Chaya<i>(Cnidoscolus aconitifolius)—</i>a potential new vegetable crop for Brunei

Peregrine, W. T. H.

doi:10.1080/09670878309370767

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Agronomic constraints did not stand out as a major limiting factor for chaya. Producers described its cultivation to be easy, requiring few inputs and generating a harvest even under challenging climate conditions, which agrees with observations by other authors (NRC 1979;Peregrine 1983;Ross-Ibarra and Molina-Cruz 2002). Although chaya is tolerant to drought, our results suggest that water availability is a limitation for producers without irrigation in the Dry Corridor, thus restraining commercial production to the rainy season.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Value Chain Analysis of Chaya (Mayan Spinach) in Guatemala

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chaya is a highly nutritious perennial leafy vegetable native to Mesoamerica. This drought-resistant crop has low production and consumption levels in Guatemala, but has the potential to help agriculture and food systems be more nutritious and resilient. This study analyzed the value chain of chaya in Guatemala, and identified bottlenecks and opportunities for its use-enhancement. This research, the first of its kind applied to this crop in Guatemala, combined Rapid Market Appraisal tools. Small-scale chaya production, consumption, and marketing were observed in three focal sites (Guatemala City, Petén, and Dry Corridor). It was observed that producers are not motivated to produce chaya commercially and vendors are unwilling to sell it because of low demand and profitability. One Guatemalan company identified produces nutraceutical chaya products with few sales points in the country and occasionally abroad. Low demand is a primary bottleneck in the value chain due to lack of consumer awareness, changing eating habits, limited recipes, and availability in home-gardens. There is also a reluctance to grow, consume, or sell a crop perceived as a "food of the poor." Low prices and profitability were other constraints registered. The findings can inform future interventions for enhancing the use of this crop to fight malnutrition. Chaya es un vegetal de hoja perenne muy nutritivo originario de Mesoamérica. Este cultivo resistente a la sequía, tiene bajos niveles de producción y consumo en Guatemala, pero tiene el potencial de ayudar a que sistemas agrícolas alimentarios sean más nutritivos y resistentes. Este estudio analizó la cadena de valor de la chaya en Guatemala e identificó cuellos de botella y oportunidades para mejorar su uso. Esta investigación, la primera de su tipo aplicada a este cultivo en Guatemala, combinó herramientas de evaluación rápida de mercado. Se estudio la producción, consumo y comercialización de chaya a pequeña escala en tres sitios focales (Ciudad de Guatemala, Petén y Corredor Seco). Se observó que los productores no están motivados para producir chaya comercialmente y los vendedores no están dispuestos a venderla debido a su baja demanda y rentabilidad. Una empresa guatemalteca identificada produce productos nutracéuticos de chaya con pocos puntos de venta en el país y ocasionalmente en el extranjero. La baja demanda es un cuello de botella importante en la cadena de valor, que se debe a la falta de conocimiento del consumidor, cambios en hábitos alimenticios, pocas recetas y limitada disponibilidad en huertos familiares. También existe una renuencia a cultivar, consumir o vender un cultivo que se percibe como "alimento de pobres." Otras restricciones identificadas fueron bajos precios y rentabilidad. Los hallazgos de este estudio pueden informar futuras intervenciones para mejorar el uso de este cultivo para combatir la desnutrición.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Value Chain Analysis of Chaya (Mayan Spinach) in Guatemala

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There are few reports on the yields achieved from chaya. Peregrine3 found that 18‐ to 24‐month‐old C aconitifolius (CA) trees produced 4.9–7.4 kg of fresh leaves per month, with annual yields ranging from 4999 to 8333 kg ha −1 . Sandoval 4 reported annual yields from C chayamansa (CC) of 5889 and 5776 kg dry matter (DM) ha −1 when leaves were harvested every 4 and 8 weeks respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both CC and CA are important sources of protein, carotene, B vitamins, ascorbic acid, calcium and iron,4–11 and the amino acid availability in chickens has been reported as 0.84 by Donkoh et al 8 They also contain glucosides of hydrocyanic acid, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13 which are destroyed by exposure to heat, from 1.02 to 1.98 g kg −1 DM, and from 0.088 to 0.099 g kg −1 DM in fresh and dried leaves respectively, and oxalate ranging from 0.85 to 1.07 g kg −1 8, 9…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of age of regrowth on chemical composition of chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) leaves

Sarmiento‐Franco¹,

Sandoval-Castro²,

McNab³

et al. 2003

J Sci Food Agric

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The chemical composition of chaya (Cnidoscolus spp) leaves, as a promissory edible tropical shrub for both humans and animals was evaluated. The chemical composition of C aconitifolius did not differ significantly with age of regrowth, with the exception of ether extractives and the oxalic acid content. Galactose, glucose and xylose were the most important sugars found in the insoluble fraction and, galactose and uronic acid were the main components in the soluble portion of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). There was a total content of 197.2 g kg −1 NSP, of which 68.72 and 31.26% corresponded to the insoluble and soluble components respectively. The amino acid composition of C aconitifolius ranged from 0.416 for lysine to 0.641 for valine relative to their contents in soyabean meal. Nevertheless, without exception, the concentrations of all the essential amino acids in C aconitifolius were higher than the corresponding values in alfalfa, a fibrous foodstuff widely acceptable in diets for farm animals.

show abstract

“…There, it can be found in Kenya, Zambia, and Tanzania (Berkelaar 2006). Shortly after being brought to Africa, chaya production also started in Asia, where it was first evidenced in Brunei (Peregrine 1983). The Philippines (Fernández Casas 2007) and Indonesia are further Asian countries for which chaya consumption and cropping are documented.…”

Section: Origin and Actual Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chaya is tolerant of heavy rain as well as moderate drought (Peregrine 1983). According to Stephens (1994), chaya requires 650-1500 mm of annual precipitation.…”

Section: Croppingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Diversity in Nutritious Leafy Green Vegetable—Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius)

Ebel

Aguilar

Cocom

et al. 2019

Sustainable Development and Biodiversity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius ssp. aconitifolius Breckon) is a fastgrowing, semi-perennial, and semi-woody Mesoamerican euphorbiaceous. It is used as a leafy green vegetable and prevailingly cropped in tropical savanna climate. However, cropping of chaya is possible in both dryer and more humid climates. Although the crop has its origin in the Maya region of Southeast Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, chaya is popular throughout Mesoamerica. Due to its high nutritional value, cooked chaya leaves are an essential ingredient of the diet of Maya communities, especially in Southeast Mexico. Chaya is also used as an ornamental plant, for forage, and in traditional Maya medicine, where it is used to cure a wide range of diseases such as diabetes, kidney problems, arteriosclerosis, gallstones, and high cholesterol. Chaya can be called a semi-domesticated plant: Apart from wild chaya, there are four chaya varieties, whose grade of domestication varies from cropped almost wild phenotypes to entirely domesticated: 'Chayamansa,' 'Redonda,' 'Estrella,' and 'Picuda.'

show abstract

Chaya(Cnidoscolus aconitifolius)—a potential new vegetable crop for Brunei

Cited by 9 publications

References 1 publication

Value Chain Analysis of Chaya (Mayan Spinach) in Guatemala

Value Chain Analysis of Chaya (Mayan Spinach) in Guatemala

Effect of age of regrowth on chemical composition of chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) leaves

Genetic Diversity in Nutritious Leafy Green Vegetable—Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About