

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.6

577

.32

37M

D-0

6/29

5461

12In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aG

onda

Wild

Chi

ttorg

arh

Raj

asth

an24

.93

74.6

6

38M

D-0

6/4

5460

87In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aG

onda

Cul

tivat

edA

jmer

Raj

asth

an26

.45

74.5

4

39M

D-0

6/45

5461

28In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aG

onda

Wild

Siro

hiR

ajas

than

24.8

572

.87

40M

D-0

6/6

5460

89In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aG

onda

Cul

tivat

edA

jmer

Raj

asth

an26

.57

74.7

0

41M

D-0

6/7

5460

90In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aG

onda

Cul

tivat

edA

jmer

Raj

asth

an26

.50

74.5

9

42M

D-0

6/8

5460

91In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aG

onda

Wild

Bhi

lwar

aR

ajas

than

25.1

374

.69

43M

KD

-103

5240

59In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

27.9

676

.81

44M

KD

-91

5240

47In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

27.8

676

.32

45M

KD

-94

5240

50In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Cul

tivat

edJa

ipur

Raj

asth

an27

.73

76.1

6

60


46M

KD

-95

5240

51In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Cul

tivat

edA

lwar

Raj

asth

an27

.88

76.3

8

47M

KD

-15

3457

87In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.2

276

.46

48M

KD

-88

5240

44In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.0

276

.53

49M

D-3

3943

7027

Indi

an c

herr

yC

ordi

a m

yxa

Laso

raW

ildD

atia

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

25.6

678

.46

50M

D-0

6/23

5461

06In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Chi

ttorg

arh

Raj

asth

an24

.32

74.4

0

51M

KD

-89

5240

45In

dian

che

rry

Cor

dia

myx

aLa

sora

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

27.9

076

.45

52M

D -

805

5529

12G

ondi

Cor

dia

roth

iiG

ond

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

21.8

373

.20

53M

D -

841

5529

48G

ondi

Cor

dia

roth

iiG

ondi

Wild

Nee

mac

hM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.47

75.4

3

54M

D-0

6/31

5461

14G

ondi

Cor

dia

roth

iiG

ondi

Wild

Uda

ipur

Raj

asth

an24

.34

73.6

1

55M

D-0

6/35

5461

18G

ondi

Cor

dia

roth

iiG

ondi

Wild

Siro

hiR

ajas

than

25.1

773

.08

56M

D-2

5542

3589

Gon

diC

ordi

a ro

thii

Gon

diW

ildPa

liR

ajas

than

25.8

173

.41

57M

KD

-104

5240

60G

ondi

Cor

dia

roth

iiG

ondi

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

27.9

676

.81

61


Tabl

e 16.

Cha

ract

eriz

atio

n of

Cor

dia

spec

ies g

erm

plas

m b

ased

on

frui

ts a

nd se

eds c

hara

cter

s

S.

Col

l. N

oIC

No.

Frui

tSe

ed

No.

Leng

th (c

m)

Wid

th (c

m)

Wei

ght (

g)T

SSLe

ngth

(cm

)W

idth

(cm

)Th

ickn

ess

(cm

) Wei

ght (

g)

1M

D-0

6/6

5460

892.

01(±

0.04

)1.

82(±

0.04

)3.

64(±

0.24

)0.

88(±

0.04

)1.

61(±

0.04

)1.

55(±

0.08

)0.

86(±

0.07

)0.

77(±

0.01

)

2M

D-0

6/7

5460

902.

72(±

0.12

)2.

74(±

0.04

)11

.53(

±0.5

7)0.

84(±

0.05

)1.

66(±

0.02

)1.

44(±

0.05

)0.

95(±

0.04

)0.

80(±

0.03

)

3M

D-0

6/08

5460

912.

07(±

0.03

)1.

88(±

0.03

)3.

82(±

0.15

)0.

88(±

0.04

)1.

59(±

0.04

)1.

26(±

0.04

)0.

82(±

0.02

)0.

55(±

0.03

)

4M

D-0

6/23

5461

061.

80(±

0.05

)1.

48(±

0.03

)1.

91(±

0.14

)0.

83(±

0.05

)1.

36(±

0.06

)1.

10(±

0.03

)0.

73(±

0.03

)0.

31(±

0.02

)

5M

D-0

6/29

5461

122.

06(±

0.05

)1.

85(±

0.05

)3.

58(±

0.25

)0.

72(±

0.05

)1.

61(±

0.04

)1.

55(±

0.08

)0.

86(±

0.07

)0.

80(±

0.03

)

6M

D-0

6/45

5461

281.

80(±

0.05

)1.

48(±

0.03

)1.

91(±

0.14

)0.

83(±

0.05

)1.

25(±

0.05

)1.

16(±

0.06

)0.

75(±

0.02

)0.

39(±

0.02

)

7M

DS-

156

4544

2.28

(±0.

10)

2.38

(±0.

09)

9.33

(0.0

2)0.

9(±0

.06)

1.37

(±0.

01)

1.62

(±0.

01)

0.76

(±0.

01)

0.97

(±0.

01)

8M

DS-

256

4545

2.03

(±0.

02)

2.27

(±00

.5)

9.62

(±0.

00)

0.84

(±0.

05)

1.58

(±0.

00)

1.34

(±0.

01)

0.97

(±0.

00)

0.63

(±0.

01)

9M

DS-

356

4546

1.84

(±0.

03)

1.62

(±0.

01)

3.37

(±0.

04)

0.84

(±0.

04)

1.16

(±0.

01)

1.07

(±0.

01)

1.06

(±0.

09)

0.59

(±0.

00)

10M

DS-

456

4547

2.31

(±0.

03)

2.61

(±0.

05)

6.78

(±0.

06)

0.88

(±0.

05)

1.36

(±0.

01)

1.55

(±0.

01)

0.77

(±0.

01)

1.06

(±0.

01)

11M

DS-

556

4548

2.23

(±0.

08)

2.49

(±0.

11)

9.47

(±0.

10)

1.12

(±0.

05)

1.31

(±0.

01)

1.59

(±0.

01)

0.61

(±0.

01)

1.01

(±0.

02)

12M

DS-

656

4549

2.51

(±0.

03)

2.64

(±0.

08)

11.8

6(±0

.12)

0.90

(±0.

19)

1.36

(±0.

02)

1.62

(±0.

01)

0.78

(±0.

01)

1.12

(±0.

05)

62


13M

DS-

756

4550

1.41

(±0.

07)

1.29

(±0.

01)

1.12

(±0.

05)

0.78

(±0.

05)

1.05

(±0.

01)

1.08

(±0.

00)

0.39

(±0.

00)

0.21

(±0.

01)

14M

DS-

856

4551

1.87

(±0.

06)

2.02

(±0.

08)

5.54

(±0.

01)

0.98

(±0.

08)

1.01

(±0.

01)

1.43

(±0.

01)

0.62

(±0.

01)

0.54

(±0.

01)

15M

DS-

956

4552

1.92

(±0.

03)

2.12

(±.1

6)1.

14(±

0.05

)1.

08(±

0.08

)1.

06(±

0.02

)1.

34(±

0.04

)0.

65(±

0.02

)0.

64(±

0.01

)

16M

DS-

1056

4553

2.43

(±0.

05)

2.92

(±0.

04)

13.7

8(±0

.15)

1.14

(±0.

05)

1.45

(±0.

01)

1.55

(±0.

02)

0.89

(±0.

01)

1.26

(±0.

01)

17M

DS-

1156

4554

2.09

(±0.

09)

2.32

(±0.

08)

9.19

(±0.

08)

0.94

(±0.

09)

1.71

(±0.

01)

1.12

(±0.

01)

0.82

(±0.

01)

0.97

(±0.

02)

18M

DS-

1256

4555

2.33

(±0.

11)

2.47

(±0.

09)

1.32

(±0.

01)

0.92

(±0.

05)

1.30

(±0.

02)

1.62

(±0.

01)

0.73

(±0.

01)

0.21

(±0.

01)

19M

DS-

1356

4556

2.12

(±0.

06)

2.39

(±0.

04)

7.66

(±0.

19)

0.82

(±0.

07)

1.34

(±0.

01)

1.53

(±0.

01)

0.72

(±0.

01)

0.85

(±0.

01)

20M

DS-

1556

4558

2.52

(±0.

04)

2.70

(±0.

14)

10.3

8(±0

.14)

1.07

(±0.

03)

1.44

(±0.

06)

1.53

(±0.

06)

0.60

(±0.

04)

1.16

(±0.

04)

21M

DS-

1656

4559

2.41

(±0.

04)

2.44

(±0.

06)

9.15

(±0.

02)

0.86

(±0.

05)

1.75

(±0.

01)

1.12

(±0.

01)

0.85

(±0.

01)

0.95

(±0.

02)

22M

DS-

1756

4560

2.40

(±0.

04)

2.14

(±0.

03)

6.23

(±0.

03)

0.68

(±0.

03)

1.38

(±0.

03)

1.37

(±0.

05)

0.60

(±0.

02)

0.68

(±0.

01)

23M

DS-

2056

4563

2.68

(±0.

04)

2.80

(±0.

04)

3.06

(±0.

32)

0.88

(±0.

06)

1.31

(±0.

00)

1.91

(±0.

02)

0.72

(±0.

01)

0.25

(±0.

01)

24M

DS-

2256

4565

2.29

(±0.

08)

2.36

(±0.

04)

9.82

(±0.

23)

0.86

(±0.

06)

1.56

(±0.

01)

1.33

(±0.

00)

0.96

(±0.

01)

0.87

(±0.

02)

63


64


3.6 Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu)

Botanical name: Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb. Ex A. Dc. syn. D. tupru Buch.Ham.

Common name: English- Coromandel ebony persimmon; Vernacular- Tendu, Timru,Kendu

Family: Ebenaceae

Origin and distribution: D. melanoxylon is native and endemic tree of India andwidely found in the peninsular plains and lower hills especially in the dry deciduousforests of central, western and northern India (Stewart and Brandis, 1992). This is themost common species of forests of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,Rajasthan, Gujarat, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

General description: Tendu is a middle sized tree, height upto 10-15 ft., branchlets,young leaves, inflorescence clothed with soft grey or tawny tomentum. Leaves mostlysub-opposite, coriaceous, 3 - 6 inches long but sometimes much longer upto 12 inches,when full grown glabrous above, tomentose or pubescent beneath. Male flowerstomentose, sessile 3-12 flowers arranged in drooping axillary cyme; female flowerssolitary, axillary or extra –axillary, generally 2, opposite to each other, larger than maleflowers. Fruit ovoid or globose yellow to light orange when ripe, 1-2 inch across,supported by the flat spreading calyx–lobes with undulating reflaxed edges (Fig. 14C).Pulp yellow, soft, sweet, slightly astringent but edible. Seeds 4-8, compressed, oblong,the back curved, shining and blackish-brown often marked with bands across. Albumenruminated.

Propagation: Tendu is commonly propagated by seeds as this tree species is onlyfound as natural wild in the forests or marginal lands. Germinative capacity of freshseeds is 89% but falls rapidly with storage (Hocking, 1993).

Cultivars/selections: There are no identified cultivars known in this species. Geneticresources of this species has not been given much emphasis and only naturally occurringwild plants are used by local people and tribals inhabited in the forest area.

65


Important uses: Tendu tree have very important role in the socio-economy of tribalpopulations of tropical dry forests of India along with other two trees Mahua andChironji. There are several economic uses of this species and all the plant parts startingfrom bark, leaves, fruits and seeds are important for various commercial purposes.The fruits called as ‘timru’ by local people are eaten raw and sold commercially in thelocal markets. The bark is burnt by tribals to “cure” small-pox. Dried powdered fruitis used as carminative and astringent; its tannin content is 15% and that of half ripe fruitis 23%. Dried flowers are reported to be useful in urinary, skin and blood diseases(Hocking, 1993). The seeds are prescribed as cure for mental disorders, palpitationof heart and nervous breakdown. Above all, the leaves of this plant constitute one ofthe most important raw materials of the “Bidi” industry. which make its leaves highlyvalued and there is an organised purchase of these leaves by forest department in allthe states. Besides being the source of Indian ebony, its wood is also utilized formaking boxes, combs, ploughs and beams (Rathore, 1970).

Genetic Resources management

Collection: There is not much work done on the genetic resources management ofthis species. Mostly being a forestry and agro-forestry species plants are taken careby the forest departments of respective states. Horticulturally this species has not beenconsidered as important even though fruits of this species are promising, attractive incolor and have good quality with sweet pulp. 13 accessions of D. melanoxylon have

Fig. 15. Collection sites of Tendu from various states of India

Madhya Pradesh

Rajasthan

Haryana

Himachal PradeshPunjab

66


been collected by NBPGR from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradeshin the form of fruits from the diverse populations. Details of germplasm has been givenin Table 17 and locations of germplasm collections has been presented in the Fig. 15.

Characterization: There is no much characterization data available for D.melanoxylon, as fruits have not been considered of much horticultural importance.Germplasm collected by NBPGR have been characterized for various fruit and seedcharacters. The 3 genotypes collected from states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradeshhave been characterized for fruit and seed characters. The fruits were morphologicallycharacterized for length, width and weight (Table 18). The fruit length varied from 3.2to 3.7 cm and width from 3.16 to 3.68 cm. The fruit weight ranged from about 28 to31 gm. TSS in the fruits also showed variation from as low as 19.6 to 22.6o B. Thebigger fruits were heavier and also showed higher TSS. The seeds were characterizedfor length, width and weight. Seed length varied from 2.2 to 2.6 cm and width from1.28 to 1.39 cm with weight of the seed varying from 1.5 to 2.1 gm. The heaviest fruitwith highest TSS was recorded in accession IC552946.

Conservation: Tendu trees are growing as natural wild in the forests and marginallands. Being highly economical species for the local inhabitants and tribals for thecollection of fruits and leaves from the wild trees, it is naturally being protected bythem and by forest departments in the protected forest areas. Basic studies on seedgermination storage behavior has been undertaken at Seed Biology Lab, School of lifeSciences, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur and at NBPGR, New Delhi. Instudies by Naithani (pers Comm., 2001) a very high moisture content of 38% and93% viability have been recorded in freshly extracted seeds. On desiccation of seedsto 4.2% moisture content a concomitant decline in viability to 77% was recorded.

In studies at NBPGR the freshly harvested seeds showed 28.5% moisture with 90%germinability (Table 3, Fig. 14E,F). On storage at ambient conditions, the viabilitydeclined to 50% by 10 months. A decline in germinability was observed with desiccationdown to 7% moisture level. This is similar to work reported by Hocking (1993) wherethe fast decline in the germinative capacity of fresh seeds with storage has been mentioned. In our studies at 12% moisture which is the critical moisture content level, seedssurvived LN exposure well with 80% germinability. Desiccation sensitivity and relativelyshorter longevity (15 months) has led to its categorization as intermediate seededspecies. A total of 16 diverse accessions have been cryostored in the cryogenebank atNBPGR (Table 5).

67


S.

Col

lect

orIC

Cro

pB

otan

ical

Vern

a-B

iolo

-D

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

ti-

Long

i-

No.

Num

ber

Num

ber

Nam

e N

ame

cula

rgi

cal

tude

tude

Nam

eSt

atus

1M

D -

842

5529

49Te

ndu

Dio

spyr

os m

elan

oxyl

onTe

ndu

Wild

Nee

mac

hM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.43

75.0

9

2M

D-0

6/19

5461

02Te

ndu

Dio

spyr

os m

elan

oxyl

onTi

mru

Wild

Chi

ttorg

arh

Raj

asth

an24

.32

74.4

0

3M

D-0

6/21

5461

04Te

ndu

Dio

spyr

os m

elan

oxyl

onTi

mru

Wild

Chi

ttorg

arh

Raj

asth

an24

.32

74.4

0

4M

D-0

6/48

5461

31Te

ndu

Dio

spyr

os m

elan

oxyl

onTi

mru

Wild

Chi

ttorg

arh

Raj

asth

an24

.32

74.4

0

5M

D-2

7442

3608

Tend

uD

iosp

yros

mel

anox

ylon

Tim

ruW

ildD

unga

rpur

Raj

asth

an23

.83

73.7

1

6M

D-2

8942

3623

Tend

uD

iosp

yros

mel

anox

ylon

Tim

ruW

ildD

unga

rpur

Raj

asth

an23

.94

73.8

5

7M

D-2

9142

3625

Tend

uD

iosp

yros

mel

anox

ylon

Tim

ruW

ildD

unga

rpur

Raj

asth

an24

.21

73.6

3

8M

D-2

9242

3626

Tend

uD

iosp

yros

mel

anox

ylon

Tim

ruW

ildPa

liR

ajas

than

25.5

973

.42

9M

D-2

9342

3627

Tend

uD

iosp

yros

mel

anox

ylon

Tim

ruW

ildBe

awar

Raj

asth

an25

.94

73.8

6

10M

D-2

9742

3631

Tend

uD

iosp

yros

mel

anox

ylon

Tim

ruW

ildC

hitto

rgar

hR

ajas

than

24.9

074

.64

11R

S/N

SP-2

455

3217

Tend

uD

iosp

yros

mel

anox

ylon

Tim

ruW

ildC

hhin

dwar

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.27

78.3

6

12N

SP/

4384

54Te

ndu

Dio

spyr

os m

elan

oxyl

onTi

mru

Wild

Kan

gra

Him

acha

l Pra

desh

32.1

076

.27

OPD

-04-

5

13N

SP/

4384

61Te

ndu

Dio

spyr

os m

elan

oxyl

onTi

mru

Wild

Man

diH

imac

hal P

rade

sh31

.65

76.9

4

OPD

-04-

12

Tab

le 1

7. P

assp

ort d

ata

of D

iosp

yros

mel

anox

ylon

(Ten

du) g

erm

plas

m co

llect

ed fr

om v

ario

us st

ates

68


Tabl

e 18

. Cha

ract

eriz

atio

n of

Dio

spyr

os m

elan

oxyl

on (T

endu

) spe

cies

ger

mpl

asm

bas

ed o

n fr

uits

and

see

dsch

arac

ters

S. N

oC

ol. N

o.IC

No.

Frui

tSe

ed

Len

gth

(cm

)W

idth

(cm

)W

eigh

t (gm

)T

SSL

engt

h (c

m)

Wid

th (c

m)

Wei

ght (

gm)

1M

D-0

6/19

5461

023.

37(±

0.06

)3.

23(±

0.03

)28

.49(

±0.1

2)21

.80(

±0.5

2)2.

60(±

0.03

)1.

30(±

0.02

)1.

60(±

0.03

)

2M

D-0

6/21

5461

043.

24(±

0.02

)3.

16(±

0.01

)27

.57(

±0.1

2)19

.60(

±0.6

1)2.

22(±

0.03

)1.

28(±

0.03

)1.

51(±

0.10

)

3M

D-8

4255

2946

3.70

(±0.

19)

3.68

(±0.

17)

30.5

5(±3

.40)

22.6

0(±0

.83)

2.48

(±0.

09)

1.39

(±0.

03)

2.13

(±0.

12)

69


70


3.7 Emblica officinalis (Aonla)

Botanical name: Emblica officinalis Gaertn syn. Phyllanthus emblica L.

Common name: English - Indian gooseberry, myrobalan, emblic; Vernacular -Aonla,Amla

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Origin and distribution: Aonla is originated in eastern Asia, it is believed to be nativeto tropical southeast Asia, specifically of the parts of central and southern India(Firminger, 1947). It is also available in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ceylon, Malaya, southernChina and the Mascarene Islands. Aonla is an ancient fruit crop of Indian sub-continentand widely used in Indian System of Medicine. This fruit species is still growing asnatural wild in forests areas of Vindhyan hills of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh,Shivalik Hills and foot hills of Himalayas. It is commonly cultivated in home gardensthroughout India and grown commercially in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, MadhyaPradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Punjab.

General description: Aonla is a small to medium sized tree, normally reaching aheight of 10-12 m, natural wild seedlings grow still higher (Fig. 16A). Aonla tree hastwo types of shoots, the indeterminate and determinate. Indeterminate shoots arelonger and attain fresh growth in season and do not bear flowers while determinateshoots come at the nodes of indeterminate shoots and number vary from 3-5 dependingupon the genotype. Determinate shoots bear very small reduced, closely arrangedleaves giving the impression of pinnately compound leaves. It is a deciduous treeshedding its determinate shoots completely and before this lateral buds develop newshoots to visibly give it a look of evergreen tree. Small, inconspicuous, greenish-yellow flowers are borne in compact clusters in the axils of the lower leaves. Maleflowers occur at the lower end of a growing branchlet, with the female flowers abovethem. The fruit is round or oblate, indented at the base with smooth and shining surface,6 to 8 faded lines from base to apex give the impression of ridges and dividedsegements in the fruit. Fruit is green at maturity and ripe fruit is greenish-yellow. Fruitis juicy, flesh is thick, fibrous or non-fibrous depending on the cultivar generally wildfruits are small, hard and bitter in taste. Hexagonal stone contains 6 small brown or

71


blackish seeds and present in the center of fleshy fruit. Fruit size, texture, fiber content,taste and acidity vary with the cultivar.

Propagation: Wild plants of aonla are naturally propagated through seeds and seedlingpropagated trees have longer life and are less susceptible to diseases (Fig. 16B).While all the cultivated aonla is now vegetatively propagated and various budding(Shikhamany, 2010) and grafting methods have been in practice. Patch budding isrecommended being convenient and for high success rate. May to August is the righttime for good success in budding.

Cultivars/selections: There are several selections and cultivars identified and releasedin this highly popular economic and fascinating fruit crop of India. Most of the selectionshave been made from the germplasm collected from Uttar Pradesh by ANDUAT,Faizabad. There has been a lot of work undertaken on evaluation of these releasedcultivars in diverse climatic conditions. Some of the important cultivars are Banarasi,Chakaiya, Francis (Hathi Jhool), Kanchan, Krishna (NA-5), Neelam (NA–7),Kanchan (NA –4), NA 6, NA 8 and Balwant. Cultivars Anand 1, 2 and 3 have beenreleased for Gujarat. Recently a selection, Goma Aishwariya an early and droughttolerant with less fiber is released by CIAH, Bikaner. These cultivars have beenrecommended for various regions and states according to their performance, as thearea for the aonla cultivation has been substantially increased during last two decadesin India. Recently high density planting system in aonla is also experimented andrecommended for Gujarat using NA-7 cultivar (Singh et al., 2010).

Important uses: Aonla is an important fruit of Indians and consumed fresh, processedand preserved in several ways. Fruits are rich source of vitamin C due to the presenceof leucoanthocanins which retard the oxidation of vitamin C. These are rich source ofvarious important minerals namely iron, calcium and phosphorous. Fruits are collectedfrom wild or homestead gardens by tribals and marginal farmers and used at home asvegetable or cooked, pickled or preserved with sugar/jagery for various preparationsor sold in the market. Presently commercial cultivation of aonla is practiced at largescale and area is increasing day-by-day in Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab,Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Inthese states popular cultivars are grown in the orchards and fruits are sold in the localmarket and also purchased directly by the food processing and pharmaceutical industry.Medicinal uses of aonla fruits are well documented in the Indian System of Medicineand Unani and it is prescribed in various ways to increase immunity and health. Popularway of processing to retain nutritive value are Murabba, Chawanparash and Trifala.However, now several new products have been developed by value addition namelyaonla candy, jam, herbal jam, chutney, pickle, squash, juice, sharbat, vinegar etc. Fruit

72


powder is also used in preparation of toiletries and cosmetics. Several other processingmethods are being developed and research is continuing at various institutes in India topopularise and increase the consumption of aonla.

Genetic Resources Management

Collection: Aonla germplasm have been collected by various institutes includingNBPGR. Most of the present day cultivars have been released from the selectionmade from these collections and identified chance seedlings of these genotypes.Extensive elite germpalsm collections have been made from Varanasi, Pratpgarh, Agra,Rai Bareilly, Azamgarh, Sultanpur, Kanpur and Allahabad districts of Uttar Pradesh.159 accessions of Aonla have been collected from various states of India. 33 genotypesof aonla have been identified by Rai et al. (1993) based on variability in the fruitmorphological characters including vitamin C, tannin and fibre content in the pulp fromUttar Pradesh.

Characterization: Aonla germplasm have been characterized for various charactersof horticultural importance especially plant type with spreading habit, profuse bearing,bold fruits, smooth and shining skin, high pulp, less fiber content, juiciness, tannincontent and longer shelf life. Various collections made by ANDUAT, Uttar Pradeshhave been characterized and evaluated at Faizabad and various cultivars/ selectionsfrom the seedling plants have been identified and released (Bajpai and Shukla, 1985).Rai et al.(1993) characterized 33 genotypes of aonla collected from Uttar Pradesh,based on these characters and 4 promising accessions have been identified.Performance of various important selections and cultivars namely Banarasi, Chakaiya,Francis (Hathi Jhool), Kanchan, Krishna (NA-5), Neelam (NA–7), Kanchan (NA –4), NA 6, NA 8 and Balwant have been evaluated at various aonla growing locationsand accordingly cultivars have been recommended for cultivation in that state.

Conservation: Conservation of aonla germplasm has been taken up in the fieldgenebanks at various institutes namely ANDUAT, Faizabad (22), CIAH, Bikaner(50), CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal (6), MPKV, Rahuri (8), S.D.Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar (12) and Balasaheb Sawant Konkan KrishiVidyapeeth, Dapoli. Collections made by these organizations are being maintained intheir respective field genebanks for conservation and utilization. Aonla improvementwork is extensively being undertaken at various centers of AICRP on Arid Fruits andgermplasm is being maintained for characterization and evaluation.

Basic studies on seed physiology and storage behaviour of aonla has been takenup at NBPGR, New Delhi and cryopreservation of seeds of natural wild germplasm

73


has been successfully undertaken (Table 4). 31 accessions of aonla has beencryopreserved in the cryogenebank at NBPGR. Seeds freshly shed showed 12%moisture content and about 74 % germination. Seeds showed a decline in viability to50% by 10 months storage. Orthodox seed storage behavior has been observed asseeds had critical moisture content of about 6 % and there was no viability changeafter cryostorage.

74


75


3.8 Garcinia species (Kokam, Malabartamarind and Mysore gamboge )

Botanical name: Garcinia species- Garcinia indica [Dupetit-Thouars] Choisy; G.cambogia (Gaertn.) Desr. syn. Garcinia gummi-gutta (L.) N.Robson; G.xanthochymus Hook.f.ex T. Anderson and G. cowa Roxb. Ex DC. syn. G. kydiaRoxb.

Common name: G. indica- Kokam, G. cambogia- Malabar tamarind, G.xanthochymus- Mysore gamboge, G. cowa- Chenkek

Family: Clusiaceae

Origin and distribution: Genus Garcinia L. has approximately 400 species havingdioecious, evergreen trees growing in tropical parts of the world (Maheshwari, 1964;Whitmore, 1973; Richards, 1990a). Approximately 30 species of Garcinia arecultivated and produce edible fruits (Arora, 1998). In India 36 species of Garciniaare reported out of which 16 species of Garcinia are endemic and distributed in theWestern Ghats, the northeastern India and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Elevenspecies occur in the southern Western Ghats, out of which 6 species are endemicwhile sixteen species occur in the northeastern India, out of which 2 are endemic andfifteen species are found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands out of which 7 are endemic.G. indica widely occurs in south-western India especially in South Maharashtra,Karnataka and northern Kerala which seems to be its centre of origin. Even thoughplantations are available, limited wild resources are also seen. G. cambogia is foundwild in evergreen forests of western Gharts in south Maharashtra extending southwardsto Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. G. xanthochymus is native to India and foundin western Ghats, Orissa and Andamans. G. cowa is native to northeastern India anddistributed in Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Orissa.

General description: G. indica is a slender evergreen small sized tree going upto theheight of 15m. It has drooping branches and tree takes pyramidal shape at maturity(Fig. 17A). Leaves are ovate or oblong, lanceolate 6-8 cm long and 2-4 cm broad.Tree is andro-dioceous producing male and bisexual flowers in separate plants.Obligate agamospermy is reported in G. xanthochymus and facultative agamospermyin G. indica and G. cambogia (Malik et al., 2005a). Fruits are globose or spherical

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2.5-4 cm in diameter, at ripe stage color becomes dark purple, plants with green andwhite fruits are also reported. Fruits are smooth with shining surface and have large,kidney shaped 5-8 seeds embedded in the soft rind of fruit. Flowering in the month ofDecember-January and fruits are ripe in April-May. G. cambogia is a medium sizedevergreen tree attaining the height upto 20 m, like kokam it is also a dioceous tree withrounded crown and horizontal and drooping branches. The berry fruit shape is oval toconcave, yellow or red in color at maturity, fruit surface is not smooth it has 6-8grooves of varied length, width and depth. At distal end the fruit is depressed or havesmall or long nipple like structure. 6-8 large size seeds are seen inside.

It is dioecious tree with a rounded crown that grows from 4.5 to 7.6 m in heightwith dense foliage. The leaves are large (15.4-30.5 cm in length) and leathery and areoblong to lanceolate shaped. The small flowers (1.3 cm in diameter) are born in adense cluster of 4-10 flowers and are greenish white in color. Fruits are bright yellow-orange, almost round and 5-8 cm in diameter. The fleshy fruit usually contains 5 seedsthat are surrounded by a yellow pulp that is edible. Male trees are not seen but pseudo-bisexual trees are known. Acidic, pleasant fruits are edible, though not very palatableand are used for making sherbets, medicaments, preserves and jams. Dried fruit rindis used as a condiment in West Coastal Karnataka. Gum resin from stem bark andfruit makes a good watercolour (gamboge) used in dyeing. Very old trees are met within degraded areas but young trees are not to be seen. Genetic erosion has already setin as only isolated trees are seen in degraded forest areas near villages in Karnataka.In Kerala, mostly planted trees are seen in botanical gardens.

Propagation: Garcinia species are propagated by seeds as well as by vegetativemethods mostly using air layering by softwood grafting using scion from the selectedtrees. Seeds are highly recalcitrant and are to be sown immediately after extractionfrom fruits. Occasionally seeds provide two seedlings due to peculiar germinationcharacterstics being shown in these species (Malik et al., 2005a).

Cultivars/selections: No identified cultivars or selections are available in Garciniaspecies. In G. indica, however, some selections and variety “Konkan Amruta”(Selection from Shirgaon Local) was released by Dr. Balasaheb Sawant KonkanKrishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli. Commercial cultivation in Garcinia is lacking, it is takenup only at small scale in Kokam and other species are still occurring in the wild orsemi-domesticated state and grown in homestead gardens, marginal lands and forestarea. There is an urgent need to identify the suitable genotypes for vegetativepropagation. Characterization and evaluation of germplasm to release varieties/selections of Garcinia is underway at NBPGR RS, Thrissur; IISR, Calicut and KonkanKrishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli.

77


Important uses: Most of the Indian Garcinia species are economically importanthaving edible fruits. Kokam is a potential under-exploited minor fruit crop, currentlygaining much commercial and medicinal importance. The fruit has an agreeable flavourand a sweetish acid taste. Fresh fruits and dry rind is used in curries to give an acidicflavour and also for preparing cooling syrups during summer months (Fig.17C). Theseeds yield a valuable edible fat known in commerce as ‘kokum butter’ (Fig.17D).The fruit rind is rich in (-) Hydroxycitric acid (HCA), an important biologically activeplant metabolite used as an anti-obesity drug (Heymsfield et al., 1998). It inhibits theconversion of carbohydrates into fats by inhibition of ATP citrate lyase, an importantenzyme in Kreb’s cycle (Watson et al., 1969). Several value added products arebeing prepared from kokam and are popular in Indian and International market suchas kokam syrup (Fig. 17C) , kokam agal (brined kokam juice), kokam oil, stearicacid from kokam fat, kokam rind acid, kokam color ointment etc. Malabar tamarindfruits are collected by local people (Fig.18D) and processed further into a value addedproducts and are ready for use by drying the isolated rind on top of the fire placeswhere the smoke passes through the rind and it becomes dry (Fig.18F). When it isalmost dry, coconut oil mixed with salt is applied over the rind to make it pitch blackand shiny. When it is fully dried the produce is sold in the market or to business menwho come for purchasing the same. As women are engaged fully in the collection andprocessing, Malabar tamarind gives livelihood support to unemployed women in southKerala.

Malabar tamarind is a multipurpose tree grown in the home gardens of Kerala forthe acidic fruit rind, which is used as a condiment and garnish. Resin of Malabartamarind is used as a pigment in miniature paintings and water colours, besides itsmedicinal use as a purgative. Fruit rind is hydragogue, anthelmintic and emetic, particularlyin dropsies. It is also used for polishing gold and silver ornaments and as a substitutefor acetic acid for coagulation of rubber latex. The seed oil is used in medicine (Singh,1993). Its rind is the only richest natural source of (-) Hydroxycitric acid and possessesmarked antiseptic properties (Sarah et al., 1992). The derivatives of the acid arepotent metabolic regulators of obesity and the unique acid also lowers blood lipidssuch as cholesterol and triglycerides by triggering the fatty acid oxidation in the livervia thermogenesis. It mobilizes body‘s fat stores and dissolves fat in the liver and alsothroughout the body paving way for weight management (Majeed, 1994; Muthulakshmiet al., 1999). It is increasingly becoming important industrially, commercially andmedicinally, which has not been fully exploited. Fruits of Mysore gambage and chenkekalso have important properties and used by local people as fresh fruits and offerprocessing.

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Collection: Rich diversity of several Garcinia species have been occurring in India.Several exploration and collection trips were undertaken in the Western Ghats, Andamanand Nicobar Islands and northeastern India to collect the germplasm of various Garciniaspecies. Most of the collections have been made from the Kerala, Karnataka,Maharashtra and Goa. These collections were made by NBPGR and/or in collaborationwith Indian Institute of Spices Research, Calicut and University of Agricultural Sciences,Dharwad and College of Forestry, Sirsi. Exploration and collection of Garcinia speciesfrom northeastern Indian states is still lacking where vast diversity of Garcinia speciesis reported and most of the species are endemic to this region. These collections weremade in the form of fruits, seeds or bud wood and established at the field genebank atNBPGR Regional Station, Thrissur. Besides these, efforts were made to undertakestudies on natural population structure and male and female plants available in thenatural populations. Three species of Garcinia namely G. cambogia, G. indica andG. xanthochymus were collected from these areas while G. cowa was collected fromnorth-eastern India. The passport data is presented in Table 19 and collection sitesare shown in Fig. 19.

Characterization: Germplasm of G. indica and G. cambogia collected duringexplorations have been characterized for physico-chemical characters of fruits andfield observations were recorded. In kokam the age of the trees varied from site tosite. The height and circumference of the trees ranged from 5 – 15 m and 30.0 – 100.0cm, respectively. The fruits were either spherical or oval and its size ranged from smallto the size of a small coconut. The branches were horizontal or drooping. The trunkwas vertically multi-branched at the base or single. The fruits were with or withoutseeds. The rind was either thin or thick. During the rainy season, mature fruits fall tothe ground or the nearby brooks.

Variability observed in tress and fruits of kokum was wide. Variability was more inbranching pattern of trees. The trees were without or with two or more vertically branchesfrom bottom, or with basal branches. The laterals were either horizontal or irregular innature. Some trees bear fruits twice a year. The colour of the fruits ranged from light redto dark maroon. The aril is sour and sometimes sweet also. In Karnataka seldom kokumtrees were seen in household gardens but are seen either wild or in disturbed forestsassociated with villages or farming communities or farmers namely bettathahola wherefrom the farmers derive mulch for their arecanut farms.

In Malabar tamarind extensive variability has been observed in canopy andbranching pattern of tree, fruit colour, shape and size. Fruit shape in Malabar tamarind

79


varied from oval to concave. The fruit is generally elongated but rounded fruits werealso common. Fruits bear ridges and furrows of varied length, width and depth. Twopromising accessions were identified IC354028 for fruit weight (161 g); IC354019for mean rind thickness (15 mm) and mean rind weight of fruit (125 g). Two accessions(IC354047 and 354063) were highly specific with the uncommon pinkish – red colourof fruits and in another accession (IC354070) fruits have remarkably half-smoothsurface. Muthulakshmi et al. 1999 also studied standing trees of Malabar tamarind inthe homesteads gardens of Thrissur and found the existence of wide variability invegetative, floral, fruiting and biochemical characters. Compared to the morphologicalcharacters of the fruit, variations observed in biochemical characters were limited.They were unable to select trees with high fruit weight, rind thickness, total acidity,(-) HCA, crude protein coupled with low moisture, total phenol, crude fat and crudefibre.

Fig. 19. Collection sites of Garcinia species from western ghats andnortheastern India

80


Conservation: Overall 11 species of Garcinia namely G. cadelliana, G. calycina,G. brevirostris, G. cambogia var. conicarpa, G. cambogia var. gummi-gutta, G.cambogia var. papilla, G. imbertii, G. indica, G. keenainia, G. kingii, G. talbotii,G. spicata and G. wightii are facing survival threat in India due to overexploitation forwood, medicine, gum, resin, edible fruits and seed (Kundu, 2006). The increase in thelevel of endemism from 50% to 65% is an important indication of the shrinkingpopulation of these species posing challenge for conservation biologists. Due to severedeforestation and genetic erosion, there is need for its genetic resources conservation.Therefore, the management of genetic resources of Indian species of Garcinia isurgently required. Presence of agamospermy (seed apomixis) in the genus Garcinia isknown or suspected in at least ten species which have been further classified as facultativeand obligate agamosperms (Richards, 1990a).

Seed germination and storage behaviour: G. indica, G. cambogia and G.xanthochymus are semi-wild species which bear large seeds with high moisturecontent at shedding. Due to apomictic nature of the so called “seeds” of G. indica, G.cambogia and G. xanthochymus (Malik et al., 2005a,b), similar to that reported inG. mangostana (Normah et al., 1992; Teo, 1992), there is an absence of a embryonicaxis or any structure akin to it. In view of the capability of the seed parts to regeneratecomplete plantlets, small seed pieces, in addition to the whole seeds were used fordesiccation and freezing sensitivity studies.

Freshly harvested seeds of all the species stored at ambient temperatures retainedviability for short periods of about 30 days exhibiting that seeds were short-livedfurther confirming their recalcitrant nature. Seed longevity in all three species could beextended to almost two times by storage at 15OC. Chilling temperature of 5OC wasunfavorable and within 10-15 days of storage, loss in germinability recorded was20% in G. indica, 30% in G. cambogia and 60% in G. xanthochymus. Storage ofseeds at freezing temperature of –20OC proved lethal as no survival could be observedafter 5 days of storage in all the three species. Longevity of G. xanthochymus seedswas found to be minimum in comparison to G. indica and G. cambogia (Malik et al.,2005b). After 15 days storage at ambient temperature and at 5OC there was substantialand highest loss of viability in G. xanthochymus in comparison to other two species.

On Farm conservation: On farm conservation sites for the conservation of twoimportant species of Garcina namely G. indica and G. cambogia have been identifiedby the NBPGR RS, Thrissur. For kokam, 59 in situ conservation sites were exploredin 5 districts of Karnataka, 2 each of Goa and Maharashtra and one of Kerala. Similarlyfor Malabar tamarind 110 on-farm conservation sites in 13 districts of Kerala havebeen identified (Abraham et al., 2010).

81


Field genebank conservation: The NBPGR Regional Station, Thrissur is maintaining124 accessions of Malabar tamarind, collected from Dakshin Kannad (2 accessions),Uttar Kannad (25), Kodagu (10), Chickmagalur (8), Shimoga (1) and Belgaum (8)districts of Karnataka; Thrissur (17 accessions), Kottayam (3), Kannur (8), Alappuzha(11), Ernakulam (9), Malappuram (3), Kozhikode (3), Kollam (6), Pathanamthitta(5) and Thiruvananthapuram (1) districts of Kerala; and South Goa (4 accessions)district of Goa in the field genebank at Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala a site within thenatural distributional range of the species. In the case of kokum, 76 accessions areestablished in the field genebank, a site nearer to the natural distributional range of thespecies. These accessions were collected from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa andKerala (Abraham et al., 2010).

In vitro conservation and cryopreservation: In vitro and cryopreservation techniquesare being used to conserve vegetatively propagated species and recalcitrant seedspecies to achieve medium to long-term conservation. Most of the Garcinia specieshave recalcitrant seeds which can not be conserved in the traditional genenbank at -20°C. In vitro multiplication of three horticulturally important Garcinia species wassuccessfully achieved using agamospermous seeds (Malik et al., 2008). G. indicaand G. cambogia showed high frequency organogenesis while G. xanthochymus, anobligate agamospermous species, was highly recalcitrant towards in vitro conditions.Commercial exploitation of developed protocols would be useful for generating true-to-type planting material of these species. In vitro conservation of these recalcitrantseed species with extended sub-culture periods upto 11 months has been successfullyachieved (Malik et al., 2005 a). Most of the studies pertaining to in vitro culture ofgenus Garcinia have been conducted in G. mangostana using seed and leaf explants(Goh et al., 1990; Normah et al., 1992; Te Chato and Lim, 2000 and Huang et al.,2000).

82


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39A

MG

/200

2-39

035

4069

Mal

abar

Gar

cini

aU

ppag

eW

ildU

ttara

Kan

nada

Kar

nata

ka14

.92

74.1

9

tam

arin

dca

mbo

gia

40A

MG

/200

2-39

135

4070

Mal

abar

Gar

cini

aU

ppag

eW

ildU

ttara

Kan

nada

Kar

nata

ka14

.92

74.1

9

tam

arin

dca

mbo

gia

41A

MG

/200

2-39

235

4071

Mal

abar

Gar

cini

aU

ppag

eW

ildU

ttara

Kan

nada

Kar

nata

ka15

.54

74.4

3

tam

arin

dca

mbo

gia

42A

MG

/200

2-39

335

4072

Mal

abar

Gar

cini

aU

ppag

eW

ildU

ttara

Kan

nada

Kar

nata

ka15

.54

74.4

3

tam

arin

dca

mbo

gia

43A

MG

/200

2-39

435

4073

Mal

abar

Gar

cini

aU

ppag

eW

ildU

ttara

Kan

nada

Kar

nata

ka15

.54

74.4

3

tam

arin

dca

mbo

gia

44A

MG

/200

2-38

735

4066

Kok

amG

arci

nia

Bel

e mur

ugal

uW

ildU

ttara

Kan

nada

Kar

nata

ka15

.09

74.3

1

indi

ca

45A

MG

/200

2-38

335

4062

Mys

ore

G

arci

nia

Zarig

ehul

iW

ildU

ttara

Kan

nada

Kar

nata

ka15

.02

74.6

7

gam

boge

xant

hoch

ymus

86


87


88


Botanical name: Grewia subinaequalis DC, syn. G. asiatica Mast.

Common name : Phalsa

Family: Tiliaceae

Origin and distribution: Phalsa tree is native to Western India (Zeven and de Wet,1982), and spread throughout south Asia and in the Indian sub-continent. In India it isdistributed in the forests of central India and South India and also available in thenorthern plains and western Himalayas upto the height of 3000 ft. Phalsa is cultivatedin the semi-arid regions of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,Haryana, Gujarat and Punjab (Fig. 20 A,B).

General description: Phalsa is a bush or small to medium sized tree with long, slender,drooping branches, the young branchlets densely coated with hairs. Young shoots andinflorescences are with a light, whitish bloom on the underside of leaves. Widely spacedleaves are broadly heart-shaped or ovate, pointed at the apex, oblique at the base, upto 8 in long and 6 in wide, and coarsely toothed. Flower buds cylindrical or clavate,flowers yellow and produced in cymes of 3-4, flower 2 cm in diameter denselytomentose, distinctly ribbed, fruit are indistinctly lobed drupes containing 1-2 onecelled nuts. The fruit skin turns from green to purplish-red and finally dark-purplewhen fully ripened. There are two types of fruits, large fruits have 2 hemispherical,hard, buff-colored seeds and small fruits are single-seeded. It is a predominately selfpollinated crop. Under cultivation, tree requires annual pruning upto ground level or 4ft. height. Flowering in the month of January-February and fruits mature in the summergenerally in the months of May-June. Fruiting is non synchronous in phalsa (Fig. 20D)and only few fruits mature at a time, therefore, require repeated harvesting. Fruits arehighly perishable with short shelf life of few hrs and fruits are need to be consumed orprocessed within 48 hrs of plucking.

Propagation: Phalsa is commercially propagated by seeds and these are sown in theseed beds during monsoon season immediately after extraction from the fruits. Oneyear old seedlings are transplanted in the field and grow fast to give first flush within 15

3.9 Grewia subinaequalis (Phalsa)

89


months. Cuttings and air layering is also successful in phalsa with 50 and 85% success,respectively, however, rooting in cuttings is difficult.

Cultivars/selections: There are no recognized cultivars of phalsa. However, dwarfand tall (vigorous) are two types of genotypes reported (Nehra et al., 1985). Dwarftype has been reported to be more productive. Two types of phalsa cultivars Localand Sharbati are also known.

Important uses: Phalsa is extensively cultivated for its sweet and sour fruits, whichare consumed fresh as table fruit and sold in the markets during summer months. Fruitpossess astringent properties and used for several stomach ailments. The fruits arealso processed to make phalsa sharbat when extracted pulp is mixed with sugar solutionand squash is prepared after adding some preservatives (generally sodium benzoate).Phalsa sharbat and squash give pleasant and cooling effect in summers and work as anastringent and stomachic agent. Fresh fruits fetch very good price of Rs. 80-100/- perKg in urban markets and consumed fresh with some salt (Fig. 20E).

Use and cultivation of phalsa fruit has been mentioned in the ancient Indian literatureand it has been used for various ailments in the Indian System of Medicine. Fresh ordried fruits are suggested to cure heart and blood disorders, fever and diarrhoea. Theunripe fruits are said to remove vata, kapha and biliousness. The root bark is used bySanthal tribal population for rheumatism. The stem bark is used for making ropes bylocal people and mucilaginous extract is used for clarifying sugar.


Collection: Phalsa germplasm has been collected from various parts of countryincluding the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,by NBPGR, New Delhi, CCSHAU, Hisar and Regional Research Station ofCCSHAU, at Bawal. 36 accessions belonging to 6 economically important speciesnamely G. hirsute, G. oppositifolia, G. tiliaefolia, G. rothii, G. orantalis and G.subinaequalis (phalsa) have been collected. In Phalsa not much variability is reporteddue to the self pollination and only two types tall and dwarf have been collected.Germplasm of phalsa is to be identified for bold fruits, small seeds and synchronizedfruit maturity and longer shelf life of fruits which are important traits. Areas of collectionsundertaken have been depicted in the Fig. 21 and in Table 20.

Conservation: Gemplasm of phalsa is being conserved in the field genebank atCCSHAU. Regional Station, Bawal and NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur. Basicstudies on seed physiology and storage have been undertaken at NBPGR, New Delhi.

90


Seeds loose viability after 90-100 days of storage (Chandra et al, 1994). In studiesundertaken at NBPGR, seeds were found to show 50% viability after 4 months storageat ambient conditions (Table 4). Seeds were desiccation sensitive as at critical moisturecontent showed 23% loss in viability. Intermediate seed storage behavior has beenconcluded as seeds survived LN exposure with 50% viability. A total of 15 accessionsof Grewia species have been cryostored in the cryogenebank (Table 5).

Rajasthan

Fig. 21: Collection sites of phalsa from Rajasthan

91


S.N

o.C

olle

ctor

ICC

rop

Bot

anic

al N

ame

Vern

a-B

iolo

-D

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

ti-L

ongi

-N

umbe

rN

umbe

rN

ame

cula

rgi

cal

tude

tude

Nam

eSt

atus

1M

D-0

6/1

5460

84Ph

alsa

Gre

wia

sub

inae

qual

isPh

alsa

Cul

tivat

edA

jmer

Raj

asth

an26

.4574

.54

2M

D-0

6/2

5460

85Ph

alsa

Gre

wia

sub

inae

qual

isPh

alsa

Wild

Ajm

erR

ajas

than

26.50

74.53

3M

D-0

6/3

5460

86Ph

alsa

Gre

wia

sub

inae

qual

isPh

alsa

Cul

tivat

edA

jmer

Raj

asth

an26

.5074

.43

4M

D-0

8/8

5617

77Ph

alsa

Gre

wia

sub

inae

qual

isPh

alsa

Wild

Bika

ner

Raj

asth

an28

.0673

.21

Tab

le 2

0. P

assp

ort d

ata

of G

rewi

a su

bina

equa

lis (P

hals

a) g

erm

plas

m co

llect

ed fr

om R

ajas

than

92


93


3.10 Madhuca indica (Mahua)

Botanical name: Madhuca indica J. F. Gmel, syn. M. latifolia Macb.; Bassialatifolia Roxb.)

Common name: English - Indian Butter Tree ; Vernacular : Mahua, Mahuda

Family: Sapotaceae

Origin and distribution: M. indica originated in Indo-China region and spread uptoAustralia. In India it is found in semi-deciduous dry forests of western, central andsouthern India mainly in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, UttarPradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Trees of mahua areretained and preserved in the farmer’s field and marginal lands due to its commercialimportance. Therefore, large number of trees exist in the villages or panchayat lands ofthese states besides large populations in the forests of these states. In south India M.longifolia var. latifolia is found which is very common in western Ghats from Konkanarea to Kerala.

General description: M. indica is a medium to large deciduous, fast growing treeupto 20m height (Fig. 22A). Tree possesses evergreen or semi-evergreen leaves whichcluster near ends of branches, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, pubescent and turn to glabrousat maturity. Young leaves are pinkish red. Flowers white to cream colour with tubular,fleshy and juicy corolla, clustered at the end of branches. Fruits berry ovoid, green atmaturity and turn pinkish yellow when ripe. Fruits are pulpy with large ovoid seed,number of seeds vary from 1 to 4, seed color brown to black. Fruits occur in single orbunches up to 30-40 (Fig. 22D). Leaf fall takes place between February to April andat the same time flowering commences. Fruits mature generally in the months of May-June. Tree blooms at night and in early morning hours flowers fall on the ground andcollected by local tribal population for commercial use. In south India M. longifoliavar. latifolia is present. There is very less difference in the tree morphology in twospecies except the shape of leaves which is linear lanceolate. This species flowers inNovember-December.

94


Propagation: Mahua is propagated by seeds, which can be put for germinationimmediately after depulping from mature fruits. Seeds are highly recalcitrant and showvivipary (start germinating within ripe fruit). Vegetative propagation methods havealso been developed using soft wood grafting, wedge grafting, veneer grafting and airlayering with varying success. Recently vegetative means of softwood grafting with70-80% success (Singh and Ravishankar, 2010), grafting with 70% success (Singh etal., 2010) and veneer grafting with 90% success (Singh et al., 1999) has been reported.A 80% success in veneer grafting followed by cleft has been achieved at CISH,Lucknow. As no organized commercial cultivation of mahua is undertaken at present,there is not much demand for planting material and trees are naturally grown by seeds.

Cultivars/selections: There are no improved cultivars or varieties released in mahua,however, there are some selections identified based on period of fruit maturity by(Singh, 1999), three categories, early (NM- 2), mid (NM-7) and late season (NM- 4and 9) have been categorized. Similarly, some selections have also been made bySingh et al. (2008) based on physico-chemical characterization of germplasm collectedfrom Panchmahal district of Gujarat. Under the NOVOD Board funded NationalNetwork Project, some selections have been made which possess about 45% oilcontent.

Important uses: Every part of mahua tree is used for economical purposes by thelocal people. In some tribal districts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar this tree with other two treespecies namely tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) and chironji (Buchanania lanzan)plays an important role in the economy of tribal people. Their livelihood is based onthe products of these species which are collected from the forests and sold in localmarket. The bark of mahua is used to cure leprosy and to heal wounds. Flowers ofmahua are of high economic value and collected fresh in the morning (Fig. 22B).These flowers are eaten fresh and dried for use in preparation of various dishes. Mostlythe dried flowers are used for distillation of “Mahua Liquor” which is very common inthe tribal areas (Fig.22C). Mahua flowers yield alcohol @ 340 litres/ tonne flower.Fruit pulp may also be used for alcohol production. Flowers are used as feed forlivestock. The flowers are prepared to relieve coughs, biliousness and heart-trouble,while the fruit is given in cases of consumption and blood diseases. Ripe fruits ofmahua are nutritious and are eaten raw or cooked and pulp after extraction of seeds isfed to cattle also (Fig. 22F). Seeds are of high economic value as used for the oilextraction. Kernel oil (solid at ambient temperature) is used for skin care and formanufacture of soaps, detergents and used as a vegetable butter. The oil content of theseed varies from 33 to 43% of the kernel weight. Linoleic acid is the major unsaturated

95


fatty acid found in pure oil which helps to reduce cholesterol level. There is lack oforganized marketing process for mahua produce, it being essentially a forest crop tillnow. Only local middlemen purchase the dehulled kernels from villages and supply towholesale markets who supply them to expellers. Oil can also be used as a fuel oil.The seed cake is a good fertilizer.


Collection: Germplasm of Mahua have been collected from Uttar Pradesh, MadhyaPradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Jharkhand byvarious organizations. 153 accessions have been collected from various states.Recently, CHES (CIAH), Godhra collected 35 promising collections of Mahua fromGujarat and Singh et al. (1999) collected 9 genotypes of Mahua from Uttar Pradesh.At CISH, Lucknow, based on surveys made in different parts of Uttar Pradesh, 8accessions have been identified and collected (CISH, website). Studies on reproductivebiology has also been undertaken on these accessions. NBPGR, New Delhi havecollected 29 accessions of promising mahua variability from Madhya Pradesh andRajasthan (Fig. 23 and Table 21). One promising collection with prolific bearing andbunches of approximately 30- 40 fruits have been identified from Rajasthan.

Fig. 23. Collection sites of Mahua from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh andUttar Pradesh

RajasthanUttar

Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

96


Characterization: Mahua germplasm collected from various states have beencharacterized for various physico-chemical characters and field performance. Singhet al. (1999) based on fruit maturity grouped 9 genotypes in to three categories namelyearly, mid and late season types. Variation in TSS, acidity, vitamin C and vitamin A infruits and flowers have been reported. Singh et al. (2005) studied genetic divergencein 15 mahua genotypes and MH-32, MH-34, MH-35, MH-26, MH 27, MH 23 andMH 33 collections were reported to be promising in all the traits analyzed. Singh et al.(2005) also characterized and identified 20 accessions collected from Gujarat andcollections MH 10, MH 14, MH 35 and MH 63 have been found promising for allthe traits. 8 accessions of mahua have been characterized at CISH, Lucknow forvarious physico-chemical characters.

Conservation: Trees of mahua are growing naturally wild in the forest and marginallands. These trees are valuable and also treated as sacred in some parts of the country,therefore, protected by local people and forest department. Recently, some of thepromising accessions are being established in the field genebank at CHES (CIAH),Godhra and at CISH, Lucknow. Mostly plus trees are also conserved at variousforest nurseries in mahua growing states.

Mahua seeds have been reported to have a very short life of 20 days after harvest(Vanangamudi and Palanisamy, 1989) when viability is lost completely. The seeds areshed at high moisture content (above 50%) and high viability 90-100% and aredesiccation sensitive (Varghese et al, 2002). Seeds desiccated to 37.7% lostgerminability by 11% and those desiccated to between 14 to 16% moisture lostgerminability by 90% of the original (Varghese et al, 2002). Maximum longevity of 30days is reported when undried seeds are stored at 15OC temperature.

True recalcitrant seed storage behavior of mahua seeds have been confirmed byour studies at NBPGR. Seeds were desiccation sensitive as seeds at CMC showeddecline in viability to 40% and after cryostorage to 80% (Table 4). However, embryonicaxes at CMC of 20.5% showed viability percentages of 35% and 12.5% before andafter cryostorage, respectively. Based on this cryoprotocol, 2 accessions of Madhucaindica and 12 accessions of M. longifolia have been cryostored (Table 5).

97


Tabl

e 21.

Pas

spor

t dat

a of

Mad

huca

indi

ca (M

ahua

) ger

mpl

asm

colle

cted

from

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

and

Raj

asth

an

S.N

o.C

olle

ctor

ICCr

opBo

tani

cal N

ame

Vern

a-Bi

olo-

Dis

tric

tSt

ate

Lati-

Long

i-N

umbe

rN

umbe

rN

ame

cula

rgi

cal

tude

tude

Nam

eSt

atus

1M

D-0

6/16

5460

99M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.33

74.77

2M

D-3

0343

6991

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Rai

sen

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.50

77.58

3M

D-3

0443

6992

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Rai

sen

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.50

77.58

4M

D-3

0843

6996

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Hos

hang

abad

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.00

78.22

5M

D-3

1043

6998

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Hos

hang

abad

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.00

78.22

6M

D-3

1743

7005

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Saga

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.4278

.357

MD

-318

4370

06M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildSa

gar

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.42

78.35

8M

D-3

1943

7007

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Saga

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.4278

.359

MD

-321

4370

09M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildSa

gar

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.56

78.11

10M

D-3

2243

7010

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Pann

aM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.3479

.8111

MD

-06/

3054

6113

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Chi

ttorg

arh

Raj

asth

an24

.9474

.5012

NSP

/39

5483

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Nee

mac

hM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.3374

.77O

PD-0

3/11

13N

SP/

3954

84M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildR

aise

nM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.5077

.58O

PD-0

3/12

14N

SP/

3954

85M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildR

aise

nM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.5077

.58O

PD-0

3/13

15N

SP/

3954

87M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildH

osha

ngab

adM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.0078

.22O

PD-0

3/15

16N

SP/

3954

88M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildH

osha

ngab

adM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.0078

.22O

PD-0

3/16

17N

SP/

3954

89M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildSa

gar

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.42

78.35

OPD

-03/

1718

NSP

/39

5490

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Saga

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.4278

.35O

PD-0

3/18

98


19N

SP/

3954

82M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildSa

gar

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.42

78.35

OPD

-03/

1020

NSP

/39

5486

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Saga

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.5678

.11O

PD-0

3/14

21N

SP/

3954

75M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildPa

nna

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.34

79.81

OPD

-03/

322

NSP

/39

5478

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Chi

ttorg

arh

Raj

asth

an24

.9474

.50O

PD-0

3/6

23N

SP/

3954

79M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildC

hatta

rpur

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

25.12

79.32

OPD

-03/

724

NSP

/39

5491

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h25

.1179

.67O

PD-0

3/19

25N

SP/

3954

92M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildC

hatta

rpur

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.86

79.08

OPD

-03/

2026

NSP

/39

5476

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.8679

.08O

PD-0

3/4

27N

SP/

3954

77M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildC

hatta

rpur

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.84

79.94

OPD

-03/

528

NSP

/39

5480

Mah

uaM

adhu

ca i

ndic

aM

ahua

Wild

Cha

ttarp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.6179

.75O

PD-0

3/8

29N

SP/

3954

81M

ahua

Mad

huca

ind

ica

Mah

uaW

ildC

hatta

rpur

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.58

79.22

OPD

-03/

9

99


100


Botanical name: Manilkara hexandra (Roxb.) Dubard, syn. Mimusops indica A.DC.

Common name: Khirni, Ryan, Raina

Family: Sapotaceae

Origin and distribution: M. hexandra is an indigenous tree to India (Stewart andBrandis, 1992). It is found wild in the forests of South India, North-central India,parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. In India this species is generally cultivated near villages,backyards and homestead gardens mostly in the parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat,Rajasthan and Vidharbha region of Maharashtra and also found as natural wildpopulations.

General description: The tree is medium to large size attaining 50-60 ft. height withen erect trunk, evergreen with spreading growth habit forming a large shady head (Fig.24A). Leaves coriaceous, shining, glabrous, blade 2-4 inches long, obovate-oblongobtuse, petiole upto 1 inch long. Flowers whitish, in axillary fascicles of 3-6 flowers,peduncles shorter than petioles. It bears yellow shining, oval, sweet edible berry fruitswith one or more seeds (Fig. 24B). Tree is well adapted to arid and semi-arid conditionsand can tolerate drought conditions. Flowering in the month of October-Novemberand fruit setting during April-May. It is highly heterozygous tree and as such seedlingsexhibit a wide range of variations, which aids in the selection of the superior desirablegenotypes. Vast genetic variability in tree shape, size and canopy is existing in India.This tree is commonly used as commercial rootstock for sapota.

Propagation: The tree is generally propagated by seeds. Recently vegetativepropagation methods have also been attempted using softwood grafting and veneergrafting with 75% success (Singh and Ravishankar, 2010). Bed grafting is also beingattempted for vegetative propagation of trees by some private nurseries in Gujarat tosupply quality planting material to farmers (Fig. 24E). Work on developing suitablevegetative propagation methods for multiplication of some elite selections is in progressat CHES (CIAH), Godhra and CISH, Lucknow.

3.11 Manilkara hexandra (Khirni)

101


Cultivars/selections: There is no identified cultivars or selections available in khirnitill now. Recently at CHES (CIAH), Godhra and CISH, Lucknow some promisingseedlings have been identified and established in the field of genbank for evaluation.Due to cross pollination and predomination of seed propagation over a long period oftime in khirni, it gives immense opportunity to select elite trees having promisinghorticultural traits. In spite of the fact that khirni can withstand adverse climatic conditionsand be grown in various types of soil, no attempts to improve its varietal wealth havebeen made under semi arid regions.

Important uses: Fruits and bark of this tree species have economical value as maturefresh fruits are very sweet and eaten raw as well as after drying and bark is used forseveral medicinal purposes. The seeds contain approximately 25% oil which is usedfor cooking purposes. The fruit is good source of iron, sugars, minerals, protein andcarbohydrate etc. It is commercially used as a rootstock for vegetative propagation ofsapota in different parts of the country. In the tribal area of Rajasthan, Gujarat andMadhya Pradesh this tree plays very important role in the socio-economy and livelihoodsecurity of small and landless farmers. Tribals in these villages are collecting fruitsfrom these natural wild trees and selling in the nearby market (Fig. 24C) at the cost ofRs. 30-40/- per kg and each tree provides fruits worth of Rs. 500-2,000/- to a tribalfamily, which is a substantial support to them. Fresh fruits are consumed by wholefamily which provides good nutritional support especially the requirement of vitamin Ais fullfilled in the children. These fruits being very rich in vitamin A (675 IU) work as a“Vitamin A “capsules for tribal people.


Collection: Specific exploration and collection missions were undertaken in the westand central Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh for the surveyand collection of M. hexandra during April-May in collaboration with CHES (CIAH),Godhra. 64 diverse accessions were collected from 12 districts of these three states(Table 22 & Fig. 26). These collections were made from wild and semi-wild treesgrowing in the forest areas, marginal forest lands, homestead gardens and farmersfields. Khirni trees have been found to be concentrated in the specific areas forming apopulation of different sizes. Survey and collection of this species revealed basically6-7 major populations existing in the explored area where 20 or more trees weregrowing as a natural wild population at a single location. Largest population of morethan 700 trees with vast genetic variability was located near Pritam Pura, in Ratlamdistrict of Madhya Pradesh where trees of this species were spread in few kilometresand all possible variability was recorded in trees size, shape, fruiting behaviour, fruitingtime, fruit shape, size, taste etc. Besides this location, Panchmahal, Dahod and

102


Sambarkanta district of Gujarat, Neemach district (Rampura area) and Dhar district(Mandu area) of Madhya Pradesh, and Sirohi district of Rajasthan posses small tomedium sized populations comprising 20 to 100 trees of this species. Germplasm ofkhirni has also been collected by CHES (CIAH), Godhra and CISH, Lucknow fromGujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Chanderi area, Guna and Ashoknagardistricts of Madhya Pradesh are also rich in khirni diversity. In the farmer’s fieldsoccasionally few trees were found to exist. No commercial or organised cultivation ofthis fruit species was observed in the area surveyed. All the trees observed were veryold (50-150 years), young trees were very rare.

Characterization: A large germplasm totalling 47 accessions were scored for 8characters encompassing fruit length, width, weight, TSS, seed length, width, weightand pulp weight (Table 23). A large variability was recorded in almost all the fruitcharacters (Fig. 25). Fruit length x width ranged from lowest values of 0.85 cm x 0.28cm to highest values of 2.5 cm x 2.82 cm. Fruit weight of smallest fruit was 0.64 gmand highest was 7 times higher which was 4.13 gm. TSS value ranged from 15.60 to31.80 OB which is twice that of lowest value. Seed length x width ranged from 0.75cm x 0.41 cm to 1.48cm x 1.54 cm. Seed weight showed variation as smallest seeds

Fig. 26. Collection sites of khirni from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh

Rajasthan

Madhya PradeshGujarat

103


weighed 0.11 gm and heaviest weighed 0.45 gm. The pulp weight had large variationas it ranged from 0.52 to 3.79 gm, a variation which is about 7 times. The accessionswith heaviest fruits were IC584560, IC584558 and IC584569. The heaviest fruitswith high TSS were found in accession IC584560. In terms of pulp weight IC584561and IC584558 had high values and showed large fruits. Detailed characterizationdata is given table 23. Germplasm of khirni has also been characterized for variousphysico-chemical characters a CHES (CIAH), Godhra and CISH, Lucknow. Fieldevaluation of some of the promising accessions is also continued at CHES (CIAH),Godhra.

Conservation: There is an urgent need to maintain ex situ germplasm collection ofkhirni as no much work has been undertaken on conservation of this importantunderutilized fruit species. Some of the elite accessions collected from Panchmahaldistrict of Gujarat has been established at CHES (CIAH), Godhra besides this somecollections are being maintained at CISH, Lucknow.

As far as conservation in the genebank is concerned diversity collected at NBPGRhas been conserved in the cryogenebank at NBPGR through seeds. Seeds showedintermediate seed storage behaviour as longevity is short (upto 4 months). Freshlyshed seeds had 37% moisture and 86% germinability (Table 3). Seeds showed 15-20% decline in viability after desiccation and LN exposure. Seeds desiccated to 10%moisture showed 52% survival after cryopreservation. A total of 46 accessions ofdiverse germplasm have been successfully cryostored in the cryogenebank (Table 5).

104


Tabl

e 22.

Pas

spor

t dat

a of

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

ra (K

hirn

i) ge

rmpl

asm

colle

cted

from

var

ious

stat

es

S.N

o.C

olle

ctor

ICC

rop

Vern

a-B

iolo

-D

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

ti-L

ongi

-N

umbe

rN

umbe

rN

ame

Bot

anic

al N

ame

cula

rgi

cal

tude

tude

Nam

eSt

atus

1M

D-1

0/19

5845

68K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildPa

nchm

ahal

Guj

arat

22.4

373

.42

2M

D-1

0/20

5845

69K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildPa

nchm

ahal

Guj

arat

22.5

273

.41

3M

D-1

0/5

5845

54K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSa

bark

anth

aG

ujar

at23

.58

73.1

6

4M

D-1

0/6

5845

55K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSa

bark

anth

aG

ujar

at23

.58

73.1

6

5M

D-1

0/7

5845

56K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSa

bark

anth

aG

ujar

at23

.58

73.1

6

6M

D-1

3939

5853

Khi

rni

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

raR

oyan

aW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at22

.11

73.3

1

7M

D-1

4039

5854

Khi

rni

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

raR

oyan

aW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at22

.24

73.5

5

8M

DS-

10/1

058

4559

Khi

rni

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

raR

ayan

Wild

Panc

hmah

alG

ujar

at22

.34

73.3

0

9M

DS-

10/1

158

4560

Khi

rni

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

raR

ayan

Wild

Panc

hmah

alG

ujar

at22

.26

73.2

8

10M

DS-

10/1

258

4561

Khi

rni

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

raR

ayan

Wild

Panc

hmah

alG

ujar

at22

.35

73.2

5

11M

DS-

10/1

358

4562

Khi

rni

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

raR

ayan

Wild

Panc

hmah

alG

ujar

at22

.37

73.2

5

12M

DS-

10/1

458

4563

Khi

rni

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

raR

ayan

Wild

Dah

odG

ujar

at22

.37

73.5

2

13M

DS-

10/1

558

4564

Khi

rni

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

raR

ayan

Wild

Dah

odG

ujar

at22

.37

73.5

2

14M

DS-

10/8

5845

57K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildPa

nchm

ahal

Guj

arat

22.3

773

.29

105


15M

DS-

10/9

5845

58K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildPa

nchm

ahal

Guj

arat

22.3

473

.30

16M

D-1

0/21

5845

70K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildJh

abua

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.5

374

.33

17M

D-1

0/22

5845

71K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildJh

abua

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.0

675

.13

18M

D-1

0/23

5845

72K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildJh

abua

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

23.0

675

.13

19M

D-1

0/24

5845

73K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildR

atla

mM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.06

75.1

3

20M

D-1

0/25

5845

74K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildR

atla

mM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.06

75.1

3

21M

D-1

0/26

5845

75K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildR

atla

mM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.06

75.1

3

22M

D-1

0/27

5845

76K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildR

atla

mM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.06

75.1

3

23M

D-1

0/28

5845

77K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildR

atla

mM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.06

75.1

3

24M

D-1

0/29

5845

78K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildR

atla

mM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.06

75.1

3

25M

D-1

0/30

5845

79K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildR

atla

mM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h23

.06

75.1

3

26M

D -

804

5529

11K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at21

.83

73.2

0

27M

D -

807

5529

14K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildB

haru

chG

ujar

at21

.75

73.1

2

28M

D -

808

5529

15K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildB

haru

chG

ujar

at21

.82

73.1

7

29M

D -

809

5529

16K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildB

haru

chG

ujar

at21

.82

73.1

7

30M

D -

810

5529

17K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildB

haru

chG

ujar

at21

.82

73.1

7

31M

D -

811

5529

18K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildB

haru

chG

ujar

at21

.82

73.1

7

32M

D -

846

5529

53K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildD

ahod

Guj

arat

22.8

273

.98

106


33M

D -

850

5529

57K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildPa

nchm

ahal

Guj

arat

22.6

873

.52

34M

D -

854

5529

61K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at22

.55

73.2

2

35M

D-2

439

5738

Khi

rni

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

raR

oyan

aW

ildPa

nchm

ahal

Guj

arat

22.6

273

.69

36M

D-8

339

5797

Khi

rni

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

raR

oyan

aW

ildK

hand

wa

Guj

arat

21.9

673

.43

37M

D -

819

5529

26K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildD

har

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.3

875

.40

38M

D -

820

5529

27K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildD

har

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.3

875

.40

39M

D -

821

5529

28K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildD

har

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.3

875

.40

40M

D -

822

5529

29K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildD

har

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

22.3

875

.40

41M

D -

824

5529

31K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Khi

rni

Wild

Dha

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.32

75.4

0

42M

D -

828

5529

35K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

ana

Wild

Nee

mac

hM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.47

75.2

8

43M

D -

831

5529

38K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

775

.43

44M

D -

832

5529

39K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

775

.43

45M

D -

833

5529

40K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

775

.43

46M

D -

834

5529

41K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

775

.43

47M

D -

835

5529

42K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

775

.43

48M

D -

836

5529

43K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

775

.43

49M

D -

837

5529

44K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

775

.43

50M

D -

838

5529

45K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

775

.43

107


51M

D -

839

5529

46K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

775

.43

52M

D -

840

5529

47K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

775

.43

53M

D-0

6/10

5460

93K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

174

.93

54M

D-0

6/11

5460

94K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

174

.93

55M

D-0

6/12

5460

95K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

174

.93

56M

D-0

6/9

5460

92K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildN

eem

ach

Mad

hya

Prad

esh

24.4

174

.93

57M

D-0

6/36

5461

19K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSi

rohi

Raj

asth

an25

.17

73.0

8

58M

D-0

6/38

5461

21K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSi

rohi

Raj

asth

an24

.95

72.6

4

59M

D-0

6/40

5461

23K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSi

rohi

Raj

asth

an24

.95

72.6

4

60M

D-0

6/41

5461

24K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSi

rohi

Raj

asth

an24

.85

72.7

7

61M

D-0

6/42

5461

25K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSi

rohi

Raj

asth

an24

.85

72.7

7

62M

D-0

6/43

5461

26K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSi

rohi

Raj

asth

an24

.85

72.8

7

63M

D-0

6/44

5461

27K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSi

rohi

Raj

asth

an24

.85

72.8

7

64M

D-0

6/46

5461

29K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Ray

anW

ildSi

rohi

Raj

asth

an24

.85

72.8

7

65M

KD

-105

5240

61K

hirn

iM

anilk

ara

hexa

ndra

Khi

rni

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

27.8

676

.32

108


Tabl

e 23.

Cha

ract

eriz

atio

n of

Man

ilkar

a he

xand

ra (K

hirn

i) ge

rmpl

asm

bas

ed o

n fr

uits

and

seed

s cha

ract

ers

S.C

oll.

No

IC N

o.Fr

uit

Seed

No.

Leng

th (c

m)

Wid

th (c

m)

Weig

ht (g

)T

SSLe

ngth

(cm

)W

idth

(cm

)W

eight

(g)

Pulp

wt (

gm)

1M

D-8

0455

2911

2.00

(±0.

06)

1.09

(±0.

02)

1.40

(±0.

10)

25.2

0 (±

0.33

)1.

26 (±

0.02

)1.

28 (±

0.09

)0.

18 (±

0.01

)1.

22 (±

0.09

)

2M

D-8

0755

2914

2.26

(±0.

13)

2.24

(±0.

08)

1.12

(±0.

07)

30.0

0 (±

0.00

)1.

48 (±

0.06

)1.

28 (±

0.04

)0.

23 (±

0.01

)1.

29 (±

0.25

)

3M

D-8

0955

2916

1.62

(±0.

08)

2.78

(±0.

12)

1.11

(±0.

12)

26.0

0 (±

0.63

)1.

34 (±

0.05

)1.

54 (±

0.05

)0.

20 (±

0.01

)0.

92 (±

0.11

)

4M

D-8

1055

2917

2.00

(±0.

07)

1.18

(±0.

01)

1.84

(±0.

07)

29.0

0 (±

0.40

)1.

31 (±

0.01

)0.

66 (±

0.02

)0.

15 (±

0.01

)1.

69 (±

0.06

)

5M

D-8

1155

2918

1.89

(±0.

03)

1.17

(±0.

01)

1.64

(±0.

10)

26.2

0 (±

0.95

)1.

22 (±

0.05

)1.

26 (±

0.1)

0.14

(±0

.00)

1.50

(±0.

10)

6M

D-1

955

2926

0.85

(±0.

15)

0.63

(±0.

01)

0.97

(±0.

09)

23.0

0 (±

2.28

)0.

75 (±

0.12

)0.

55 (±

0.02

)0.

17 (

±0.0

1)0.

80 (±

0.09

)

7M

D-2

055

2927

1.56

(±0.

06)

2.48

(±0.

17)

1.20

(±0.

08)

27.0

0 (±

0.63

)1.

06 (±

0.02

)1.

28 (±

0.04

)0.

17 (±

0.01

)1.

03 (±

0.08

)

8M

D-2

155

2928

2.13

8 (±

0.11

)1.

14 (±

0.09

)1.

89 (±

0.31

)28

.00

(±1.

10)

1.30

(±0.

01)

0.64

(±0.

00)

0.24

(±0.

01)

1.62

(±0.

30)

9M

D-2

255

2929

2.04

(±0.

04)

2.9

(±0.

09)

1.86

(±0.

07)

30.0

0 (±

0.33

)1.

38 (±

0.03

)1.

24 (±

0.05

)0.

23 (±

0.01

)1.

29 (±

0.08

)

10M

D-2

455

2931

2.04

(±0.

04)

2.9

(±0.

09)

1.74

(±0.

08)

28.0

0 (±

1.10

)1.

42 (±

0.05

)1.

40 (±

0.00

)0.

15 (

±0.0

2)1.

04 (±

0.22

)

11M

D-2

855

2935

2.4

(±0.

14)

2.58

(±0.

17)

1.19

(±0.

23)

21.8

0 (±

2.22

)1.

2 (±

0.06

)1.

16 (±

0.07

)0.

15 (±

0.01

)1.

67 (±

0.13

)

109


12M

D-3

155

2938

2.14

(±0.

03)

1.31

(±0.

02)

1.82

(±0.

14)

30.0

0 (±

0.00

)1.

38 (±

0.03

)1.

24 (±

0.05

)0.

20 (±

0.00

)0.

83 (±

0.08

)

13M

D-3

255

2939

1.66

(±0.

05)

1.31

(±0.

24)

1.03

(±0.

08)

30.0

0 (±

0.00

)1.

23 (±

0.05

)1.

02 (±

0.08

)0.

14 (±

0.01

)0.

81 (±

0.07

)

14M

D-3

355

2940

1.38

(±0.

05)

2.68

(±0.

24)

0.95

(±0.

06)

19.0

0 (±

1.67

)0.

98 (±

0.07

)1.

04 (±

0.04

)0.

17 (±

0.01

)0.

69 (±

0.06

)

15M

D-3

455

2941

1.86

(±0.

05)

1.76

(±0.

13)

0.86

(±0.

06)

20.4

0 (±

1.08

)1.

13 (±

0.06

)1.

00 (±

0.04

)0.

11 (±

0.02

)0.

91 (±

0.13

)

16M

D-3

555

2942

1.84

(±0.

07)

2.82

(±0.

18)

1.02

(±0.

14)

30.0

0 (±

0.00

)1.

12 (±

0.12

)0.

90 (±

0.1)

0.17

(±0.

002)

0.44

8 (±

0.07

)

17M

D-3

655

2943

1.42

(±0.

02)

1.64

(±0.

13)

0.61

(±0.

07)

29.2

0 (±

0.33

)1.

08 (±

0.03

)1.

12 (±

0.04

)0.

22 (±

0.01

)1.

56 (±

0.25

)

18M

D-3

755

2944

1.6

(±0.

08)

2.8

(±0.

22)

1.78

(±0.

26)

29.4

0 (±

0.54

)1.

04 (±

0.02

)1.

2 0(

±0.0

8)0.

18 (±

0.01

)1.

14 (±

0.05

)

19M

D-3

855

2945

1.61

(±0.

04)

1.27

(±0.

01)

1.32

(±0.

06)

20.4

0 (±

1.08

)1.

03 (±

0.13

)0.

62 (±

0.02

)0.

18 (±

0.01

)1.

23 (±

0.19

)

20M

D -3

955

2946

1.46

(±0.

06)

2.64

(±0.

22)

1.41

(±0.

20)

29.4

0 (±

0.36

)1.

24 (±

0.09

)1.

14 (±

0.09

)0.

15 (±

0.01

)0.

62 (±

0.12

)

21M

D -4

055

2947

1.74

(±0.

05)

1.52

(±0.

15)

0.77

(±0.

13)

28.0

0 (±

1.10

)1.

3 (±

0.06

)1.

08 (±

0.07

)0.

15 (±

0.01

)0.

59 (±

0.08

)

22M

D-4

655

2953

1.7

(±0.

05)

1.76

(±0.

13)

0.74

(±0.

09)

29.2

0 (±

0.33

)1.

32 (±

0.03

)1.

16 (±

0.07

)0.

22 (±

0.01

)1.

74 (±

0.09

)

23M

D-5

055

2957

2.26

(±0.

04)

2.56

(±0.

07)

1.96

(±0.

09)

25.2

0 (±

0.33

)1.

36 (±

0.06

)1.

36 (±

0.04

)0.

18 (±

0.01

)1.

22 (±

0.09

)

24M

D-5

455

2961

2.00

(±0.

06)

1.09

(±0.

02)

1.40

(±0.

10)

30.0

0 (±

0.00

)1.

26 (±

0.02

)1.

28 (±

0.09

)0.

19 (±

0.01

)1.

67 (±

0.06

)

25M

D-1

0/5

5845

542.

20 (±

0.06

)1.

22 (±

0.02

)2.

14 (±

0.09

)25

.00

(±0.

06)

1.11

(±0.

02)

0.41

(±0.

02)

0.16

(±0.

02)

1.99

(±0.

99)

110


26M

D-1

0/6

5845

551.

38 (±

0.02

)1.

08 (±

0.04

)1.

16 (±

0.02

)31

.40

(±0.

36)

1.01

(±0.

01)

0.58

(±0.

02)

0.14

(±0.

01)

1.02

(±0.

03)

27M

D-1

0/7

5845

561.

46 (±

0.02

)1.

08 (±

0.02

)1.

25 (±

0.06

)28

.00

(±0.

57)

1.11

(±0.

01)

0.64

(±0.

01)

0.14

(±0.

01)

1.11

(±0.

05)

28M

DS-

10/8

5845

571.

94 (±

0.06

)1.

36 (±

0.05

)2.

67 (±

0.07

)36

.80

(±1.

11)

1.29

(±0.

02)

0.70

(±0.

02)

0.33

(±0.

05)

2.34

(±0.

04)

29M

DS-

10/9

5845

582.

08 (±

0.05

)1.

48 (±

0.04

)2.

99 (±

0.12

)28

.40

(±0.

61)

1.27

(±0.

03)

0.76

(±0.

01)

0.45

(±0.

12)

2.76

(±0.

12)

30M

DS-

10/1

058

4559

2.34

(±0.

09)

1.36

(±0.

04)

2.77

(±0.

16)

31.6

0 (±

1.76

)1.

45 (±

0.02

)0.

70 (±

0.02

)0.

25 (±

0.01

)2.

52 (±

0.16

)

31M

DS-

10/1

158

4560

1.94

(±0.

05)

1.08

(±0.

04)

1.75

(±0.

10)

31.8

0 (±

0.52

)1.

28 (±

0.02

)0.

61 (±

0.01

)0.

1 9

±0.0

0)1.

56 (±

0.10

32M

DS-

10/1

258

4561

2.50

(±0.

05)

1.54

(±0.

02)

4.13

(±0.

20)

25.6

0 (±

0.46

)1.

28 (±

0.02

)0.

86 (±

0.01

)0.

34 (±

0.02

)3.

79 (±

0.18

)

33M

DS-

10/1

358

4562

2.38

(±0.

05)

0.88

(±0.

02)

1.36

(±0.

02)

24.8

0 (±

0.33

)1.

35 (±

0.03

)0.

57 (±

0.01

)0.

18 (±

0.01

)1.

18 (±

0.03

)

34M

DS-

10/1

458

4563

2.04

(±0.

11)

1.18

(±0.

05)

1.97

(±0.

19)

19.4

0 (±

1.19

)1.

36 (±

0.04

)0.

59 (±

0.02

)0.

16 (±

0.01

)1.

81 (±

0.19

)

35M

DS-

10/1

558

4564

1.35

(±0.

05)

0.91

(±0.

04)

0.82

(±0.

09)

25.6

0 (±

1.19

)0.

97 (±

0.05

)0.

51 (±

0.02

)0.

08 (±

0.01

)0.

73 (±

0.08

)

36M

D-1

0/19

5845

681.

76 (±

0.05

)1.

09 (±

0.03

)1.

38 (±

0.09

)18

.00

(±3.

03)

1.31

(±0.

04)

0.64

(±0.

03)

0.18

(±0

.02)

1.20

(±0

.08)

37M

D-1

0/20

5845

691.

79 (±

0.09

)1.

13 (±

0.04

)1.

71 (±

0.18

)27

.80

(±0.

77)

1.29

(±0.

02)

0.66

(±0.

02)

0.18

(±0.

02)

1.53

(±0.

16)

38M

D-1

0/21

5845

701.

62 (±

0.05

)0.

76 (±

0.07

)0.

64 (±

0.08

)15

.60

(±1.

61)

1.13

(±0.

05)

0.52

(±0.

01)

0.11

(±0.

00)

0.52

(±0.

08)

39M

D-1

0/22

5845

711.

45 (±

0.04

)1.

18 (±

0.04

)1.

48 (±

0.17

)24

.80

(±2.

29)

0.99

(±0.

02)

0.60

(±0.

01)

0.11

(±0.

01)

1.36

(±0.

16)

111


40M

D-1

0/23

5845

721.

42 (±

0.01

)0.

87 (±

0.10

)1.

12 (±

0.11

)18

.00

(±2.

38)

1.12

(±0.

02)

0.59

(±0.

02)

0.15

(±0.

01)

0.95

(±0.

10)

41M

D-1

0/24

5845

731.

83 (±

0.04

)1.

12 (±

0.03

)1.

45 (±

0.10

)22

.80

(±1.

78)

1.26

(±0.

03)

0.63

(±0.

02)

0.19

(±0.

01)

1.26

(±0.

10)

42M

D-1

0/25

5845

741.

11 (±

0.08

)0.

58 (±

0.04

)1.

96 (±

0.15

)24

.20

(±3.

721.

19 (±

0.01

)0.

69 (±

0.01

)0.

18 (±

0.01

)1.

78 (±

0.16

)

43M

D-1

0/26

5845

751.

46 (±

0.03

)1.

27 (±

0.04

)1.

61 (±

0.09

)35

.00

(±0.

00)

0.87

(±0.

14)

0.56

(±0.

04)

0.12

(±0.

01)

1.49

(±0.

10)

44M

D-1

0/27

5845

761.

78 (±

0.04

)1.

28 (±

0.04

)1.

94 (±

0.17

)22

.40

(±2.

86)

1.17

(±0.

02)

0.63

(±0.

01)

0.18

(±0.

01)

1.76

(±0.

17)

45M

D-1

0/28

5845

771.

49 (±

0.08

)1.

00 (±

0.03

)1.

15 (±

0.09

)27

.00

(±2.

15)

1.16

(±0.

05)

0.62

(±0.

01)

0.16

(±0.

01)

0.95

(±0.

11)

46M

D-1

0/29

5845

781.

96 (±

0.06

)1.

28 (±

0.04

)0.

95 (±

0.11

)17

.80

(±4.

95)

1.32

(±0.

03)

0.62

(±0.

02)

0.20

(±0.

01)

0.75

(±0.

11)

47M

D-1

0/30

5845

791.

44 (±

0.03

)1.

00 (±

0.04

)0.

99 (±

0.07

)25

.80

(±1.

91)

1.04

(±0.

03)

0.61

(±0.

03)

0.16

(±0.

01)

0.83

(±0.

06)

112


113


114


Botanical name: Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth, syn. Mimosa dulcis Roxb.and Inga dulcis (Roxb.) Willd.

Common name: English- Manila tamarind, sweet inga; Vernacular - Jungle jalebi,mithi imali, mithi amli

Family: Fabaceae

Origin and distribution: Origin of this tree species is believed to be in the CentralAmerica, but it has been naturalized throughout Southeast Asia, especially in India,Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. It is found growing in many unattendedwaste areas of semi-arid parts of India. In India, it is common in dry places of Rajasthan,Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab.

General description: Manila tamarind is a small to medium sized tree, growing up to10 m height. The branches are pendulous and posses short, sharp, stipular spines atthe bases of leaves. Leaves are abruptly bipinnate and 4-8 cm long. Each single pair ofoblique, ovate, oblong leaflets is 1-4 cm long. The fruit is a pod and is turgid, twisted,and often spiral, 4-10 cm long, about 1-2 cm wide, and weights about 10-20 g (Fig.27A). It is dehiscent along the lower suture and the valve is pinkish-red or reddish-brown when ripe. The seeds are black, flat and shiny and 6-8 seeds are found perpod. The seed is surrounded by thick whitish and pulpy aril which is edible and sweetin taste. The pulp is generally pinkish white, sweet, dry and some time fluffy. The podsare usually picked by climbing the tree or using a long bamboo pole. When mature thepods split open at the lower suture exposing the edible pulp, therefore, cannot be keptfor long and has to be consumed within a few days. Fresh pods are consumed by localpeople or brought to the local market for selling (Fig. 27B).

Propagation: Propagation of Manila tamarind is through seeds, no vegetativepropagation is reported. Tree grows natural wild in the marginal and waste lands. Treeis very hardy and can grow well at low and medium altitudes in both wet and dry areasunder full sunlight.

3.12 Pithecellobium dulce (Manila tamarind)

115


Cultivars/selections: There are no identified cultivars or selections available in thisspecies as no organised cultivation is attempted by farmers. Tree is found growingwild in the fallow lands, marginal areas of farmer’s fields and also in the village forestarea. There is a need to identify suitable genotypes with big and sweet pods withprolific bearing to be propagated vegetatively by grafting or budding. These clonesmay be cultivated in home gardens and there are possibilities for commercialdevelopment of this species.

Important uses: The ripe pods of Manila tamarind are edible and pulp is consumedraw by tribals and local people (Fig. 27B). Fresh pods contain about 50% pulp whichis rich in protein, carbohydrate and fiber besides being good source of minerals andvitamins. Pods are collected by local people and tribals and sold in the local villagemarket. The seed contains about 70% kernel which is rich in protein and oil (upto20%). The seed oil contains 51.1 percent oleic acid, 24.0 percent linolic acid and24.3 percent saturated acids. The oil is edible and is used for the manufacture of soapand other purposes for which peanut oil may be used. Due to its high protein content,the seed meal may be used for animal feed (Gamo and Cruz, 1957).

Fig. 28. Collection sites of Manila tamarind from Rajasthan, Gujaratand Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Rajasthan

Gujarat

116



Collection: Germplasm of Manila tamarind have not been widely collected in India asthe crop has not been given much attention for horticulture. NBPGR, New Delhimade 13 collections from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and sizablevariability in fruit size, shape, colour and amount of pulp etc. was recorded in thecollected germplasm. There is still need to collect the variability from north, centraland western part of India for identification of promising genotypes with prolific fruiting,large pods, higher amount of pulp and sweetness. Detailed passport data is given intable 24 and collection sites in Fig. 28.

Characterization: The highly twisted attractive fruits showed an average length of 16cm (Table 25). The width of fruits varied from 1.46 to 4.10 cm. Weight of fruitsranged from 7.32 to 9.27 g. Seeds showed variation in terms of length x width rangingfrom 0.85 cm x 1.2 cm to 1.16 cm x 1.68 cm. Weight of seeds varied from 0.22 to1.22 g.

Conservation: Manila tamarind an exotic species and presently not much inportantas horticultural crop is a waste land tree species. There is need to identify superiortrees for prolific bearing and fruit quality and outstanding clones should be propagatedvegetatively by grafting and budding. Based on our studies at NBPGR, New Delhiorthodox seed storage behavior has been exhibited as seeds showed high tolerance todesiccation and freezing and 14 months storage period till 50% viability (Table 4).Freshly extracted seeds showed 38% moisture and 97% germinability. 14 accessionscollected from diverse habitats have been successfully cryostored (Table 5).

117


Tabl

e 24.

Pas

spor

t dat

a of

Pith

ecel

lobi

um d

ulce

(Man

ila ta

mar

ind)

ger

mpl

asm

colle

cted

from

var

ious

stat

es

S.

Col

lect

orIC

Cro

pB

otan

ical

Vern

a-B

iolo

-D

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

ti-Lo

ngi-

No.

Num

ber

Num

ber

Nam

e N

ame

cula

rgi

cal

tude

tude

Nam

eSt

atus

1M

D -

801

5529

08M

anila

tam

arin

dPi

thec

ello

bium

dulc

eG

oras

amal

iW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at21

.13

73.1

8

2M

D -

847

5529

54M

anila

tam

arin

dPi

thec

ello

bium

dulc

eG

oras

amal

iW

ildD

ahod

Guj

arat

22.6

274

.10

3M

D -

851

5529

58M

anila

tam

arin

dPi

thec

ello

bium

dulc

eG

oras

amal

iW

ildPa

nchm

ahal

Guj

arat

22.6

573

.52

4M

D-1

1039

5824

Man

ila ta

mar

ind

Pith

ecel

lobi

um du

lce

Gor

as am

ali

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

22.6

073

.39

5M

D-2

339

5737

Man

ila ta

mar

ind

Pith

ecel

lobi

um du

lce

Ghi

a to

riW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at22

.38

73.4

1

6M

D -

845

5529

52M

anila

tam

arin

dPi

thec

ello

bium

dulc

eVi

laya

ti am

bli

Wild

Man

dsau

rM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.03

75.0

3

7M

D-2

6642

3600

Man

ila ta

mar

ind

Pith

ecel

lobi

um du

lce

Jang

al ja

lebi

Wild

Uda

ipur

Raj

asth

an24

.45

73.7

9

8M

D-2

7242

3606

Man

ila ta

mar

ind

Pith

ecel

lobi

um du

lce

Jang

al ja

lebi

Wild

Dun

garp

urR

ajas

than

23.8

373

.71

9M

D-2

7342

3607

Man

ila ta

mar

ind

Pith

ecel

lobi

um du

lce

Jang

al ja

lebi

Wild

Dun

garp

urR

ajas

than

23.8

473

.72

10M

D-2

7642

3610

Man

ila ta

mar

ind

Pith

ecel

lobi

um du

lce

Jang

al ja

lebi

Wild

Dun

garp

urR

ajas

than

23.8

373

.71

11M

D-2

8042

3614

Man

ila ta

mar

ind

Pith

ecel

lobi

um du

lce

Jang

al ja

lebi

Wild

Dun

garp

urR

ajas

than

23.9

173

.52

12M

D-2

8842

3622

Man

ila ta

mar

ind

Pith

ecel

lobi

um du

lce

Jang

al ja

lebi

Wild

Dun

garp

urR

ajas

than

23.9

473

.85

13M

D-2

9042

3624

Man

ila ta

mar

ind

Pith

ecel

lobi

um du

lce

Jang

al ja

lebi

Wild

Dun

garp

urR

ajas

than

24.2

173

.63

118


Tabl

e 25

. Cha

ract

eriz

atio

n of

Pith

ecel

lobi

um d

ulce

(Man

ila ta

mar

ind)

ger

mpl

asm

bas

ed o

n fr

uits

and

see

dsch

arac

ters

S.N

oC

oll.

No

IC N

o.Fr

uit

Seed

Len

gth

(cm

)W

idth

(cm

)W

eigh

t (g

m)

Len

gth

(cm

)W

idth

(cm

)W

eigh

t (g

m)

1M

D-8

4755

2951

16.0

6(±2

.47)

4.10

(±0.

22)

7.32

(±1.

09)

0.85

(±0.

02)

1.20

(±0.

06)

1.22

(±0.

9)

2M

D-8

5155

2954

15.9

4(±0

.90)

1.46

(±0.

05)

9.27

(±0.

47)

1.16

(±0.

05)

1.68

(±0.

03)

0.22

(±0.

01)

119


120


Botanical name: Salvadora Linn. - S. oleoides Decne. and S. persica L.

Common name: S. oleoides Meetha jal, Pilu and S. persica, Khara jal, Miswak

Family: Salvadoraceae

Origin and distribution: Salvadora oleoides is distributed in tropical Africa andAsia, extending to Egypt, Mascarene Islands and China. These indigenous trees growon dry, saline and desert areas of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Gujaratand Madhya Pradesh. S. persica has wide adaptability from sand dunes of deserts(Fig .29A) to heavy soils, non-saline to highly saline soils and dry regions to marshyand waterlogged areas. It is extremely well adapted to arid conditions and is salttolerant as well as drought resistant. It is widely distributed in Rajasthan, Gujarat,Haryana, and Punjab and to some extent in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and TamilNadu. It is also found in the Sunderban mangroves of West Bengal and in the regionsof Chilka laggons. These species inhabit the saline and rocky soils (Bhandari, 1990)and are known to tolerate a very dry environment with mean rainfall of less than200mm. These species with Capparis decidua form the major arboreal part of theflora of Indian desert and is naturally acclimatized to a harsh climate.

General description: S.oleoides is a small evergreen tree with short, twisted trunkand drooping branches (Fig. 29B). It suffers considerably from frost. A dense, almostimpenetrable growth is often formed by a parent stem surrounded by a ring of root-suckers, while seedlings also spring up under its shade. Leaves are fleshy and pungentin smell, shape of the lamina is linear lenceolate, size ranges from 3-10 x 0.3-1.2 cm;flowers are sessile, greenish-white in colour, clustered; and inflorescence is of paniculatespike; fruit drupe, clustered, 0.40-0.45 cm in diameter, red, brown and yellow colourwhen ripe, pulp taste-sweet with pungency. Seeds hard black brown or light brown incolour, rich in oil.

S. persica is a perennial, much branched, evergreen, small or large tree (Fig. 30A)and found in the dry and arid regions of India and on saline lands. Leaves elliptic-ovateor ovate-lanceolate (Fig. 30C-inset), size ranges from 3-6 x 2-4 cm, not fleshy, notpungent; flowers are pedicillate, greenish yellow in colour, scattered; inflorescence is

3.13 Salvadora Species (Pilu andMiswak)

121


of lax panicles; fruit drupe, scattered, 0.30-0.33 cm in diameter, black to dark redwhen ripe, taste-sweet, aromatic. Seeds hard, different colour white, brown or black,rich in oil.

The two species differ morphologically in terms of leaves, flower and fruit thathave been well defined by Duthie (1960) and Bhandari (1990). The trees generallyflower in March-April and fruit in May-June (Fig. 29C,D; 30A,B,C). The treesregenerate by seeds and root suckers. However, Mertia and Kunhamu (2003) indicatednatural regeneration of plants from seeds to be rare probably due to coincidence ofseed maturity with onset of monsoon which results in considerable damage to theseeds through fungal attack.

Propagation: Natural regeneration is by seeds, coppice, natural layering and mostlyby root suckers. The seeds can not be reportedly stored as they do not retain viabilityand hence it is recommended that fruits are immediately depulped and used for obtainingseedlings (Hockings, 1993). No vegetative propagation method is reported as nocultivation of this species is in practice.

Cultivars/selections: Despite the great importance of Salvadora spp., attempts forits improvement and sustainable utilization are by and large lacking and has resulted ingradual decline of the trees from natural populations. There is need for identification ofsuitable genotypes and work in genetic improvement of these species for use inplantation, forestry and agroforestry system.

Important uses: Both the species are multipurpose (Anonymous, 1992) with allplant parts being used. They are medicinally important and possess pharmaceuticalapplications. Toothbrushes made from roots and small branches of S. persica havebeen used for over 1000 years for relieving toothache and gum diseases (Ramoliyaand Pandey, 2002). Seeds of the two species produce non-edible oil (30-50%) whichis extensively used in industrial production of soaps, cosmetics, paints, varnishes andlubricants (Singh et al, 1996) and also has medicinal properties like cure for piles,rheumatism, skin diseases, etc (Kumar and Rao, 2002). It is a good sand binder dueto the typical root system and suitable for growing in shelter belts and as wind breaksin desert tracts. The drupe fruits are sweet in taste and are a delicacy with the localpopulations. The fruit pulp contains glucose, fructose and sucrose in addition to highcalcium content. The oil contains lauric acid which forms the basic raw material forindustrial production of lauryl alcohol (Chatterjee and Pakrashi, 1995).

Indigenous traditional knowledge: In western Rajasthan fruits of S. oleoides(commonly called Mitha Jal) are plucked by local people especially children and womenfrom natural wild populations existing near their villages. Fruits are collected in the

122


especially made hanging pots which during collection of fruits are worn in the neck(Fig. 30D). Fruits are eaten fresh generally 5-6 fruits at a time. Fruits are dried for usein coming months. Fresh fruits preferably yellow ones are mixed with sugar balls andkept for few weeks. Later the mixture of pulp and sugar is filtered and concentratedliquid is used as medicine for asthma. Large scale production of pilu fruits in naturallygrowing trees with TSS as high as 20-25O B and attractive bright red and yellow fruitshas lot of potential for commercial exploitation which is till now completely neglected.


Collection: Around 25-30 natural populations of S. oleoides were surveyed duringlast 7 years in 12 districts of three states namely Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana forthe study of growth pattern, physical parameters and for the collection of variability.Climatic conditions of all the districts surveyed is typically arid characterized by extremesof temperature (less than +3OC in winters to above +49OC in summer), high windvelocity, severe drought and scanty rainfall (200-300 mm annually). Predominantlytrees occur as natural populations consisting of 50-500 trees in each population aged50-150 years. These populations are scattered throughout the north-west India (Fig.29A, 31).

Survey of these populations revealed rare presence of juvenile plants/ saplings inthe vicinity of mature trees. Several populations of pilu in the northwestern Haryana,area adjoining to National Capital Region has already suffered complete destructiondue to large scale urbanization. 59 accessions of these two species have been collectedfrom Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana (Table 26 and Fig. 31). Information gatheredfrom local people also revealed that these trees undergo profuse flowering but negligiblefruit setting has been seen during the last 10-12 years. The major reasons attributed tothese have been the changing environmental conditions.

Characterization: There are not much reports of characterization and evaluation ofSalvadora germplasm. Studies on seed variability in S. persica from Rajasthan wereconducted (Prakash et al., 2001). Extensive survey in Rajasthan and Haryana revealedvariability in ripe fruit colors of different trees. Shades of yellow, bright yellow, lightmaroon and maroon were observed. A total of 17 accessions of diverse Salvadoragermplasm were morphologically characterized for fruit and seed characters (Table27). The length and width of each fruit were same as the fruits were almost round inshape. The smallest fruits had length x width of 0.18 cm x 0.14 cm and largest fruitshad length x width of 0.29 cm x 0.31 cm. Heaviest fruits weighed 5.07 gm and lightestfruits weighed 0.85 gm which reflects a large variation. TSS in fruits varied from 16.25to 26.55 ºB. The seeds diameter ranged from 0.4 to 0.14 cm and weight from 0.31 to

123


0.57 gm. The most promising accessions having large fruits with high TSS are IC561781,561776 and 561783. There is still need to collect and characterize the germplasm ofthese species for the identification of superior trees for good quality fruits and high oilcontent in seeds. Presently there has been no attention paid by horticulturist to explorethe possibilities of exploitation of pilu as potential fruit for horticulture. Howerver, thefruits have good potential for processing as squash, jam, jelly etc. as fruit is highlyperishable with very short shelf life.

Conservation: Despite the great importance of S. oleoides, attempts for itsimprovement and sustainable utilization are by and large lacking and has resulted ingradual decline of the trees from natural population. Natural regeneration of plantsfrom seeds is rare probably due to coincidence of seed maturity with onset of monsoonwhich results in considerable damage to the seeds through fungal attack (Mertia andKunhamu, 2003). Gupta and Saxena (1968) and Hockings (1993) also reported only28 and 30% seed germination respectively in S. oleoides. Hockings (1993) further

Fig. 31. Collection sites of Salvadora species from Haryana,Rajasthan and Gujarat

Rajasthan

Gujarat

Haryana

124


reported that the seeds loose viability very soon and cannot be stored. Disappearanceof genetic diversity of this species acclimatized to such extreme climatic conditions willlead to an irreversible loss to plant genetic resources of this area affecting environmentand socio-economic losses.

Most of the studies pertaining to Salvadora have been conducted on chemicalcomposition of seed oil and juice and on nutritional and medicinal attributes.

In vitro multiplication of Salvadora using various explants like axillary buds andshoot tips has been attempted and an average of 5-10 shoots per explants weredeveloped which were transferred to soil after rooting and hardening (Mathur et al.,2002, Batra et al., 2001). Some problems have been highlighted during clonalpropagation including low micropropagation ability, lower rooting rates (Singh andGoyal, 2007).

In studies undertaken at NBPGR, seeds of S. persica and S. oleoides were foundto deteriorate rapidly after harvest and within 15 days germinability was reduced to50% with storage at temperatures of 10-15ºC, there was a rapid decline in viabilityand by 24th day of storage, viability was lost completely in all the samples. Freshlyharvested seeds showed 90% germinability and 26% moisture content. On desiccationto 9% moisture content a 16% and with freezing a 30% decline in viability was notedleading to its categorization as having recalcitrant seed storage behavior. Whole seedsdesiccated to 8% could be cryostored with 40% recovery. In view of this embryonicaxes were desiccated to 6% moisture and successfully cryopreserved with 60-80 %recovery. Excised embryotic axes from the stored seeds showed better viabilitypercentage in composition to whole seeds indicating the presence of some inhibitorysubstances in the cotyledons, leading to lower viability of seeds. A total of 23 accessionsof S. oleoides and 12 accessions of S. persica have been cryostored at NBPGR(Table 5).

125


Tab

le 2

6. P

assp

ort d

ata

of S

alva

dora

spec

ies g

erm

plas

m co

llect

ed fr

om v

ario

us st

ates

S.

Col

lect

orIC

Cro

pB

otan

ical

Vern

a-B

iolo

-D

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

ti-

Long

i-

No.

Num

ber

Num

ber

Nam

e N

ame

cula

rgi

cal

tude

tude

Nam

eSt

atus

1M

D-1

2539

5839

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esPe

elW

ildB

haru

chG

ujar

at21

.70

72.9

7

2M

KD

-10

3457

82Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Lal p

eel

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.2

276

.46

3M

KD

-100

5240

56Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Jal

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.1

776

.50

4M

KD

-11

3457

83Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Lal p

eel

Wild

Rew

ari

Har

yana

28.2

276

.46

5M

KD

-12

3457

84Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Peel

i Pee

lW

ildR

ewar

iH

arya

na28

.22

76.4

6

6M

KD

-13

3457

85Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Kha

chha

r Pe

elW

ildR

ewar

iH

arya

na28

.22

76.4

6

7M

KD

-14

3457

86Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Kha

chha

r Pe

elW

ildR

ewar

iH

arya

na28

.22

76.4

6

8M

KD

-17

3457

89Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Bhu

ri pe

elW

ildR

ewar

iH

arya

na28

.08

76.3

1

9M

KD

-20

3457

92Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Jal

Wild

Mah

ende

rgar

hH

arya

na28

.42

76.0

1

10M

KD

-23

3457

95Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Bhu

ri pe

elW

ildM

ahen

derg

arh

Har

yana

28.4

476

.13

11M

KD

-24

3457

96Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Peel

Wild

Mah

ende

rgar

hH

arya

na28

.44

76.1

3

12M

KD

-27

3457

99Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Bhu

ri pe

elW

ildM

ahen

derg

arh

Har

yana

28.2

876

.28

13M

KD

-28

3458

00Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Bhu

ri pe

elW

ildM

ahen

derg

arh

Har

yana

28.2

876

.28

14M

KD

-29

3458

01Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Peel

i pee

lW

ildM

ahen

derg

arh

Har

yana

28.2

876

.28

126


15M

KD

-32

3458

04Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Peel

Wild

Mah

ende

rgar

hH

arya

na28

.25

75.8

8

16M

KD

-42

3458

14Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Lal p

eel

Wild

Mah

ende

rgar

hH

arya

na28

.15

76.0

7

17M

KD

-43

3458

15Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Peel

i pee

lW

ildM

ahen

derg

arh

Har

yana

28.1

576

.07

18M

KD

-44

3458

16Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Lal p

eel

Wild

Mah

ende

rgar

hH

arya

na28

.15

76.0

7

19M

KD

-74

3458

46Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Peel

Wild

Bhi

wan

iH

arya

na28

.65

75.9

4

20M

KD

-77

3458

49Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Peel

Wild

Bhi

wan

iH

arya

na28

.62

76.0

4

21M

KD

-78

3458

50Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Peel

Wild

Bhi

wan

iH

arya

na28

.62

76.0

4

22M

D-0

8/10

5617

79Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Bik

aner

Raj

asth

an28

.02

73.1

4

23M

D-0

8/11

5617

80Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Bik

aner

Raj

asth

an28

.02

73.1

4

24M

D-0

8/12

5617

81Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Bik

aner

Raj

asth

an27

.91

72.5

3

25M

D-0

8/13

5617

82Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Bik

aner

Raj

asth

an27

.91

72.5

3

26M

D-0

8/14

5617

83Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Bik

aner

Raj

asth

an27

.91

72.5

3

27M

D-0

8/15

5617

84Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Bik

aner

Raj

asth

an27

.91

72.5

3

28M

D-0

8/16

5617

85Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Jais

alm

erR

ajas

than

26.5

871

.53

29M

DG

-08/

1756

1786

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esM

eeth

a ja

lW

ildJa

isal

mer

Raj

asth

an26

.57

70.5

2

30M

DG

-08/

1856

1787

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esM

eeth

a ja

lW

ildJa

isal

mer

Raj

asth

an26

.57

70.5

2

31M

DG

-08/

1956

1788

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esM

eeth

a ja

lW

ildJa

isal

mer

Raj

asth

an26

.57

70.5

2

32M

DG

-08/

2156

1790

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esM

eeth

a ja

lW

ildJa

isal

mer

Raj

asth

an27

.00

70.5

2

127


33M

DG

-08/

2256

1791

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esM

eeth

a ja

lW

ildJa

isal

mer

Raj

asth

an26

.59

70.4

9

34M

DG

-08/

2356

1792

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esM

eeth

a ja

lW

ildJa

isal

mer

Raj

asth

an26

.59

70.4

9

35M

DG

-08/

2456

1793

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esM

eeth

a ja

lW

ildJa

isal

mer

Raj

asth

an26

.59

70.4

9

36M

DG

-08/

2556

1794

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esM

eeth

a ja

lW

ildJa

isal

mer

Raj

asth

an26

.45

70.3

0

37M

DG

-08/

2856

1797

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esM

eeth

a ja

lW

ildJo

dhpu

rR

ajas

than

25.5

973

.01

38M

DG

-08/

2956

1798

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esM

eeth

a ja

lW

ildJo

dhpu

rR

ajas

than

25.5

973

.01

39M

D-0

8/4

5617

73Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Chu

ruR

ajas

than

28.0

374

.46

40M

D-0

8/5

5617

74Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Chu

ruR

ajas

than

28.0

374

.46

41M

D-0

8/6

5617

75Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Chu

ruR

ajas

than

28.0

374

.46

42M

D-0

8/7

5617

76Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Mee

tha

jal

Wild

Bik

aner

Raj

asth

an27

.06

73.2

1

43M

D-2

5842

3592

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esPe

elu

Wild

Pali

Raj

asth

an25

.76

73.4

2

44M

D-2

5942

3593

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esPe

elu

Wild

Pali

Raj

asth

an25

.76

73.4

2

45M

D-2

6042

3594

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esPe

elu

Wild

Pali

Raj

asth

an25

.76

73.4

2

46M

D-2

6142

3595

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esPe

elu

Wild

Pali

Raj

asth

an25

.76

73.4

2

47M

D-2

6342

3597

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esPe

elu

Wild

Siro

hiR

ajas

than

24.8

172

.96

48M

KD

-35

3458

07Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Lal p

eel

Wild

Jhun

jhun

uR

ajas

than

28.1

975

.45

49M

KD

-36

3458

08Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Peel

i pee

lW

ildJh

unjh

unu

Raj

asth

an28

.19

75.4

5

50M

KD

-40

3458

12Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Peel

i pee

lW

ildJh

unjh

unu

Raj

asth

an28

.22

75.4

7

128


51M

KD

-41

3458

13Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Lal p

eel

Wild

Jhun

jhun

uR

ajas

than

28.2

275

.47

52M

KD

-534

5777

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esPe

eli p

eel

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

28.0

076

.29

53M

KD

-734

5779

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esLa

l pee

lW

ildA

lwar

Raj

asth

an28

.00

76.2

9

54M

KD

-834

5780

Pilu

Salv

ador

a ol

eoid

esPe

eli p

eel

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

28.0

076

.29

55M

KD

-93

5240

49Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Jal

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

27.9

076

.45

56M

KD

-96

5240

52Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Jal

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

27.9

376

.48

57M

KD

-97

5240

53Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

oleo

ides

Jal

Wild

Alw

arR

ajas

than

27.9

376

.48

58M

D -

852

5529

59Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

pers

ica

Pilo

diW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at22

.67

73.3

7

59M

D -

853

5529

60Pi

luSa

lvad

ora

pers

ica

Pilo

diW

ildVa

doda

raG

ujar

at22

.67

73.3

7

129


Tabl

e 27.

Cha

ract

eriz

atio

n of

Sal

vado

ra sp

ecie

s ger

mpl

asm

bas

ed o

n fr

uits

and

seed

s cha

ract

ers

S. N

oC

oll.

No.

IC N

o.Fr

uit

Seed

Len

gth

(cm

)W

idth

(cm

)W

eigh

t (g

m)

TSS

Dia

met

er (c

m)

Wei

ght

(gm

)

1M

D-0

8/5

5617

740.

18(±

0.01

)0.

20(±

0.01

)1.

08(±

0.02

)21

.55(

±0.4

9)0.

27(±

0.01

)0.

38(±

0.01

)

2M

D-0

8/6

5617

750.

24(±

0.00

)0.

23(±

0.01

)0.

85(±

0.01

)24

.75(

±0.9

2)0.

28(±

0.01

)0.

31(±

0.00

)

3M

D-0

8/7

5617

760.

24(±

0.00

)0.

23(±

0.00

)3.

42(±

0.01

)26

(±0.

45)

0.23

(±0.

00)

0.32

(±0.

01)

4M

D-0

8/10

5617

790.

25(±

0.01

)0.

21(±

0.01

)2.

07(±

0.04

)24

.75(

±0.9

2)0.

29(±

0.01

)0.

45(±

0.01

)

5M

D-0

8/11

5617

800.

24(±

0.01

)0.

25(±

0.01

)2.

87(±

0.01

)21

.70(

±0.4

6)0.

34(±

0.01

)0.

40(±

0.01

)

6M

D-0

8/12

5617

810.

22(±

0.00

)0.

14(±

0.02

)2.

32(±

0.09

)26

.55(

±0.6

6)0.

30(±

0.00

)0.

32(±

0.01

)

7M

D-0

8/13

5617

820.

21(±

0.01

)0.

21(±

0.02

)1.

88(±

0.01

)21

.50(

±0.7

0)0.

14(±

0.01

)0.

31(±

0.00

)

8M

D-0

8/14

5617

830.

23(±

0.01

)0.

26(±

0.01

)3.

33(±

0.00

)25

(±0.

19)

0.34

(±0.

01)

0.45

(±0.

00)

9M

D-0

8/15

5617

840.

23(±

0.01

)0.

23(±

0.01

)1.

20(±

0.02

)21

.55(

±0.4

9)0.

40(±

0.01

)0.

36(±

0.02

)

10M

D-0

8/16

5617

850.

24(±

0.01

)0.

26(±

0.00

)2.

90(±

0.05

)23

.25(

±0.6

6)0.

29(±

0.01

)0.

40(±

0.01

)

11M

D-0

8/19

5617

880.

29(±

0.00

)0.

31(±

0.01

)5.

07(±

0.06

)17

.60(

±0.2

3)0.

88(±

0.36

)0.

57(±

0.01

)

12M

D-0

8/21

5617

900.

25(±

0.01

)0.

22(±

0.01

)2.

05(±

0.02

)22

.53(

±0.4

7)0.

32(±

0.01

)0.

45(±

0.01

)

13M

D-0

8/22

5617

910.

25(±

0.00

)0.

25(±

0.00

)3(

±0.1

6)16

.55(

±0.1

6)0.

31(±

0.00

)0.

42(±

0.02

)

14M

D-0

8/23

5617

920.

24(±

0.01

)0.

21(±

0.01

)2.

18(±

0.03

)16

.55(

±0.4

6)0.

29(±

0.01

)0.

40(±

0.01

)

15M

D-0

8/24

5617

930.

26(±

0.01

)0.

27(±

0.02

)2.

65(±

0.08

)16

.25(

±0.3

7)0.

32(±

0.01

)0.

42(±

0.01

)

16M

D-0

8/25

5617

940.

26(±

0.01

)0.

27(±

0.00

)4.

53(±

0.01

)19

.10(

±0.1

0)0.

29(±

0.01

)0.

51(±

0.01

)

17M

D-0

8/29

5617

980.

25(±

0.00

)0.

26(±

0.00

)3.

25(±

0.02

)23

.20(

±0.4

3)0.

23(±

0.01

)0.

41(±

0.01

)

130


131


132


Botanical name: Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels, syn. Syzygium jambolanum DC.;Eugenia cumini Druce

Common name: English -Java plum, Black plum, Vernacular -Jamun

Family: Myrtaceae

Origin and distribution: The jamun is native to India, Burma, Ceylon and to theAndaman Islands (Zeven and de Wet, 1982) and available throughout Indian plainsup to the height of 1300m. It is found grown as a wild and semi-wild in the states ofPunjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar,Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Jamun is widelycultivated in homestead gardens, backyard and as an avenue tree in the all parts ofIndia. Besides, S. cumini other important species in India is S. jumbos (Rose apple orsafed jamun) found in south India, West Bengal and Assam. Other species of minorimportance are S. fruiticosum, S. javanica (water apple), S. densiflora, S. uniflora(Surinam cherry) and S. zeylanica.

General description: The jamun is a medium to large sized evergreen tree withsmooth grey bark and attain the height of 20 m (Fig. 32A). Leaves 2 to 4 in long,oblong-oval or elliptic, evergreen, opposite, bluntly acuminate. Young leaves pinkishand turn leathery and dark green at maturity. The sessile whitish-yellow flowers emergein clusters, have a funnel-shaped calyx and 4 to 5 united petals. Drupe fruit emerge inclusters of different sizes. Fruit oblong or ovoid-oblong, at maturity attain dark purplecolor, very juicy with 1 or 2 to 5 compressed bold white or green seeds, seedlessfruits are also found. Fruit skin is thin, smooth, shining and pulp is whitish purple. Thefruit is astringent and taste varies from light acidic to sweet. Flowering is in February-March and fruiting in May to July. Vast genetic variability is present in tree phenology,leaves, and fruit characters in India.

Propagation: Jamun is commonly propagated through seeds (Singh et al., 2007).Seeds are highly recalcitrant in nature and freshly extracted seeds can be sown forraising seedlings. Seeds germinate within two weeks and can be transplanted duringmonsoon season in the field. In jamun upto 50 percent polyembryony is reported and

3.14 Syzygium cumini (Jamun)

133


true-to-type nucellar seedlings are produced (Singh et al., 2007). Vegetativepropagation using various budding methods have been successful, however, patchbudding has been reported to be the most successful in the months of March in semi-arid areas (Singh and Singh, 2006). Soft wood grafting has also been successful formultiplication in Karnataka and Gujarat in the months of June and August, respectively(Singh and Singh, 2006).

Cultivars/selections: In jamun there are no standard cultivars available, however,several area-specific local selections have been identified by farmers or local peoplesince historical time. All these local selection or types are based on fruit size, shape,taste, fruiting period and maturity of fruits. One popular type natural selection famousin north India is known as ‘Ra Jamun’ (Singh et al., 2007), which is grown widely.This selection have big sized (2-3.5 cm length and diameter 1.5 -2.0 cm), oblongdeep purple, highly juicy and sweet fruits. One late maturing selection with small fruits1.5 to 2.0 cm length and 1.0 to 1.5 cm diameter with rounded fruits is also common.Some local farmers selections growing in Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh areBadama (large size and very juicy fruits), Kaatha (with small and acidic fruits), Jathi(maturing in June or Jeth), Ashada (maturing in June or Ashad) and still late typeBhado (maturing in August). Similarly several local type selections are found in Konkanarea, Pune and Ahmednagar districts of Maharashtra (Keskar et al., 1989) and inGujarat and Rajasthan.

Important uses: Jamun is a very nutritious fruit and consumed fresh or processed forvarious preparations. Fruit is a good source of iron, minerals, protein and carbohydrate.Fruits are processed for squash, sharbat, syrup, jam, jelly, wine, vineagar and juice.Jamun seeds contain various alkaloids such as jambosin and glycoside which inhibitsthe conversion of starch in to sugars, therefore, the powdered seeds are useful forsugar patients. Fruits are important in the Indian System of Medicine and recommendedfor diabetes, heart and liver problems (Singh, 2001).


Collection: Jamun germplasm has been widely collected from throughout India andvast variability has been recorded in tree phenology and fruit characters and floweringand fruiting period. Germplasm have been collected from various parts of Maharashtra,Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Extensive collections have beenmade from eastern Uttar Pradesh where eight genotypes were examined andcharacterized (Singh et al., 1999). Survey has been undertaken in Pune andAhmednagar districts of Maharashtra (Keskar et al., 1989), from West Bengal (Kunduet al., 2001), from Karnataka (Prabhuraj et al., 2002), from North Goa (Devi et al.,

134


2002). Survey has been made by CISH, Lucknow in the states of Uttar Pradesh,Haryana, Maharashtra and Gujarat and 54 accessions have been collected. Singh andSingh (2005) collected 33 accessions from Gujarat. NBPGR, New Delhi have alsomade extensive collections in the parts of Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh incollaboration with CHES (CIAH) Godhra and CISH, Lucknow and 20 elite accessionshave been collected (Fig. 33 and Table 28).

Characterization: Jamun germplasm collected from various sources as describedunder collection has been characterized for various horticultural traits such as flowering,fruiting and physico-chemical characters of fruits like fruit weight, pulp content, TSS,acidity etc. On the basis of characterization of collected germplasm several elitegenotypes have been identified from Maharashtra, No. 15, 4, 14 and 13 (Keskar etal., 1989), eight genotypes grouped into two categories: ovoid and oblong from easternUttar Pradesh (Singh et al., 1999), from West Bengal germplasm Selection 1 (ovalshaped large fruits) and Selection 2 (cylindrical shaped medium sized fruit) provedbetter for yield and quality fruits (Kundu et al., 2001); from Uttar Pradesh andJharkhand the genotypes RNC-26 and RNC-11 were found promising for higherpulp and fruits weight (Devi et al., 2002), from Gujarat 5 genotypes GJ-18, GJ-19,GJ-23, GJ-24 and GJ-25 have been identified for overall performance (Singh andSingh, 2005).

Fig. 33. Collection sites of Jamun from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Haryana

135


A total of 20 diverse jamun accessions collected by NBPGR from Haryana andUttar Pradesh were characterized for fruit and seed characters (Table 29). Fruit lengthx width varied from 2.12 cm x 5.44 cm to 3.35 cm x 7.52 cm. The lightest fruitweighed 3.04 gm and heaviest weighed 8.84 gm which is depicting a large variation.TSS in fruits was also variable ranging from 5.96 to 14.2 ºB. Seed length x widthranged from 1.62 cm x 3.02 cm to 2.62 cm x 4.30 cm. The pulp weight showed largevariation from 1.24 to 6.96 gm. The accessions which showed largest fruits with highestpulp weight were IC537858, 537848, 537846 and 537853. Fruits with high TSSvalue were found in accessions IC537842, 537854 and 537845. Smallest seeds wereseen in accessions IC537860, 537849 and 537850. There is still need to undertakeextensive characterization and field evaluation of local selections for release of areaspecific cultivars in Jamun.

Conservation: Germplasm of Jamun is being maintained at very few places in thefield genebanks, important field genebanks are CISH, Lucknow, CHES (CIAH)Godhra and MPKV, Rahuri. There is need to establish promising seedling selectionsand local farmers selections in the field genebanks to conserve the elite germplasm astrue-to-type and use them for crop improvement. Being a highly recalcitrant specieslaboratory conservation in the cryobank is difficult in jamun. Studies undertaken atNBPGR revealed that seeds loose viability very rapidly as by 30 days storage at roomtemperature, 50% viability is lost (Table 4). Seeds are truly recalcitrant being highlydesiccation and freezing sensitive. Freshly harvested seeds shed at high moisture contentof 50% showed rapid decline in viability at 35% moisture. At critical moisture leveland lower, none of the seeds survived LN exposure.

136


Tab

le 2

8. P

assp

ort d

ata

of S

yzyg

ium

cum

ini (

Jam

un) g

erm

plas

m co

llect

ed fr

om H

arya

na a

nd U

ttar P

rade

sh

S.

Col

lect

orIC

Cro

pB

otan

ical

Vern

a-B

iolo

-D

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

ti-

Long

i-N

o.N

umbe

rN

umbe

rN

ame

Nam

ecu

lar

gica

ltu

detu

deN

ame

Stat

u

1M

D-5

7553

7842

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Jhaj

jar

Har

yana

28.4

876

.64

2M

D-5

7653

7843

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Soni

pat

Har

yana

28.9

277

.03

3M

D-5

7753

7844

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Soni

pat

Har

yana

28.7

776

.92

4M

D-5

7853

7845

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Kar

nal

Har

yana

29.7

677

.01

5M

D-5

7953

7846

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

mun

bad

ama

Wild

Kar

nal

Har

yana

29.8

677

.03

6M

D-5

8053

7847

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Kar

nal

Har

yana

29.8

677

.03

7M

D-5

8153

7848

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Kar

nal

Har

yana

29.9

477

.14

8M

D-5

8253

7849

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

mun

bad

ama

Wild

Kar

nal

Har

yana

29.9

477

.14

9M

D-5

8353

7850

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Shar

anpu

rU

ttar

Prad

esh

29.9

377

.52

10M

D-5

8453

7851

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Shar

anpu

rU

ttar

Prad

esh

29.7

377

.41

11M

D-5

8553

7852

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Muz

affa

rnag

arU

ttar

Prad

esh

29.5

577

.68

12M

D-5

8653

7853

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Bar

aut

Utta

r Pr

ades

h29

.22

77.1

813

MD

-587

5378

54Ja

mun

Syzy

gium

cum

ini

Jam

un b

adam

aW

ildB

arau

tU

ttar

Prad

esh

29.2

277

.18

14M

D-5

8853

7855

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

mun

bad

ama

Bar

aut

Utta

r Pr

ades

h29

.22

77.1

815

MD

-589

5378

56Ja

mun

Syzy

gium

cum

ini

Jam

un b

adam

aG

auta

m B

udh

Utta

r Pr

ades

h28

.48

77.6

8N

agar

16M

D-5

9053

7857

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

mun

bad

ama

Mat

hura

Utta

r Pr

ades

h27

.69

77.6

417

MD

-591

5378

58Ja

mun

Syzy

gium

cum

ini

Jam

un b

adam

aM

athu

raU

ttar

Prad

esh

27.6

977

.64

18M

D-5

9253

7859

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

mun

bad

ama

Mat

hura

Utta

r Pr

ades

h27

.69

77.6

419

MD

-593

5378

60Ja

mun

Syzy

gium

cum

ini

Jam

anW

ildFa

rida

bad

Har

yana

28.1

177

.18

20M

D-5

9453

7861

Jam

unSy

zygi

um c

umin

iJa

man

Wild

Fari

daba

dH

arya

na28

.22

77.2

137


Tabl

e 29.

Cha

ract

eriz

atio

n of

Syz

ygiu

m cu

min

i (Ja

mun

) ger

mpl

asm

bas

ed o

n fr

uits

and

seed

s cha

ract

ers

S.C

oll.

No

IC N

o.Fr

uit

Seed

No.

Leng

th (c

m)

Widt

h (cm

)W

eight

(g)

TSS

Leng

th (c

m)

Widt

h (cm

)W

eight

(g)

Pulp

see

dra

tio

1M

D-5

7553

7842

2.30

(±0.

14)

5.46

(±0.

17)

3.04

(±0.

17)

14.2

(±0.

46)

2.18

(±0.

10)

3.98

(±0.

28)

1.8(

±0.1

4)1.

24(±

0.28

)

2M

D-5

7653

7843

2.7(

±0.1

2)5.

82(±

0.09

)4.

51(±

0.50

)16

.52(

±0.3

3)2.

12(±

0.12

)3.

7(±0

.16)

1.74

(±0.

14)

2.77

(±0.

39)

3M

D-5

7753

7844

2.8(

±0.1

4)5.

72(±

0.13

)5.

01(±

0.36

)10

.12(

±0.6

3)2.

1(±0

.08)

3.56

(±0.

19)

1.76

(±0.

08)

3.19

(±0.

32)

4M

D-5

7853

7845

2.6(

±0.1

4)5.

44(±

0.23

)4.

88(±

0.27

)12

.60(

±0.4

5)2.

18(±

0.08

)3.

86(±

0.12

)1.

81(±

0.15

)3.

08(±

0.25

)5

MD

-579

5378

462.

84(±

0.18

)6.

44(±

0.73

)7.

04(±

1.30

)5.

96(±

0.28

)1.

62(±

0.08

)3.

02(±

0.10

)1.

43(±

0.05

)5.

65(±

1.27

)6

MD

-580

5378

472.

66(±

0.07

)6.

04(±

0.25

)5.

34(±

0.23

)7.

32(±

0.77

)2.

24(±

0.13

)3.

50(±

0.04

)2.

13(±

0.20

)3.

21(±

0.13

)7

MD

-581

5378

482.

98(±

0.09

)6.

62(±

0.34

)7.

13(±

0.60

)9(

±0.5

7)2.

44(±

0.08

)4.

08(±

0.27

)2.

43(±

0.28

)4.

68(±

0.43

)8

MD

-582

5378

492.

28(±

0.10

)5.

86(±

0.19

)4.

70(±

0.16

)9.

70(±

0.45

)1.

94(±

0.11

)2.

50(±

0.21

)1.

09(±

0.07

)3.

62(±

0.19

)9

MD

-583

5378

502.

40(±

0.11

)5.

60(±

0.37

)4.

23(±

0.58

)6.

98(±

0.42

)2.

04(±

0.16

)3.

38(±

0.28

)1.

19(±

0.21

)2.

79(±

0.43

)10

MD

-584

5378

512.

46(±

0.08

)5.

66(±

0.25

)4.

34(±

0.34

)10

.78(

±0.7

7)2.

28(±

0.08

)4.

30(±

0.16

)1.

83(±

0.04

)2.

50(±

0.33

)11

MD

-585

5378

522.

54(±

0.09

)5.

62(±

0.37

)4.

57(±

0.45

)11

.18(

±0.4

2)2.

26(±

0.11

)3.

96(±

0.14

)1.

72(±

0.14

)2.

84(±

0.37

)12

MD

-586

5378

532.

40(±

0.10

)6.

08(±

0.20

)6.

05(±

0.19

)9.

64(±

0.89

)1.

94(±

0.05

)3.

40(±

0.08

)1.

55(±

0.15

)4.

51(±

0.31

)13

MD

-587

5378

542.

44(±

0.04

)6.

02(±

0.16

)5.

17(±

0.24

)12

.94(

±0.7

0)1.

96(±

0.08

)3.

66(±

0.19

)1.

27(±

0.13

)3.

90(±

0.20

)14

MD

-588

5378

552.

48(±

0.13

)6.

80(±

0.20

)5.

25(±

0.17

)9.

40(±

1.01

)2.

24(±

0.10

)3.

64(±

0.18

)1.

88(±

0.23

)3.

54(±

0.29

)15

MD

-589

5378

562.

18(±

0.09

)6.

30(±

0.08

)4.

26(±

0.21

)9.

29(±

1.07

)1.

92(±

0.10

)3.

86(±

0.07

)1.

54(±

0.12

)2.

73(±

0.14

)16

MD

-590

5378

572.

62(±

0.09

)5.

80(±

0.24

)5.

41(±

0.47

)9.

40(±

0.33

)2.

20(±

0.11

)4.

18(±

0.22

)1.

84(±

0.20

)3.

55(±

0.37

)17

MD

-591

5378

583.

35(±

0.15

)7.

52(±

0.19

)8.

84(±

0.38

)6.

48(±

0.40

)2.

62(±

0.07

)3.

35(±

0.22

)2.

05(±

0.09

)6.

96(±

0.36

)18

MD

-592

5378

593.

04(±

0.12

)7.

30(±

0.55

)5.

95(±

0.34

)7.

86(±

0.21

)2.

02(±

0.10

)4.

24(±

0.36

)4.

02(±

0.27

)1.

94(±

0.51

)19

MD

-593

5378

602.

12(±

0.07

)5.

48(±

0.07

)3.

11(±

0.15

)10

.28(

±0.3

3)2.

16(±

0.44

)3.

80(±

0.23

)0.

97(±

0.05

)2.

13(±

0.11

)20

MD

-594

5378

612.

20(±

0.06

)5.

52(±

0.18

)4.

63(±

0.29

)8(

±0.4

0)1.

90(±

0.10

)3.

88(±

0.08

)1.

35(±

0.10

)3.

28(±

0.30

)

138


139


3.15 Tamarindus indica (Tamarind)

Botanical name: Tamarindus indica Linn.

Common name : English - Tamarind, Vernacular- Imli and amli

Family: Fabaceae

Origin and distribution: Origin of tamarind has been reported to be in the tropicalAfrica (Stewart and Brandis, 1992) and it still grows wild throughout the Sudan. It isbelieved to be introduced into India since ancient time and even occasionally reportedas indigenous to India. From India it apparently reached the Persians and the Arabswho called it “tamar hindi” (Indian date, from the date-like appearance of the driedpulp), giving rise to both its common and generic names. Unfortunately, the specificname, “indica”, also perpetuates the illusion of Indian origin (Morton, 1987). It isgrown throughout India and being a cross pollinated species vast diversity is availablein the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat,Rajasthan and northeastern Indian states. In Andhra Pradesh alone the total area undertamarind is about 6,099 hectares with estimated annual production of 46,962 tons(Anonymous, 2010).

General description: Tamarind is a medium to large, slow-growing, long-lived,evergreen tree with the height reaching upto 80 feet (Fig. 34A, B). Leaves are brightgreen, pinnate, dense and feathery in appearance and making it an attractive shadetree with an open branch structure. There are usually as many as 10 to 20 nearlysessile 1/2 - 1 inch, pale green leaflets per leaf. Flowers inconspicuous, five-petalledflowers are borne in small racemes and are yellow with orange or red streaks. Theflower buds are pink due to the outer color of the 4 sepals which are shed when theflower opens. Fruit a pod 5 - 12 inch long, brown, irregularly curved pods are bornein abundance along the new branches (Fig. 34C). As the pods mature, they fill outsomewhat and the juicy, acidulous pulp turns brown or reddish-brown. When fullyripe, the shells are brittle and easily broken. The pulp dehydrates to a sticky pasteenclosed by a few coarse stands of fiber. The pods may contain from 1 to 12 large,flat, glossy brown, obovate seeds embedded in the brown, edible pulp. The pulp hasa pleasing sweet/sour flavor and is high in both acid and sugar. It is also rich in vitaminB and high in calcium. There are wide differences in fruit size and flavor in seedling

140


trees. Two types of terminal shoots have been observed, short ones with an erecthabit and long ones with a drooping habit. It is reported that production of flowersvaries considerably between selections in India. Those with longer vegetative terminalshoots produce more flowers. The period from flowering to pod ripening is 8-10months. Ripe fruits, however, may remain on the tree until the next flowering period.Fruits are harvested from April to May.

Propagation: Tamarind is generally propagated by seeds, however, vegetativepropagation is also successful using veneer grafting, shield (T or inverted T) buddingand air layering. Vegetatively propagated trees will usually fruit within 3 - 4 yearswhile seedlings begin to produce fruit in 6 - 8 years. Vegetative propagation has beenrecently attempted with success in budding (75-80%) and softwood grafting (60-75%) by Singh et al (2010).

Cultivars/selections: There is not much work undertaken on improvement andselection of tamarind. Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani, Maharastrareleased three varieties of tamarind namely ‘Pratisthan’ (pulp has acid sweet taste,60% pulp, 8% tartaric acid in pulp), ‘Yogeshwari’ (high yielding type with red pulp,regular bearer, 11.00% acidity) and selection No.263 from Fruit Research Station,Aurangabad (high yielding, regular bearer, 16% tartaric acid in pulp). Other varietiesfrom Tamil Nadu are PKM-1from Horticulture College and Research Institute,Periyakulam, a clonal selection (an early variety with 39% pulp content) and Urigaml, a progeny of more than 200 year old tree identified near Urigam by the Departmentof Horticulture, Tamil Nadu, providing very long pods and sweet pulp (Pareek andAwasthi, 2002; Anonymous, 2010). Two selections DTS 1 and DTS 2 have beenidentified by College of Horticulture, Arbhavi (University of Agricultural Sciences,Dharwad) have also been found promising for various pod characters.

Important uses: Tamarind is a multipurpose tropical fruit tree used primarily for itsfruits, which are eaten fresh or processed in several ways (Fig. 34E, F), used as aseasoning or spice and the fruits and seeds are processed for non-food uses. Fruitcontains upto 73% edible pulp in which major constituents are tartaric acid and invertsugars. Pulp is rich source of calcium, phosphorous, riboflavin, niacin and thiamine.Pulp of tamarind in India is used in several ways as per the locality and food habit oflocal inhabitants. This is used in the preparations of chutney, tamarind powder, puree,juice concentrate, jam, jelly, candies, pickles and fruit leather. Several value addedproducts have been developed by Central Food and Technological Research Institute(CFTRI), Mysore to increase use, shelf life and value of tamarind pulp. Tamarindseeds are also commercially important and utilized in several ways. Most important isTamarind Kernel Powder (TKP) which is prepared by fine grinding of tamarind kerneland used for sizing in textile industry.

141



Collection: Systematic collections and evaluation of tamarind germplasm from Indiahas not been taken up (Pareek and Awasthi, 2002). However, 248 collections havebeen made by various organizations mainly from the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat,Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengaland northeastern states. Recently the attention have been given to this crop under theICAR network project on Underutilized fruits and some promising collections havebeen made by CISH, Lucknow (5 accessions) and CHES (CIAH), Godhra fromUttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Variability of tamarind has also beencollected from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh by StateAgricultural Universities and State Forest Departments. NBPGR, New Delhi collected9 diverse germplasm collections from various states (Fig. 35 and Table 30).

Characterization: Germplasm of tamarind have been characterized and evaluated atTNAU, Research Station, Arupukottai where 10 accessions have been evaluated andsignificant genotypic differences were recorded and T111 Faizabad and PKM1 werefound promising for important traits. A total of 5 accessions were scored for recordingvariability in terms of fruit and seed characters. Reproductive biology and breedingsystem have been studied in 5 clones of tamarind at IFGTB, Coimbatore. Variability inmorphological and physico-chemical characters has been observed in the germplasmcollected from Maharashtra (Keskar et al., 1989; Shinde et al., 1995), Karnataka(Challapalli, 1995), Andhra Pradesh (Mastan et al., 1997) and Chhattisgarh (Awasthiand Sharma, 1998). State Silvicultural Division, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh identified52 high yielding genotypes of tamarind based on morphological and physico-chemicalcharacters of fruits (Pareek and Awasthi, 2002). A red fleshed tamarind tree havingsweet pulp (TSS>85%) have been reported in village Faraskot, Dantewada, Bastardistrict of Chhattisgarh by Awasthi and Sharma (1998). In view of the vast geneticdiversity present in India of this important fruit species, there is a still need tosystematically characterize and evaluate germplasm from the other parts of Indiaincluding northeastern states.

Germplasm collected at NBPGR, New Delhi have been characterised for somefruit and seed characters (Table 31). The fruit length x width varied from 7.50 cm x1.76 cm to 11.13 cm x 5.94 cm. The total fruit weight showed variation ranging from6.4 to 12.93 g. Seed length x width varied from 0.93 cm x 1.02 cm to 1.43 cm x 2.20cm. The seed weight did not show large variation as it ranged from 0.5 to 0.76 gm.The promising accessions with large heavy fruits were IC552936 and IC552913. Infact largest heavy fruits with small seeds were found in IC552913.

142


Conservation: Germplasm of Tamarind is being maintained at several state AgriculturalUniversities and state forest departments, UAS, Dharwad (19 accessions),Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani, Maharashtra (3 accessions),Aurangabad, Maharashtra (351 accessions), Pune, Maharashtra (118 accessions),Horticulture College and Research Institute, Priyakulam, Tamil Nadu (85 accessions),TNAU, Research Station, Arrupukotti (26 accessions) and ANGARU, ResearchStation, Anantpur (15 accessions), CHES (CIAH), Godhra and Belgaum, Karnataka(40 accessions). Besides this several promising accessions are being maintained at

Fig. 35. Collection sites of tamarind from various states of India

143


various nurseries of State Forests Departments namely Forest Department, Karnataka(220 plus trees) and Forest Department, Tamil Nadu (328 plus trees).

Seed physiology, storage behavior and cryopreservation of tamarind seeds havebeen undertaken at NBPGR, New Delhi. Seeds are orthodox in nature as they showedcomplete desiccation and freezing sensitivity and seeds showed upto 50% viability by18 months storage (Table 4). Freshly shed seeds showed 35% moisture with highviability of 97%. Seeds retrieved from liquid nitrogen showed high viability of 94%.Total 10 accessions of tamarind have been cryostored at NBPGR, New Delhi.

144


Tabl

e 30.

Pas

spor

t dat

a of

Tam

arin

dus i

ndic

a (T

amar

ind)

ger

mpl

asm

colle

cted

from

var

ious

stat

es

S.

Col

lect

orIC

Cro

pB

otan

ical

Vern

a-B

iolo

-D

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

ti-

Long

i-N

o.N

umbe

rN

umbe

rN

ame

Nam

ecu

lar

gica

ltu

detu

deN

ame

Stat

u

1M

D -

802

5529

09Ta

mar

ind

Tam

arin

dus

indi

caK

hati

amli

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

21.1

873

.23

2M

D -

803

5529

10Ta

mar

ind

Tam

arin

dus

indi

caK

hati

amli

Wild

Vado

dara

Guj

arat

21.1

873

.23

3M

D -

806

5529

13Ta

mar

ind

Tam

arin

dus

indi

caK

hati

amli

Wild

Bha

ruch

Guj

arat

21.7

573

.12

4M

D-2

839

5742

Tam

arin

dTa

mar

indu

s in

dica

Imli

Wild

Panc

hmah

alG

ujar

at23

.80

73.6

5

5M

D -

829

5529

36Ta

mar

ind

Tam

arin

dus

indi

caK

hati

amli

Wild

Nee

mac

hM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.47

75.2

8

6M

D -

844

5529

51Ta

mar

ind

Tam

arin

dus

indi

caK

hati

amli

Wild

Nee

mac

hM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h24

.43

75.0

9

7M

D/0

7/13

655

8160

Tam

arin

dTa

mar

indu

s in

dica

Cha

nge

Wild

Wes

t Gar

o hi

llsM

egha

laya

25.3

890

.25

8M

D-2

6442

3598

Tam

arin

dTa

mar

indu

s in

dica

Imli

Wild

Siro

hiR

ajas

than

24.8

372

.91

9R

S/N

SP-6

5531

99Ta

mar

ind

Tam

arin

dus

indi

caIm

liW

ildN

arsi

nghp

urM

adhy

a Pr

ades

h22

.50

79.2

1

145


Tabl

e 31.

Cha

ract

eriz

atio

n of

Tam

arin

dus i

ndic

a (T

amar

ind)

ger

mpl

asm

bas

ed o

n fr

uits

and

seed

s cha

ract

ers

S. N

oC

oll. N

oIC

No.

Frui

tSe

ed

Leng

th (c

m)

Wid

th (c

m)

Wei

ght (

gm)

Leng

th (c

m)

Wid

th (c

m)

Wei

ght (

gm)

1M

D-8

0255

2909

7.50

(±1.

03)

1.76

(±0.

05)

7.66

(±1.

48)

0.93

(±0.

08)

1.11

(±0.

06)

0.57

(±0.

02)

2M

D-8

0355

2910

8.40

(±1.

19)

1.86

(±0.

04)

7.10

(±1.

16)

1.12

(±0.

04)

1.02

(±0.

07)

0.65

(±0.

05)

3M

D-8

0655

2913

10.0

0 (±0

.99)

5.94

(±0.

23)

8.22

(±1.

32)

1.10

(±0.

06)

1.56

(±0.

12)

0.53

(±0.

06)

4M

D-8

2955

2936

11.1

3 (±0

.24)

5.90

(±0.

15)

12.9

3 (±0

.84)

1.43

(±0.

04)

2.20

(±0.

06)

0.76

(±0.

03)

5M

D-8

4455

2949

8.23

(±0.

41)

5.88

(±0.

19)

6.40

(±1.

76)

1.23

(±0.

04)

1.90

(±0.

13)

0.50

(±0.

07)

146


147


3.16 Ziziphus Species (Ber)

Botanical name: Ziziphus species– Z. mauritiana Lam, syn. Z. jujube (L.) Lam.non Mill.; Z. nummularia (Burm. F.) Wt. et Arn., Syn Z. rotundifolia Lamk.

Common name: English - Indian jujube; Hindi: Z. mauritiana- Ber, Z. nummularia-Jharber

Family: Rhamnaceae

Origin and distribution: The Z. mauritiana (ber) is native to Province of Yunnan insouthern China to Afghanistan, Malaysia and Queensland, Australia (Morton, 1987).It is native of South and Central Asia, found throughout the arid and semi-arid tracts(Hocking, 1993). It is cultivated to some extent throughout its natural range oncommercial scale and has received much horticultural attention in India (Morton, 1987).Z. nummularia (Jharber) is native to Indian sub-continent and commonly foundthroughout drier parts of India (Stewart and Brandis, 1992; Pandey et al., 2010). Z.nummularia is common in the dry arid areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat,Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Overall the genetic diversity of Ziziphus is high inIndia and about 20 species are found between 8.5ON to 32.5ON and 69-84OE (Awasthiand More, 2008).

General description: Z. mauritiana is a gregarious spiny shrub or a small tree, endsof branches decurved or drooping. Branches and branchlets armed with short stipularspines. The plant is a vigorous grower and has a rapidly-developing taproot. Plantmay be evergreen, or leafless for several weeks in hot summers. The leaves are sessile,alternate, ovate- or oblong-elliptic, 2.5-7.5 cm long and 2-4 cm wide; distinguishedfrom those of the Chinese jujube by the dense, silky, whitish or brownish hairs on theunderside and the short, downy petioles. On the upper surface, glabrous, dark-green,with 3 conspicuous, depressed, longitudinal veins, and there are very fine teeth on themargins. The flowers greenish- yellow, tiny, on short stalk, in 2’s or 3’s in the leaf axils.The fruit drupe varying in size depending upon the wild or cultivated nature of plant, inwild 1.25-2.5 cm long while in cultivation, the fruit reaches upto 5.00 cm in length and3.5 cm in width. The shape may be oval, obovate, round or oblong; the skin smoothor rough, glossy, thin but tough, turns from light-green to yellow, later becomes partially

148


or wholly burnt-orange or red-brown or red. When slightly underripe, the flesh iswhite, crisp, juicy, acid or subacid to sweet, somewhat astringent. Fully ripe fruits areless crisp and somewhat mealy; overripe fruits are wrinkled, the flesh buff-colored,soft, spongy and musky. At first the aroma is apple like and pleasant but it becomespeculiarly musky as the fruit ripens. There is a single, hard, oval or oblate, roughcentral stone which contains 2 elliptic, brown seeds, upto 6 mm long. Flowering is inJuly to September and fruiting starts from October to January.

Z. nummularia is highly prickly, multi stemmed small shrub maximum up to 2 mtall with deep and extensive lateral root system (Fig. 36 A, B). Branchlets bifarous,flexuose, armed with twin stipular spines, one straight slender, very sharp, 6.25-12.5mm long and second shorter, hooked bent downwards. Leaves on short petiole, ovate,obtuse, denticulate. Flowers 10-20, in axillary, short, compact cymes. Fruits, drupe,globose (Fig. 36C) smaller than Z. mauritiana about 1-2 cm. in diameter, red, glabrous,shining when ripe, kernel rugose, 2 celled with a hard osseous shell (Steward andBrandis, 1992).

Propagation: The Indian jujube is widely grown from seeds, which may remain viablefor 2 1/2 years but the rate of germination declines with storage period (Morton,1987). Vegetative propagation in ber is very common and several budding and graftingtechniques have been successfully applied by horticulturists. Large scale experimentson suitability of rootstocks using Z. nummularia, Z. rotundifolia, Z. sprina-cristihave been conducted at CAZRI. Best rootstock has been proved to the Z. rotundifolialocally known as ‘Tikdi Ber’ for Z. mauritaina. Grafted plants are less thorny thanseedlings.

Cultivars/selections: In India cultivated ber (Z. mauritiana) has more than 300varieties but only a few are commercially important (Pareek and Nath, 1996). Thesevarieties developed as a result of selection in different ecoregions from the progeniesemanating from cross pollination between different Ziziphus species and /or betweentypes/cultivars of ber (Pareek, 2001). Some of the important cultivars are Umran,Banarasi, Gola, Illaichi, Punjab Chuhhara, Seb, Kadak, Kaithli, Katha phal, Dandan,Gular Bashi, Kheera, Nazuk and Sanur.

Recently some cultivars have been released by CIAH, Bikaner namely GomaKirti (a highly yielding early maturing variety, which fetches good price in the market.It is resistant to various diseases and pests by virtue of its earliness), Thar Sevika(developed by the hybridization from a cross Seb x Katha), Thar Sevika is an earlymaturing variety. The fruits are juicy, sweet with a TSS content of 22-24%. Fruits afterconsumption do not cause throat soaring, which is common in other cultivars. Average

149


fruit yield is 30-32 Kg/tree. The hybrid is also suitable for staggered picking which canbe done up to third week of January), Thar Bhubhraj, a selection from local materialof Bhusavar area of Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and CIAH-Sel-1 is an early maturingcultivar having an average yield potential of 30-36 kg/tree. The fruits are ready forharvesting during last week of December-First week of January. The fruits are veryjuicy, sweet with a TSS content of 22-23%. Detailed studies by Saran et al. (2007)have identified diverse genotypes to be used as parents for developing disease resistantand smaller stone size breeding material in Indian jujube.

Important uses: Cultivated ber is an important fruit of tropics and sold as fresh fruitthroughout India and fetch good return to the farmers. Fruit is a rich source of calcium,phosphorous, protein, minerals, vitamin C and vitamin A. Ripe fruit is consumed aspopular dessert and processed for various value added products such as murabba,candy, sharbat, squash and powdered fruits after drying are also consuned. Fruits,seeds and bark are important in the Indian System of Medicine and bark is used as acure for dysentery and boils and fruit as laxative and aphrodisiac.

Genetic Resources management:

Collection: Germplasm of ber have been collected from various states and extensivecollection have been made for assembling the existing variability. Major emphasis hasbeen on the trees having prolific bearing, large fruits, small stone, earliness, good shelflife, resistance to powdery mildew and fruit fly resistance. Germplasm of various speciesof Ziziphus has been collected from almost all the parts of India - 137 accessions ofZ. mauritiana have been collected from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka,Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Jharkhand and few accessions from HimachalPradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir and northeastern states of India; 88accessions of Z. nummularia and 9 accessions of Z. rotundifolia have been collectedfrom drier parts of India mainly Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat; 39accessions of Z. oenoplea mainly for southern states namely Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu; 15 accessions of Z. rugosa from Maharashtra,Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and 10 accessions of Z. xylopyrus havebeen collected from Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa. Besides this severalcollections have been made by the State Horticultural Departments, State Universitiesand other organizations and being maintained in the field genebanks. There are stillunexplored areas of ber variability from where promising types can be collected forcrop improvement programs. Seedling ber trees are found extensively growing wildlyin arid and semi-arid areas (Chandra et al., 1994). Areas surveyed (Fig. 37) andcollections (10) made by NBPGR, New Delhi and passport data is presented inTable 32.

150


Characterization: Ber germplasm have been characterized at various locations inIndia. Systematic characterization and evaluation of germplasm and released varietieshave been undertaken at various centers of All India Coordinated Project on AridFruits (Pareek and Nath, 1996). Local collections and released varieties have beenevaluated for field performance and evaluation at these locations and suitable varieties

have been recommended for commercial cultivation. In Maharashtra extensiveevaluation have been undertaken at MPKV, Rahuri and improved varieties namelyUmran, Kadaka, Sanur No.6, Gola, Illaichi and Punjab Chuhhara have beenpopularised and pruning technology has been developed for high yield of better qualityfruits. Due to continuous efforts of the University scientists and extension workers, beris cultivated over 30,000 hectares in Maharashtra and 90,000 hectares plantation ofimproved ber trees in India (Awasthi and More, 2008).

Germplasm of various varieties have been evaluated at various other centres namelyPAU, RS, Bahadurgarh, (40 varieties), GAU, SK Nagar (64 varieties), CCHAU,Regional Research Station, Bawal (49 varieties) and ANDUAT, Faizabad (40Varieties). At HAU, Hisar 70 cultivars collected from all ber growing areas of northern

Fig. 37. Collection sites of ber germplasm from various states

Jammu and Kashmir

Rajasthan

151


India were established in an experimental orchard in 1967-68 and in 1980, 16midseason selections from these were evaluated. ‘Banarasi Karaka’ gave the highestyield, 130 kg per tree-followed by ‘Mudia Murhara’ and ‘Kaithli’, and ‘Sanauri 5’and ‘Desi Alwar’. ‘Mudia Murhara’, ‘Kaithli’ and ‘Sanauri 5’ were recommended ofcommercial cultivation. For breeding purposes, ‘Banarasi Karaka’ and ‘Desi Alwar’could contribute high pulp content; ‘Mudia Murhara’, total soluble solids; ‘Kaithli’,high ascorbic acid content and good flavor, in efforts to develop a superior midseasoncultivar.

Conservation: Conservation of ber genetic resources has been widely undertaken inthe field genebanks of various centres of AICRP of Arid Fruits. It is the hardiestcultivated fruit tree whose germplasm is mainly maintained in field genebanks (Shuklaet al, 2007). Germplasm collected from various states and selections/cultivars identifiedare being conserved in the field genebanks for improvement and field evaluation atvarious institutes. Present status of ber germplasm at important centres is, CIAH,Bikaner (318 accessions), NBPGR, Jodhpur (146 accessions), MPKV, Rahuri (93accessions), CCSHAU, Hisar (79 accessions), GAU, SK Nagar (75 accessions),CAZRI, Jodhpur (68 accessions), CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal (47accessions), PAU, Regional Station, Bahadurgarh (41 accessions), IARI, New Delhi(39 accessions), PAU, Ludhiana (34 accessions) and IIHR, Bangalore (32 accessions)(Vashishtha et al., 2005 and CIAH, Bikaner).

In the studies undertaken at NBPGR, orthodox seed storage behavior was foundin Ziziphus species which is in conformity with that reported by Hong et al., 1996.Seeds shed at 25% moisture showed high seed germination and when exposed toliquid nitrogen, high survival value of 86% was achieved. More than 42 accessions ofdifferent Ziziphus species have been cryostored in Cryogenebank at NBPGR(Table 5).

152


Tab

le 3

2. P

assp

ort d

ata

of Z

iziph

us sp

ecie

s ger

mpl

asm

colle

cted

from

J&

K a

nd R

ajas

than

S.

Col

lect

orIC

Cro

pB

otan

ical

Vern

a-B

iolo

-D

istr

ict

Stat

eLa

ti-

Long

i-

No.

Num

ber

Num

ber

Nam

e N

ame

cula

rgi

cal

tude

tude

Nam

eSt

atus

1N

SP/O

PD43

8479

Chi

nese

Zizi

phus

juj

uba

Ber

Wild

Udh

ampu

rJa

mm

u an

d33

.18

75.2

3

-04-

30Ju

jube

Kas

hmir

2M

D-2

5242

3587

Ber

Zizi

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154


4. Future Perspective

Southeast Asia is a centre of diversity of a number of tropical fruits, Indian sub-continent comprising vast semi-arid and arid areas have enormous diversity ofunderutilized fruit species. A number of multipurpose tree species commonly grow aspopulations unattended in these inhospitable and stressed environments and also in theagricultural fields as isolated trees or in small groups. In most of the species no organizedorcharding, nutritional management and plant protection practices are followed. Thesespecies have outstanding adaptation capabilities to drought tolerance, salt toleranceand are also resistant to major pest and diseases. Continued overexploitation of thesespecies from natural habitats, increasing demand for land for agriculture and industryand least attention for this natural wealth has resulted in extensive degradation of theirhabitats. Protection, maintenance and extension of tree cover is also essential to supportagricultural production besides meeting the requirements of local population for fodder,feed, fuelwood and timber (Hockings, 1993). It is, therefore, urgent to take up thework on genetic resource management and improvement of underutilized fruits toensure the food and nutritional security of tribal and rural population and to enhancethe income of farmers cultivating these fruits. Following thrust and priority areas havebeen identified and suggested for the efficient management of genetic resources andfor giving desired impetus to their promotion:

1. Specific survey and exploration are to be carried out on the basis of thoroughgap analysis to collect specific genetic resources of these species from naturalwild or semi-domesticated locations.

2. Several of these underutilized fruit species are propagated through seeds andposses vast genetic variability and heterogeneity for important traits. There isan urgent need to characterize and evaluate the available germplasm for theidentification of area/state specific quality genotypes for commercial horticulture.

3. Vegetative propagation techniques are to be developed for maintaining thegenotype purity and early bearing of these underutilized fruits.

4. To promote traditional underutilized fruits and to enhance the farmers incomeespecially of small and marginal farmers selection of suitable cultivars and

155


availability of planting material is desirable. Cultivars with following traits wouldbe important:

a) Cultivars with high and stable production potential

b) Cultivars with ability to resist/tolerate stresses

c) Cultivars with diverse quality traits

d) Specific genetic resources e.g i) Cultivars for given niches ii) Cultivars specificfor agro-processing iii) Cultivars specific with export potential

5. Facilities for fruit marketing, processing and value addition of products shouldbe developed at panchayat and block levels for ensuring desirable economicreturns to farmers and also help in crop diversification. This would help inenhancing socio-economic conditions of farmers and safe guard the invaluablediversity of these indigenous fruits and associated traditional knowledge.

6. In situ conservation priorities for these species are to be developed immediatelyto ensure their dynamic conservation by identifying protected areas and onfarm conservation sites.

7. Several ex-situ conservation approaches have been suggested depending onpropagation method and storage behavior of these fruit species for long-termconservation. Successful protocols are to be developed for true-to-typeconservation of species where promising cultivars have been identified.

8. Molecular characterization studies are to be intensified in these underutilizedfruit species to support the morphological characterization and assess the exactlevel of genetic diversity and its utilization.

9. Besides horticultural importance some of these species are excellent sourcefor genes of heat, water stress and salt tolerance. Expressed Sequence Tag’s(ESTs) identified from these species would provide an insight into the molecularbasis of stress tolerance.

156


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Annexure I

Acronyms

ANDUAT - Acharya Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and TechnologyBAP- 6 - BenzylaminopurineCARI - Central Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair, Andaman and

NicobarCAZRI - Central Arid Zone Research Institute, JodhpurCCSHAU - Chaudhury Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, HisarCFTRI - Central Food Technological Research Institute, MysoreCHES - Central Horticultural Experimental Station, GodhraCHES - Central Horticultural Experimental Station, ChettalliCIAH - Central Institute of Arid Horticulture, Bikaner,CISH - Central Institute of Sub-Tropical Horticulture, LucknowCMC - Critical Moisture ContentGAU - Gujarat Agricultural University, SardarkrushinagarGBPUAT - Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology,

PantnagarHGR - Horticultural Genetic ResourcesIARI - Indian Agricultural ResearchInstitute, New DelhiICRAF - International Center for Research in Agroforestry, Nairobi, KenyaIFGTB - Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, CoimbatoreIIHR - Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, BangaloreIISR - Indian Institute of Spices Research, CalicutMPKV - Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidaypeeth, RahuriMPUAT - Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and TechnologyNAA - Napthaleneacetic acidNOVOD - National Oilseeds and Vegetable Oils Development Board,Board Gurgaon

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PAU, RS - Punjab Agriculture University, Regional Station, BahadurgarhPAU - Punjab Agriculture University, LudhianaRAU - Rajasthan Agricultural University, BikanerSAU - State Agriculture UniversityTSS - Total Soluble SolidsTTC - 2,3,5 Triphenyl Tetrazolium ChlorideTNAU - Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Research Station, ArrupukottiUAS - University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad

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