Coix: an underutilized functional food crop of Mizoram

Abstract

Coix (Coix lacryma-jobi) comes under underutilized crops as it is neither cultivated commercially on a large scale nor widely traded. The Northeastern region of India harbours a rich diversity of Coix. This crop has diverse varieties from food to ethnic ornaments worn by the Mizo people. The soft-shelled types (var ma-yuen), locally called 'Mim' have been an important cereal crop among the Mizo rural communities since a long time. The grains are highly nutritious and its exceptional medicinal aspects have been extensively researched. While the seeds of wild types (var lacryma-jobi) are excellent beads for ornamental purposes and are key components in making traditional head gear 'Vakiria' worn by Mizo ladies in festive occasions. It is recently gaining importance as a 'functional food', due to its rich source of nutrients and bioactive compounds. The grains of Coix are gluten free which bene t people with celiac disease. It is used for preparing our, soups, porridge, gruels, salads, desserts, snack, wine, sweets, etc. It is found to have diuretic, anti-in ammatory, antidiarrheal, antioxidant, antipyretic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, analgesic, hypotensive, and sedative properties. Coix germplasm are rapidly disappearing from wild and jhum lands and without conservation a large population of genetic diversity will be lost from Northeast India. Mizoram also possesses a wide array of germplasm which could potentially contribute to research priorities due to the wide variability that exists in the region. However, the ignorance on nutritional value of the crop, lack of standard agronomic practice, unavailability of high yielding quality seeds and potential varieties suitable for Mizoram condition, processing infrastructures and marketing have diminished the interest of farmers in popularizing this crop. So, forty-four Coix genotypes were evaluated owing to their agronomic characteristics to identify stable and promising genotypes suitable for Mizoram condition. Based on stability analysis, two genotypes RJT-1 (39.74 q/ha) and RJT-2 (35.27 q/ha) were identi ed as most stable genotypes for seed yield and other yield-related traits under Mizoram condition. The high yielding unstable genotype like RJTGP-53 (58.43 q/ha) can be considered for use in crop improvement programme with the help of a stable genotypic background. In addition, the occurrence of invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda(J.E. Smith) on Coix was observed and the damage incidence ranged between 7.23 to 10.86% in the vegetative growth stages (45 to 75 days crop) from the last week of August to the end of September. To our best knowledge, this is the rst report of fall armyworm occurrence on Coix crop from India.

Nutritional and Phytochemical Profiles of Wild Adlay (<em>Coix lacryma-jobi</em> L.) Accessions by GCFID, FTIR, and Spectrophotometer

“…Following air drying, the resulting flour was successively milled using a China mill and then a Cyclone Mill until it could pass through a 100-mesh sieve. Following the detailed methodology, the milled flour was preserved in an airtight polythene container [8,9]. The flours were labelled with acronyms corresponding to the grain colors, such as BLK (black), PRP (purple), BRN (brown), YLW (yellow), GRY (grey), OWT (off white), and GRN (green), and were stored in airtight polythene containers for subsequent analysis, following established standard procedures.…”

“…Initial research was focused on Adlay proteins, amino acids, and vitamins, but in recent years, studies have surged to investigate functional ingredients of Adlay. Research progress on functional ingredients on Adlay support the notion that adlay may be one of the best functional foods and further reveal the action mechanism of functional ingredients oils, polysaccharides, phenols, phytosterols, Kanglaite, Coixenolide coixol, Coixolin, naringenin, lactam, and resistant starch for combating diseases [8][9][10]. China is a pioneer in using adlay as healthy food, and many studies on the functional ingredients of adlay have been conducted [8,9].…”

Biocontrol measures to manage Parthenium hysterophorus: Current paradigms, scope and relevance

“…In just four weeks, Parthenium weed can germinate, develop, and grow to seed (Masum et al, 2013). The weed may also flourish in various ecological settings, from sea level to a height of 3000 m. The plant spreads quickly and distinguishes itself from other weeds by being remarkably tolerant to different soil types and environmental conditions (Soni et al, 2023). Congress grass first bloomed in India from February to April in the western region and from August to October in the eastern region (Sridhara et al, 2022).…”