About the Book
The underutilized and under-exploited horticultural crops play a crucial role in the development of health food green parks, neutraceutical industry, home decorations, renewable sources of green energy, and food reserves during calamities. These crops are rich in essential nutrients like fiber, minerals, and beta-carotene. The crops like agathi, chekkurmanis, waterleaf, drumstick leaf, basella, and colacasia leaf are classified as leaf vegetables, while cucurbits such as ash gourd, pointed gourd, ivy gourd, kekrol, snap melons, and chow-chow are rich in iron and amino acids. Fruits like karonda, aonla, and cherries are highly nutritious and suitable for growing in less moisture soils. Noni is a fruit that is highly beneficial for health and can be used to combat diabetes, obesity, and sleeplessness. Long pepper, mint, celery, fenugreek, and garcenia are some of the spices that possess medicinal properties. There are numerous underexploited medicinal plants like tulsi and peppermint that have considerable economic value. The underutilized crops in Tripura, Orissa, and Kerala are also worth mentioning. It is essential to broaden our food basket and include lesser-known crops to ensure a healthy and balanced diet. The shift from healthcare to wellness industry has led to an increased focus on prevention rather than cure. The present volume provides a comprehensive overview of the underutilized and under-exploited horticultural crops, with contributions from working scientists in each specific crop area.
Table of Contents:
General: 1. Genetic Resources of Underutilized Horticultural Crops in Tripura by Sankaran, M. Singh; N.P and Jai Prakash Underutilized Tuber Crops:
2. Arrow Root by Jose Mathew
3.Coleus (Coleus Parviflorus Benth.) by Rajmohan, K.
4. Larger Yam by Jayakrishna Kumar
5. Lesser Yam by Jayakrishna Kumar
6. Winged Beans by Prasanna, K.P.
7. Yam Beans by Devadas, V.S. Underutilized Ornamentals:
8. Indigenous Ornamental Plants of Western Ghats by Rajasekharan, P.E.
9. Domestication of Underutilized Species for Ornamental Values by Datta, S.K.
10.Underutilized Orchids of Orissa by Sagar Mohapatra and Kambaska Kumar Behera
11.Promising Indian Barlerias of Ornamental Potential by Mayur, Y. Kamble; Sandeep R. Pai and Shendage, S.M.
12.Exacum bicolor - An Elegant Wild Flowering Herbs by Sreelatha, U.; T. S. Baburaj and Narayanan, Kutty C.
13.Use of Dehydration Technique for Utilization of Unutilized Rural Flora for Preparation of Diversified Value Added Products by Datta, S.K. Underutilized Herbs and Spices:
14. Underutilized Herbs and Spices by Ravindran, P.N; Geetha S Pillai and Nirmal Babu, K. Underutilized Vegetables:
15. Tropical Cucurbits and Their Improvement by K.V. Peter, P.G. Sadhan Kumar and T.E. George
16. Basella by Varalakshmi , B.
17. Chow-Chow by Pitchaimuthu, M.
18. Ivy Gourd by Bharathi, L.K.
19. Melothria by Bharathi, L.K.
20. Spine Gourd by Bharathi, L.K; G. Naik, H.S. Singh and Dora, D.K.Underutilized Fruits:
21. Participatory Management of Indigenous Mango Germplasm by Pradeep Kumar, T; John Kutty, I and Peter, K.V.
22. Indian Noni (Marinda Citrifolia L.) — A Unique Fruit Crop with High Medicinal Value by Abu Saleha; Manju Kamath L, and Peter, P.I.
23. Karonda (Carissa conjesta) - An Underutilized Fruit Crop by Dinesh Kumar; Pandey V. and Vishal Nath
24. Tamarind by Gajanana, T.M; Gowda, I.N.D. and Reddy, B.M.C.
About the Author :
K.V. Peter: Professor of Horticulture and Former Vice-Chancellor, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur - 680 656, Kerala, India
