Survey and Conservation of Indigenous Fruits of Western Ghats

Abstract

Western Ghats region of India is one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. The topography, wide rainfall variation and varied temperature conditions enable inhabitancy of several plant species. This plant wealth is being used in various forms by tribes and natives of the area for centuries. These gain further importance due to the fact that ripe fruits serve as a source of food and medicine to tribes throughout the year. These wild fruits are source of minerals and vitamins in the diet of the rural people. The potential productivity and floristic diversity of the area have attracted the experts. There are more than 50 wild edible fruit species are available in Western Ghats region. These belong to 25 families and 38 genera. Out of the 25 families, the important ones as a source of fruits are Apocynaceae, Anacardiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Moraceae, Sapotaceae and Sapindaceae. The fruiting period of different species ranges between two and six months. The highest number of species mature from April to May. The availability of these fruits reduces after October. Some of these fruits, such as Mangifera indica, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Carissa carandas, Emblica officinalis and Syzygium cuminii, have been given emphasis in order to identify high yield and high fruit quality clones and standardization of production technologies. The collection, conservation and utilization on some of the fruits, such as Garcinia indica and Garcinia gummigutta have started at various research organizations. Some other fruits, namely Chrysophyllum roxburghii Few plants were also provided to local growers on farm conservation. The continuous depletion of forest and the increasing human disturbance resulted in losses of these species. There is need to conserve these fruits for future.

Evaluation of Kokum [Garcinia indica (Thouars) Choisy] Genotypes for Growth, Yield and Quality Parameters under the Humid Tropical Conditions of Central Kerala

“…In the past, Raorane [9] recorded the average fruit weight of 30.18 g, fruit volume of 29.17 ml, rind weight of 15.53 g, rind thickness of 3.40 mm and average fruit yield per tree of 55.00 kg in seventeen kokum genotypes under the Dapoli conditions of Maharashtra. Korikanthimath and Desai [10], Patil [6], Patil and Kattimani [14], Devi [13], Niveditha [12], Tripathi [15] and Kapatia [8] also worked on fruit parameters of kokum under various climatic conditions. Kokum seeds are material for the propagation, it can be directly used for seedling production as rootstocks.…”

“…The content of titratable acidity along with total sugars categorise the genotypes into sweet or sour type. In the previous studies, Raorane [9], Patil [6], Joshi [18], Korikanthimath and Desai [10], Niveditha [12], Devi [13] and Tripathi [15] worked on quality parameters of kokum.…”

Eco-Friendly Activities for Enhancement of Biodiversity and Energy Conservation in and around Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri Campus

“…The continuous depletion of forests and the increasing human disturbance resulted in the loss of many wild plants including fruit-yielding species in the Western Ghats region (17). In the year 2022, the campus biodiversity is further enriched by conducting plantation drives with special reference to wild fruit-yielding species of Western Ghats.…”