Horticultural researchers across India are focusing on preserving, developing and promoting exotic fruit varieties with neutraceutical (functional) properties, that are currently underutilised in the country.
Among these are a unique mango variety called Manoranjitam found in Chittoor of Andhra Pradesh. The mango useful in fighting night blindness as it is high in vitamin A. But, not many beyond its growing region are aware of its useful properties.
The first push has come from Bengaluru, with scientists from 20 States — who participated in a national symposium on ‘Fruit breeding in tropics and sub-tropics: An Indian perspective’ — beginning the process of listing underutilised exotic fruit varieties, which need to be preserved and promoted.
IIHR Director M.R. Dinesh told The Hindu that though India has an abundance of fruit, their neutraceutical properties are yet to be evaluated. “When we evaluated some of the fruit varieties, we found they were not only underutilised, but also that some of them were facing the threat of extinction. That’s why we have decided to preserve, develop and promote them,” he said. According to him, preserving and promoting of such fruit varieties will have twin benefits: it will help increase revenue of farmers, and improve the health of people.
Conference organising secretary B.N.S. Murthy said that work would also be taken up to develop appropriate processing technologies for exploiting the full potential of such exotic fruit varieties, which include litchi, dragon fruit, rambutan, longan, avocado and velvette apple.
Dwarf varieties
The conference is also focusing on the possibility of developing dwarf varieties of fruit crops so that the farmers can pick the fruits easily, without hiring labourers particularly as there is severe labour shortage. Such dwarf varieties are needed to suit the present trend of high-density plantation, Dr. Dinesh said.
The conference, which focused on the development of disease-resistant fruit varieties and reducing the time taken for development and improvement of new varieties, will submit a report to ICAR.
