Folk Biological Classification of Minor Millet Species in Kolli Hills, India

Rengalakshmi, R.

doi:10.2993/0278-0771(2005)25[59:fbcomm]2.0.co;2

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The criteria used by farmers to describe different landraces included the seeds characteristics, agronomic and religious properties, and the growth habits of the crop. Similar results were found in other studies including on the common bean [40], fonio [41], millet [42] and Kersting's groundnut [12]. These characteristics used to identify different Kersting's groundnut landraces reflect the consistence of folk taxonomy.…”

Section: Knowledge Existence and Distribution Of Kersting's Groundnusupporting

confidence: 85%

Farmers’ Preferences for Genetic Resources of Kersting’s Groundnut [Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Maréchal and Baudet] in the Production Systems of Burkina Faso and Ghana

et al. 2020

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Pulses play important roles in providing proteins and essential amino-acids, and contribute to soils' nutrients cycling in most smallholder farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These crops can be promoted to meet food and nutrition security goals in low-income countries. Here, we investigated the status of Kersting's groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum, Fabaceae), a neglected pulse in West Africa. We explored its diversity, the production systems, the production constraints and farmers' preferences in Burkina Faso and Ghana. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted in 39 villages with 86 respondents grouped in five sociolinguistic groups. Our results indicated that Macrotyloma geocarpum was produced in three cultivation systems: in the first system, farmers grew Kersting's groundnut in fields, mostly on mounds or on ridges; in the second system, farmers grew it as field border; and in the third system, no clear tillage practice was identified. The main constraints of those farming systems included: difficulty to harvest, the lack of manpower and the damage due to high soil humidity at the reproductive stage. A total of 62 samples were collected and clustered in six landraces based on seed coat colors including cream, white mottled with black eye, white mottled with greyed orange eye, black, brown mottled, and brown. All six groups were found in the southern-Sudanian zone whereas only white mottled with black eye and black colors were found in the northern-Sudanian zone. The white mottled with black eye landrace was commonly known and widely grown by farmers. Farmers' preferences were, however, influenced by sociolinguistic membership and the most preferred traits included high yielding, drought tolerance, and resistance against beetles. These findings offer an avenue to develop a relevant breeding research agenda for promoting Kersting's groundnut in Burkina Faso and Ghana.

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Section: Knowledge Existence and Distribution Of Kersting's Groundnusupporting

confidence: 85%

Farmers’ Preferences for Genetic Resources of Kersting’s Groundnut [Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Maréchal and Baudet] in the Production Systems of Burkina Faso and Ghana

et al. 2020

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“…The study of ethnobotanical research is deeply rooted within India. There are many examples of medicinal ethnobotanical surveys conducted in India in the past that have recorded many botanical remedies among many aboriginal groups: Malasars [ 26 ]; Malamalasars [ 27 ]; Malayalis [ 28 - 31 ]; Irulas [ 22 , 23 , 32 - 34 ]; Gonds [ 15 ]; Koysd, Konda reddis, Valmikis, Koyas, Chenchus, Lambadis, Jatapus, Savaras, Bagatas, Kammaras, Khondas, Nukadoras, Porjas, Jatapus [ 35 ]; Paliyar [ 36 ]; Kanikar [ 37 ]; Todas, Kotas [ 38 , 39 ]; Kattunayakas [ 40 ]; Apatani [ 41 ]; Chellipale [ 42 ]. Although there are many descriptive qualitative surveys of TAK, to our knowledge, there are no ethnobotanical studies within India that consider variation in TAK among informants using a quantitative consensus analysis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consensus of the 'Malasars' traditional aboriginal knowledge of medicinal plants in the Velliangiri holy hills, India

Ragupathy

Steven

Murugesan

et al. 2008

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

125

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There are many vanishing cultures that possess a wealth of knowledge on the medicinal utility of plants. The Malasars of Dravidian Tamils are an indigenous society occupying the forests of the Western Ghats, South India. They are known to be exceptional healers and keepers of traditional aboriginal knowledge (TAK) of the flora in the Velliangiri holy hills. In fact, their expertise is well known throughout India as evidenced by the thousands of pilgrims that go to the Velliangiri holy hills for healing every year. Our research is the first detailed study of medicinal plants in India that considers variation in TAK among informants using a quantitative consensus analysis. A total of 95 species belonging to 50 families were identified for medicinal and general health purposes. For each species the botanical name, family, local name, parts used, summary of mode of preparation, administration and curing are provided. The consensus analysis revealed a high level of agreement among the informants usage of a particular plant at a local scale. The average consensus index value of an informant was F IC > 0.71, and over 0.80 for some ailments such as respiratory and jaundice. Some of the more common problems faced by the Malasars were gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory illness, dermatological problems and simple illness such as fever, cough, cold, wounds and bites from poisonous animals. We also discovered several new ethnotaxa that have considerable medicinal utility. This study supports claims that the Malasars possess a rich TAK of medicinal plants and that many aboriginals and mainstream people (pilgrims) utilize medicinal plants of the Velliangiri holy hills. Unfortunately, the younger generation of Malasars are not embracing TAK as they tend to migrate towards lucrative jobs in more developed urban areas. Our research sheds some light on a traditional culture that believes that a healthy lifestyle is founded on a healthy environment and we suggest that TAK such as that of the Malasars may serve toward a global lifestyle of health and environmental sustainability.

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“…2006c, 2007), we found a handful of studies where aboriginal informants recorded more taxa in a partuciluar area than taxonomists challenging the SK classification system (Conklin 1954; Balakrishnan et al . 2003; Rengalakshmi 2005). None of these studies allowed a direct comparison within an experimental design.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is not the first account where TK classification systems recognize more taxa than the SK classification system. In a review of aboriginal biological classification systems (Newmaster et al 2006c(Newmaster et al , 2007, we found a handful of studies where aboriginal informants recorded more taxa in a partuciluar area than taxonomists challenging the SK classification system (Conklin 1954;Balakrishnan et al 2003;Rengalakshmi 2005). None of these studies allowed a direct comparison within an experimental design.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA barcoding discriminates a new cryptic grass species revealed in an ethnobotany study by the hill tribes of the Western Ghats in southern India

Ragupathy¹,

Newmaster²,

Murugesan³

et al. 2009

Molecular Ecology Resources

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Our research brought together traditional aboriginal knowledge (TK) and scientific knowledge (SK) to explore the relationship between scientific and aboriginal systems of botanical classification and the corresponding valorization(s) of biological diversity in the Western Ghats of southern India. We worked with two aboriginal cultures namely 'Irulas' and 'Malasars' of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve with an objective of evaluating the ability of different knowledge systems (SK and TK) to distinguish grass species belonging to the genus Tripogon, and assess the ability of DNA barcoding to discriminate a new cryptic species 'Tripogon cope' as deciphered by the hill tribes. We discovered that the aboriginal informants identified a common ethnotaxa 'Sunai pul', which is a cryptic species of grass not recognized by the SK classification.'sunai pul' is very important to both aboriginal cultures with ritualistic and economic utility. Morphometric analysis confirms the cryptic nature of this new species, which was validated using DNA barcoding. DNA barcode regions matK and trnH-psbA showed distinct sequence variations among the closely related ethnotaxa. Given the cryptic nature of ethnotaxa, we propose that a DNA barcode may be a reliable tool to identify ethnotaxa. We have initiated further studies in other cultures to develop theoretically sophisticated insights concerning the encounter between 'local' and 'scientific' approaches to the use of biodiversity knowledge. Furthermore, the research will add to a unifying global effort to speed up the documentation and understanding of the planet's natural diversity, while simultaneously respecting the cultural heterogeneity as a vital component of biological diversity.

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Folk Biological Classification of Minor Millet Species in Kolli Hills, India

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 21 publications

References 2 publications

Farmers’ Preferences for Genetic Resources of Kersting’s Groundnut [Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Maréchal and Baudet] in the Production Systems of Burkina Faso and Ghana

Farmers’ Preferences for Genetic Resources of Kersting’s Groundnut [Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Maréchal and Baudet] in the Production Systems of Burkina Faso and Ghana

Consensus of the 'Malasars' traditional aboriginal knowledge of medicinal plants in the Velliangiri holy hills, India

DNA barcoding discriminates a new cryptic grass species revealed in an ethnobotany study by the hill tribes of the Western Ghats in southern India

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