Are Neglected Plants the Food for the Future?

Malnutrition, poor health, hunger, and even starvation are still the world's greatest challenges. Malnutrition is defined as deficiency of nutrition due to not ingesting the proper amounts of nutrients by simply not eating enough food and/or by consuming nutrient-poor food in respect to the daily nutritional requirements. Moreover, malnutrition and disease are closely associated and incidences of such diet-related diseases increase particularly in low- and middle-income states. While foods of animal origin are often unaffordable to low-income families, various neglected crops can offer an alternative source of micronutrients, vitamins, as well as health-promoting secondary plant metabolites. Therefore, agricultural and horticultural research should develop strategies not only to produce more food, but also to improve access to more nutritious food. In this context, one promising approach is to promote biodiversity in the dietary pattern of low-income people by getting access to nutritional as well as affordable food and providing recommendations for food selection and preparation. Worldwide, a multitude of various plant species are assigned to be consumed as grains, vegetables, and fruits, but only a limited number of these species are used as commercial cash crops. Consequently, numerous neglected and underutilized species offer the potential to diversify not only the human diet, but also increase food production levels, and, thus, enable more sustainable and resilient agro- and horti-food systems. To exploit the potential of neglected plant (NP) species, coordinated approaches on the local, regional, and international level have to be integrated that consequently demand the involvement of numerous multi-stakeholders. Thus, the objective of the present review is to evaluate whether NP species are important as “Future Food” for improving the nutritional status of humans as well as increasing resilience of agro- and horti-food systems.     

Plant management among the Nahua and the Mixtec in the Balsas River Basin,Mexico: An ethnobotanical approach to the study of plant domestication

Different forms of management of wild, weedy, and domesticated plants carried out by the Nahua and the Mixtec in the Balsas River Basin, Mexico, are described. Along with cultivation of domesticated plants, these forms of plant management include gathering from wild populations; in situtolerance of plant individuals during clearings of natural vegetation; in situenhancement and protection of particular plants among populations of some species; as well as sowing or planting of propagules and transplantation of complete individuals of weedy and wild plants in controlled ex situenvironments. Processes of artificial selection and possible routes of domestication occurring in these forms of plant management are discussed.     

百色地区民族民间植物崇拜文化与生物多样性保护

植物崇拜是人类崇尚自然、敬畏生命这一朴素理念的基本体现。为了解百色地区民族民间植物崇拜文化内涵及其对生物多样性保护和管理的影响,该文采用民族植物学方法调查了百色地区民族民间植物崇拜文化及其文化特征,从自然崇拜、传统节日文化、生命礼俗和传统医药等方面探讨了百色地区民族民间植物文化对生物多样性保护的作用。结果表明:百色地区民族民间植物文化内涵丰富,具有丰富的生物多样性。百色地区民族民间崇拜植物分属53个种、47个属、28个科。其中,蔷薇科和豆科种类最多,分别为5种; 其次是桑科和禾本科,分别为4种。从生活型的组成来看,乔木植物占绝对优势,有39种,占总种数的73.58%; 草本11种,占总种数的20.75%; 灌木3种,占总种数的5.67%。其中,有4种植物在中国珍稀濒危植物信息系统中被列为国家Ⅱ级名录(闽楠、蚬木、格木、红椿),有5种植物被列为各省市区(地方)保护野生植物名录(红楠、广西青冈、桃金娘、苏木、黄檀)。这些植物形成了多样的植物群落,对百色地区植物多样性保护具有重要的促进作用。     

百色民间植物崇拜文化与生物多样性保护研究

植物崇拜是人类崇尚自然,敬畏生命朴素理念的基本体现。为了解百色民间植物崇拜文化内涵以及其对生物多样性保护作用和管理的影响,采用民族植物学方法调查了百色地区民间崇拜植物文化及其文化特征,从自然崇拜、传统节日文化、生命礼俗和传统医药等几个方面探讨百色民间植物文化对生物多样性保护的作用。百色民间植物文化内涵丰富,并表现了丰富的生物多样性。百色民间崇拜植物分属53个种,47个属,28个科,其中蔷薇科和豆科种类最多,分别为5种,其次是桑科和禾本科,分别为4种。从生活型的组成来看,乔木植物占绝对优势,有39种,占总种数的73.58%,草本11种,占总种数的20.75%;灌木3种,占总种数的5.67%。其中有4种植物在中国珍稀濒危植物信息系统中被列为国家Ⅱ级名录（闽楠、蚬木、格木、红椿）,有5种植物被列为各省市区（地方）保护野生植物名录（红楠、广西青冈、桃金娘、苏木、黄檀）。这些植物形成了多样的植物群落,对百色地区植物多样性保护具有重要促进作用。     

秘鲁民间草药及其与中草药种类之比较

作者通过实地考察,论述了秘鲁丰富的民族植物学和民间草药知识,并根据收集到的有关资料对秘鲁民间草药和中草药的种类进行比较分析,为进一步开发药用植物资源和研制新药提供参考。     

近四十年来植物资源利用研究进展

本文简要综述近40年来国外对植物资源利用的研究。内容涉及栽培植物的起源和进化、新作物的探索、民族植物学、综合利用方向、多样化原则、植物资源的利用兴衰史及植物园的新任务等。     

Modernization and medicinal plant knowledge in a Caribbean horticultural village

Herbal medicine is the first response to illness in rural Dominica. Every adult knows several "bush" medicines, and knowledge varies from person to person. Anthropological convention suggests that modernization generally weakens traditional knowledge. We examine the effects of commercial occupation, consumerism, education, parenthood, age, and gender on the number of medicinal plants freelisted by individuals. All six predictors are associated with bush medical knowledge in bivariate analyses. Contrary to predictions, commercial occupation and consumerism are positively associated with herbal knowledge. Gender, age, occupation, and education are significant predictors in multivariate analysis. Women tend to recall more plants than do men. Education is negatively associated with plants listed; age positively associates with number of species listed. There are significant interactions among commercial occupation, education, age, and parenthood, suggesting that modernization has complex effects on knowledge of traditional medicine in Dominica.     

Linking breadfruit cultivar names across the globe connects histories after 230 years of separation

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Ethnobotanical observations in the Ladakh Region of Northern Jammu and Kashmir state,India

A field trip was undertaken in Ladakh, the northernmost frontier of Jammu and Kashmir State, India. A collection of plants was made from this remote trans-Himalayan region at an altitude ranging from 3000 to 5500 m. Local people were contacted for the local names and uses of plants growing there. They are used as vegetables, in ceremonial observation, in material culture, in personal hygiene, and as fodder or suspected stock poison.     

Starch granule size and the domestication of manioc (Manihot esculenta) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)

Archaeological studies of plant remains have indicated that an increase in seed size is frequently correlated with both intensive cultivation and domestication of seed crop plants. To test if starch granules of domesticated root crops are significantly larger than those of wild or less intensively cultivated plants, archaeological and modern specimens of manioc and sweet potato were sampled for starch granules, and granule size was compared across a temporal sequence. The results indicate that a gross generalization can be made that modern specimens of both manioc and sweet potato yield larger starch granules than some archaeological specimens. It does appear, however, that modern domesticated manioc roots produce significantly larger-sized starch granules than those of its purported wild ancestor. Additionally, there exist two lines of evidence that the coastal Peruvian and lowland Neotropical regional types of manioc differ from one another and have been separate for several millennia. These findings indicate that manioc may have been domesticated more than once.