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Underutilized Crops
Neglected and underutilized crops are terms used to describe domesticated plant species used in previous centuries for food, fibre, fodder, oil or medicinal properties, but which have in recent times, been reduced in importance and value for various reasons. Other terminologies used to describe these crops include traditional, local, alternative, minor, orphan, abandoned, lost, niche, underused or underdeveloped; and in recent trends, are often referred to as forgotten or smart foods. Reduction in use is partially due to supply or consumption constraints, poor shelf life, unrecognized nutritional value, poor consumer awareness, and its reputational perception as famine food ("poor people's food"), which in part, is due to the modernization of agricultural practices. Some crops were so severely neglected that genetic erosion of their genepool resulted in them becoming regarded as lost crops. As the demand for plant and crop attributes changes (reappraisal or discovery of nutrition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Famine Food
A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or readily available food used to nourish people in times of hunger and starvation, whether caused by extreme poverty, such as during economic depression or war, or by natural disasters such as drought. Foods associated with famine need not be nutritionally deficient, or unsavory. People who eat famine food in large quantity over a long period of time may become averse to it over time. In times of relative affluence, these foods may become the targets of social stigma and rejection. The characterization of some foodstuffs as "famine" or "poverty" food can be social. For example lobster and other crustaceans may be considered poverty food in some societies and luxury food in others depending on time period and situation. Examples A number of foodstuffs have been strongly associated with famine, war, or times of hardship throughout history: *The breadnut or Maya nut was cultivated by the ancient Mayans but is largely reje ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Germplasm
Germplasm are living genetic resources such as seeds or tissues that are maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, preservation, and other research uses. These resources may take the form of seed collections stored in seed banks, trees growing in nurseries, animal breeding lines maintained in animal breeding programs or gene banks, etc. Germplasm collections can range from collections of wild species to elite, domesticated breeding lines that have undergone extensive human selection. Germplasm collection is important for the maintenance of biological diversity and food security. See also * Animal genetic resources for food and agriculture *Conservation biology *Cryoconservation of animal genetic resources *Forest genetic resources *International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture * Plant genetic resources *Seed saving References *Day-Rubenstein, K and Heisey, P. 2003. Plant Genetic Resources: New Rules for International Exchange' * 63 p. * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paspalum Scrobiculatum
''Paspalum scrobiculatum'', commonly called Kodo millet or Koda millet,A. E. Grant (1898), "Poisonous Koda millet". Letter to ''Nature'', volume 57, page 271.Harry Nelson Vinall(1917), ''Foxtail Millet: Its Culture and Utilization in the United States''. Issue 793 of ''Farmers' bulletin'', U.S. Department of Agriculture. 28 pages. is an annual grain that is grown primarily in Nepal (not to be confused with Kodo (Finger millet, ''Eleusine coracana'')) and also in India, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and in West Africa from where it originated. It is grown as a minor crop in most of these areas, with the exception of the Deccan plateau in India where it is grown as a major food source. It is a very hardy crop that is drought tolerant and can survive on marginal soils where other crops may not survive, and can supply 450–900 kg of grain per hectare.Heuzé V., Tran G., Giger-Reverdin S., 2015. Scrobic (Paspalum scrobiculatum) forage and grain. Feedipedia, a program ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panicum Miliare
''Panicum sumatrense'', known as little millet, is a species of millet in the family Poaceae. Description This species of cereal is similar in habit to the proso millet except that it is smaller. It is an annual herbaceous plant, which grows straight or with folded blades to a height of to . The leaves are linear, with the sometimes hairy laminae and membranous hairy ligules. The panicles are from in length with long awn. The grain is round and smooth, long. Subspecies There have been two subspecies described: *''Panicum sumatrense'' Roth ex Roem. & Schult. subsp. ''psilopodium'' (Trin.) Wet. *''Panicum sumatrense'' Roth ex Roem. & Schult. subsp. ''sumatrense'' Distribution and habitat In the temperate zones of Asia: the Caucasus, China, East Asia and also in the tropics of the continent: India, Indochina and Malaysia. It can withstand both drought and waterlogging. It can be cultivated up to 2000 m above sea level. Common names Hindi: Kutki, Shavan. Bengali : Sama. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panicum Miliaceum
''Panicum miliaceum'' is a grain crop with many common names, including proso millet, broomcorn millet, common millet, hog millet, Kashfi millet, red millet, and white millet. Archaeobotanical evidence suggests millet was first domesticated about 10,000 BP in Northern China. The crop is extensively cultivated in China, India, Nepal, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Middle East, Turkey, Romania, and the United States, where about half a million acres are grown each year. The crop is notable both for its extremely short lifecycle, with some varieties producing grain only 60 days after planting, and its low water requirements, producing grain more efficiently per unit of moisture than any other grain species tested. The name "proso millet" comes from the pan-Slavic general and generic name for millet ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, proso, просо, cs, proso, pl, proso, russian: просо). Proso millet is a relative of foxtail millet, pearl millet, maize, and sorghum within the gra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fagopyrum Esculentum
Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as ''Fagopyrum tataricum'', a domesticated food plant raised in Asia. Despite its name, buckwheat is not closely related to wheat. It is not a cereal, nor is it even a member of the grass family. Buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb, and is known as a pseudocereal because its seeds' culinary use is the same as cereals, owing to their high starch content. Etymology The name "buckwheat" or "beech wheat" comes from its triangular seeds, which resemble the much larger seeds of the beech nut from the beech tree, and the fact that it is used like wheat. The word may be a translation of Middle Dutch ''boecweite'': ''boec'' (Modern Dutch ''beuk''), "beech" (see PIE *''bhago''-) and ''weite'' (Mod. Dut. ''tarwe'', antiquated Dut. ''weit'') ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eragrostis Tef
''Eragrostis tef'', also known as teff, Williams lovegrass or annual bunch grass, is an annual grass, a species of lovegrass native to the Horn of Africa, notably to both Eritrea and Ethiopia. It is cultivated for its edible seeds, also known as teff. Teff was one of the earliest plants domesticated. It is one of the most important staple crops in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Description ''Eragrostis tef'' is a self pollinated tetraploid annual cereal grass. Teff is a plant, which allows it to more efficiently fix carbon in drought and high temperatures, and is an intermediate between a tropical and temperate grass. The name teff is thought to originate from the Amharic word ''teffa'', which means "lost".Encyclopædia Britannica. (2016) Teff, Grain. URL: https://www.britannica.com/plant/teff (Status: 14.11.2018) This probably refers to its tiny seeds, which have a diameter smaller than 1 mm. Teff is a fine-stemmed, tufted grass with large crowns and many tillers. Its roots ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eleusine Coracana
''Eleusine coracana'', or finger millet, also known as ragi in India, kodo in Nepal, is an annual herbaceous plant widely grown as a cereal crop in the arid and semiarid areas in Africa and Asia. It is a tetraploid and self-pollinating species probably evolved from its wild relative ''Eleusine africana''. Finger millet is native to the Ethiopian and Ugandan highlands. Interesting crop characteristics of finger millet are the ability to withstand cultivation at altitudes over 2000 m above sea level, its high drought tolerance, and the long storage time of the grains. History Finger millet originated in East Africa (Ethiopian and Ugandan highlands). It was claimed to have been found in an Indian archaeological site dated to 1800 BCE (Late Bronze Age); however, this was subsequently demonstrated to be incorrectly identified cleaned grains of hulled millets. The oldest record of finger millet comes from an archaeological site in Africa dating to the 8th century AD. By 1996, culti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Echinochloa Utilis
''Echinochloa esculenta'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is referred to by the common names Japanese barnyard millet or Japanese millet, is a species of ''Echinochloa'' that is cultivated on a small scale in India, Japan, China and Korea, both as a food and for animal fodder. It is grown in areas where the land is unsuitable or the climate too cool for paddy rice cultivation. However, the development of rice varieties that can withstand cold has led to a sharp decline in the cultivation of Japanese barnyard millet, in favor of rice. The earliest records of the domesticated form date to 2000 BC from the Jōmon period of Japan. Japanese barnyard millet was domesticated from ''Echinochloa crus-galli''. As is common for grain domestication, it underwent grain enlargement. That part of the process took one to two thousand years, occurring in Japan. Etymology ''Echinochloa'' is derived from Greek and means 'hedgehog-grass'.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Echinochloa Frumentacea
''Echinochloa frumentacea'' (Indian barnyard millet, sawa millet, or billion dollar grass)''Echinochloa frumentacea''. USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet. is a species of ''''. Both ''Echinochloa frumentacea'' and '' E. esculenta'' are called Japanese millet. This is widely grown as a cereal in , |
Digitaria Exilis
''Digitaria exilis'', referred to as findi or fundi in areas of Africa, such as The Gambia, with English common names white fonio, fonio millet, and hungry rice or acha rice, is a grass species. It is the most important of a diverse group of wild and domesticated ''Digitaria'' species known as fonio that are harvested in the savannas of West Africa. The grains are very small. It has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable use of the land. Despite its valuable characteristics and widespread cultivation, fonio has generally received limited research and development attention, which is also why the species is sometimes referred to as an underutilized crop. The name (borrowed by English from French) is from Wolof ''foño''. Fonio has continued to be important locally because it is both nutritious and one of the world's fastest growing cereals, reaching maturity in as little as six to eight weeks. It is a crop that can be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chenopodium Pallidicaule
''Chenopodium pallidicaule'', known as ''cañihua'', ''canihua'' or ''cañahua'' (from Quechua ''qañiwa, qañawa or qañawi'') and also kaniwa, is a species of goosefoot, similar in character and uses to the closely related ''quinoa'' ''(Chenopodium quinoa)''. Cañihua is native to the Andean region, with more than 200 varieties, and it has been farmed in the Altiplano for millennia. As a crop, cañihua has distinct characteristics, including tolerance of high mountain conditions, high content of protein and dietary fiber, and rich phenolic content. Botanical description Cañihua is a herbaceous and annual plant. This species is diploid with a chromosome number of 2n = 18. There are two types of this species, which differ in their branching. The ''lasta'' type shows high branching, whereas the ''saguia'' type is characterized by few branching and its more erected growth.Hemandez, Esteban J. (1994). ''Neglected crops:1492 from a different perspective''. Rome: FAO. . The plant gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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