Madurai  :

Out of at least 1 lakh plant species that humans can consume as food, hardly 30 are used as food and just three- wheat, rice and maize- predominantly get cultivated as food grains. In the unexplored plant species lies India’s wealth, said vice-chancellor of University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Dr D P Biradar here.

Biradar on Wednesday inaugurated the third ‘International Symposium on Underutilised Plant Species – Exploration and Conservation for Future Generation’ at the Agricultural College and Research Institute (AC & RI) under the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU). The first two symposiums were held in Arusha, Tanzania (2008) and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2011). As part of the golden jubilee celebrations of AC & RI, Madurai, the third international symposium is being held by Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the institute in collaboration with the International Society for Horticultural Sciences (ISHS), Belgium.

During the four-day event, researchers will explore the potential of underutilised plants as there is increasing endorsement at national and international levels on the important role that can be played by less-used crops and species in sustainable farming systems and human well-being.

Addressing the audience, Biradar said that according to the West, Indians are not aware of the immense value of these plant species found in their backyard. Plant species found in biodiversity-rich Western Ghats are worth a million dollars, he commented. In addition to being ignorant about their worth, Indians also tend to study these plants in isolation.

For example, a common weed like ‘coat button’ or ‘tridax daisy’ (tridax procumbens) can cure wounds. In the same way, wild vegetables that are yet to be domesticated have a lot of potential, like the wild bitter gourd which is getting more prominence in the food industry.

“There is a need for a multidisciplinary research approach on these underutilised plant species, which is going to be a boon to the Indian economy,” Biradar said.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University VC Dr K Ramasamy said underutilised plants should be explored in a sustainable manner. He pointed out that though the Western Ghats were safeguarded, the Eastern Ghats from Kanyakumari to Kolkata was getting lost and its impact on environment was becoming visible in the present days.

Dr Bhimu Patil, director, vegetable & fruit improvement centre, A & M University, Texas, Dr Sandhya Gupta, vice chair, commission on plant genetic resources, ISHS, also spoke at the inaugural event.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, TNAU VC said they have identified 156 plant species in the state, of which 56 were medical plants.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Madurai / TNN / August 06th, 2015