EXPLOITATION OF UNDERUTILIZED FRUIT SPECIES IN WESTERN HIMALAYS FOR FOOD SECURITY AND ENHANCED RURAL

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EXPLOITATION OF UNDERUTILIZED FRUIT SPECIES IN
WESTERN HIMALAYS FOR FOOD SECURITY AND ENHANCED
RURAL LIVELIHOOD.

• Ravindran,C., Sharma, M., Kohli. A. and Ravi Kher
• Regional Agricultural Research Station ,Rajouri
• Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural
  Sciences Technology- Jammu, (Jammu
  Kashmir)-India
• 
  

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Background

• Next to China, India is the second most populous
  (1020 millions- census report 2001) country in
  the world today.
• To supply a balanced diet to its huge population
  is becoming a stupendous task to the scientists
  and planners of India.
• Large numbers of fruits (647 species belonging to
  357 genera (Sharma, 2002) remain as underutilized
  or minor fruits in India.

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Western Himalayas

• Western Himalayas comprise of Himachal Pradesh,
  Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab (Sub Montane Undulating
  Zone, and Undulating Plain Zone) and Hill zone of
  Uttarakhand.
• A variety of temperate (apple, pear, plum,
  apricot and nuts such as walnut, almond etc) and
  sub-tropical (Citrus, Pomegranate, Aonla) fruit
  crops are widely cultivated.

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Headlines of presentation

• Underutilized sub-tropical Intermediate Zone
  fruit crops
• Underutilized Temperate fruit crops
• Underutilized Nut Fruit crops

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Underutilized sub-tropical Intermediate Zone
fruit crops
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Wild Pomegranate
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Status of Wild Pomegranate in Intermediate Zone
of Jammu

• The most important underutilized fruit species
  and listed in the endanged category (IUCN.1978).
• Government of JK notified this crop under thrust
  area and identified the need for conservation
• It has very good adaptability, potential, market
  value, and interest among the local people.
• The area under wild pomegranate is about 10000 ha
• Annual production of Anardana is reported to be
  around 10-12 tonnes.
• No commercial cultivars are cultivated
  exclusively for Anardana preparation

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Wild Pomegranate

• Characteristic Features
• Presence of small leaf adapt this crop to arid
  region of this zone
• Resistant to drought
• Resistant to pests and diseases
• Yields about 100-150 fruits/tree
• Anardana A product from this crop gives
  additional income to the farming community.

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Vigorous growth and bearing stage of wild
pomegranate
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Flow Chart for Anardana Preparation
Selection of fully ripe fruits(1st week of
October) Extraction of seed (Arils) by physical
means Sun drying of Arils for 6 8 hrs/day for
10-12 days Dried seed (Anardana)
Marketed
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CONSTRAINTS

• Non-availability of planting materials of known
  pedigree and characteristics
• Lack of standard cultivars for Anardana
  production
• Fruits are small in size
• Lack of infrastructure needed for the industry,
  including packaging and processing units and
  transportation

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Ongoing Projects at SKUAST-J for Exploitation

• Improvement of wild pomegranate (Punica granatum
  L.) by conventional breeding for commercial
  cultivation in Intermediate zone of Jammu
  RARS, Rajouri
• Introduction and Evaluation of Commercial and
  Exotic cultivars of pomegranate for cultivation
  in intermediate zone of Jammu
  RARS, Rajouri
• Development of Agro-Techniques for cultivation of
  wild pomegranate RHRS ,Bhadarwah

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Maluck

• It is a medium growing shrub in intermediate zone
  Jammu
• Used as dry fruit during winter
• Market price 20-25 INR /Kg
• High calorific value

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Karonda

• Karonda (Carissa carandas L.) is a hardy,
  evergreen, spiny and indigenous shrub.
• Widely grown in subtropical regions of western
  himalayas, and grown commonly as a hedge plant.
• Fruits, sour and astringent in taste, are the
  richest source of iron containing good amount of
  vitamin C. Very useful to cure anaemia,
• Raw or mature fruits are most suitable for making
  an excellent quality pickle, jelly and candy.
  Ripe fruits can be processed into ready-to-serve
  squash and syrup.

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Bael (Aegle marmelos (Linn.) Corr.

• Bael (Aegle marmelos L.) is also called as Bengal
  quince.
• It is well adoptable to tropical and subtropical
  conditions of plains and submontane regions of
  country.
• Fruit possess aromatic pulp, eaten as such or as
  sherbets, squash, has medicinal value and cure
  for chronic diarrhoea and dysentery.

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Jamun

• widely distributed throughout subtropics of
  western Himalayas as stray plantation or avenue.
  It has many valuable properties and virtually
  every part of the tree has been utilized by both
  urban and rural dwellers.
• The fruits are good sources of iron, sugars,
  minerals, proteins and carbohydrate etc. fruits
  are used as effective medicine against diabetes.
• In recent years, Jamun fruits are becoming
  popular among the people of western Himalayas due
  to its rich medicinal values particularly for its
  anti-diabetic properties.
• In spite of the fact that jamun can withstand
  adverse climatic conditions and be grown in
  various types of soil, but no attempt to improve
  its varietals wealth have been made under this
  regions

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Nutritive value of underutilized fruits
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Cont..
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Underutilized Temperate fruit crops
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Wild Peach (Prunus persica Batsh)

• Many wild forms of peach are found in this zone.
  The most distinguishing feature of the wild types
  found in the region is very late ripening of the
  fruit.
• The fruits are small in size and very sweet.
  They may be free stone or cling type. An
  important feature of these plants is that they
  are resistant to peach leaf curl which otherwise
  is a serious problem in the peach growing areas.

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Wild Peach
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WILD APRICOT (Prunus armeniaca L.)

• Widely distributed in Jammu and Kashmir (Kargil
  location with altitutes varying from 1600m to
  3050m above mean sea level), Himachal Pradesh (
  1200 to 2500m amsl.)
• An important fruit and tree borne oil seed crop
  of mid hills and dry temperate region of the
  country.
• Fruits attractive, delicious and highly
  nutritious and contain vitamin A, carbohydrates,
  protein, phosphorus and niacin in higher quantity
  than majority of other common wild and cultivated
  fruits.
• Besides its use as desserts, the fruits are
  canned and sun dried and pulp used in jam,
  chutneys and fruit leather whereas, the kernels
  from its seeds are a very good source of edible
  oil.

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Profuse bearing
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Crop Improvement

• A marked variation exists in various fruit
  characters and these traits can be considered as
  good selection criteria.
• 2 The selected strains can be best utilized in
  breeding programme and commercialized as there is
  great potential for this crop in temperate zones
  of the country.
• 3 Many of the superior selections could find
  their way in large scale cultivation for
  utilization of their fruits in fruit processing
  units.

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Harvested wild apricot fruits
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Underutilized Nut Fruit crops
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Bitter Almond (Prunus amygdalus)

• The wild form of almond that exists in abundance
  in western Himalayas regions are generally
  bitter.
• SKUAST-K has conducted extensive survey in all
  the almond growing pockets of Kashmir valley
  which has resulted not only in identification of
  elite selections having better nut and kernels
  characteristics, but also selections having high
  protein and fat content.
• These high protein selections although bitter can
  be used for oil extraction because sweet almond
  is too valuable to be pressed for oil.
• These selections were found to be highly tolerant
  to drought / diseases and other problems and also
  could be extensively used as a rootstock for
  raising almond nurseries because of its
  bitterness.

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Almond tree in bloom
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Pecan nut

• Most important temperate nut mostly and
  distributed in Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
• In Himachal Pradesh its planataion remined
  confined to the areas of Kangra, Mandi, Kullu and
  Solan districts
• Total area under pecan nut in recent year is
  increasing due its high economic return and well
  adapted to intermediate zone of Jammu. (Rajouri
  Poonch District)

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Constraints

• Most of the plants are seedling origin
• Poor establishment in field
• No improved cultivars
• Lack of suitable pollinizer

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Chestnut (Castanea spp)

• The chestnut is growing wild in many parts of
  Western Himalayas especially North-West Frontier
  Province, Darjeeling and Khasi Hills.
• There is no organized plantation and production
  figure of chestnut in India. Only stray
  plantation exists and some plants are growing in
  wild in these regions.

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Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L)

• Turkish hazelnut (Corylus colurna) grow wild in
  termperate climate of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu
  and Kashmir regions of Western Himalayas
• European and American species of hazelnut are
  found in wild in Pangi region of Chamba district
  of Himachal Pradesh and locally known as Thangi.
• Used as root stocks, green fodder for sheep and
  cattle , hardly used for human consumption

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Pistachio (Pistacia vera L)

• The cultivation of pistachio in this region is at
  infancy. The only plantation that exists is at
  the progeny cum demonstration orchard Botku and
  Regional Horticulture Research Station, Sharbo in
  Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
• Efforts are in hand to bring more area under
  pistachio cultivation and some achievements has
  been made in this direction by importing two
  commercial varieties namely Kermon (female) and
  Peters (male) from California, USA.

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Nutritive value of Nut fruits
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Issues in improvement of Underutilized Nut
fruits cultivation

• Strengthening of survey work
• The identification and multiplication of
  underutilized fruit species which are superior
  in many traits
• Introduction of superior cultivars from
  countries where they are grown commercially
• Systematic plantation of orchard where the
  indigenous and exotic germplasm can be evaluated
  properly in different agro climatic zones
• Selection of dwarfing rootstocks to reduce the
  juvenile period and increase the productivity
  and production
• Studies on pollination behavior and
  recommendation of suitable pollinizers.

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Conclusion

• Underutilized Fruit are highly nutritious and
  contain vitamins , carbohydrates, protein and
  minerals in higher quantity than majority of
  other common cultivated fruits.
• NUS have high medicinal value and are being used
  locally
• These fruit species should be effectively
  exploited to supply a balanced diet to its huge
  population
• Priority is given to exploration , collection and
  conservation of these species in this region

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Canadian International Development
AgencyKirkhouse Trust