Economic botany: Past and future

Economic botany, like botany, had its origin with the herbalists. Its development was encouraged by various European rulers during the Age of Exploration and Discovery in the 16th century. Recent developments in the United States include A. F. Hill’s textbook, Economic Botany, in 1937 the founding of the journal Economic Botany by E. H. Fulling in 1947 and the formation of the Society for Economic Botany in 1959 Some of the breakthroughs in the development of agriculture, beginning with its origin some 10,000 yr ago, are given. It is concluded that we now need another significant breakthrough to feed the world’s population adequately in the year 2000 Some look to genetic engineering to provide such a breakthrough.     

Economic botany of Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae) in ecuador

The edible fruits of Spondias purpurea are valued highly throughout the Ecuadorian coastal plain and Andes where they are cultivated. They are also exported to Colombia and Peru. The fruits are either eaten fresh or processed into various products such as marmalade, wine, and liquor, all with promising market potential. This paper describes the annual cultivation cycle including, propagation, harvest and processing, yields, and socioeconomic importance of the fruits. In 1995, the total volume of the harvest in Ambuquí, province of Imbabura, was 130 000 kg with an average yield of 3250 kg/ha. Gross earnings was 472 US$/ha. The net gain was 314 US$/ha which represents six times the official monthly minimum wage in Ecuador. Spondias purpurea can grow and develop normally on rocky substrates and other marginal soils of otherwise low agricultural value.     

Progress in botany

Book Review

Progress in botanyH.-D. Behnke, K. Esser, K. Kubitzki, M. Runge and H. Ziegler (Eds.), 50. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1989. XIX+386 pages. DM 258.00. ISBN 3-540-50289-0     

Wickens, G.E. Economic botany: principles and practices

This book is a compendium of information on plants (and somemicro-organisms) that are, or could be, useful to humans. Someidea of its vast scope can be gained from the list of chapterheadings: Plant collecting, taxonomy and nomenclature; Environmentalconsiderations; Plant conservation; Ecophysiology and allieddisciplines; Plant breeding and propagation;