Minor Fruit Crops of India

Book excerpt: India is a fascinating country in its fruit wealth where almost all fruits that are consumable to human beings are grown. Quite a considerable to human beings are grown. Quite a considerable number of fruit crops have now been existent in this country as inmates of the man-made plantations but these apart, a large number are still there which are not cropped in organised plantations. These fruit crops which grow here and there as wild and are referred to as under-exploited, less-exploited or minor fruit crops beyond doubt, contribute a substantial part of the country s fruit production. Despite demerits like high degree of acerbity, astringency, bitterness or other features that make some of the less agreeable to man, some are highly relished. Above all, these materials are claimed to be hardy and productive without receiving artificial agro-inputs. Many of them are equipped with qualitative and nutritive traits and high medicinal properties. Out of the large number of these fruit crops, only a few that are found to grow in tropical and subtropical parts of India have been chosen and discussed in the title with presentation of pertinent research results. Contents Chapter 1: Minor Fruits and Their Importance, (1) Aegle marmelos Correa, (2) Anacardium occidentale Linn. (Cashew-apple), (3) Annona reticulata Linn., (4) Artocarpus lakoocha Buch. (Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb.), (5) Averrhoa carambola Linn., (6) Borassus flabellifer Linn., (7) Carissa carandas Linn., (8) Chrysophyllum cainito Linn., (9) Dillenia indica Linn. (Dillenia spciosa Thunb.), (10) Euphoria longan (Lour.) Steud (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) [Nephelium longana (Lamk.) Camb.] (Euphoria longana Lamk.), (11) Flacourtia indica (Burm. f.) Merr. (Gmelina indica Burm. f.) (Flacourtia ramontchi L. Herit) (Flacourtia sepiara Roxb.), (12) Grewia subinaequalis DC. (Grewia asiatic Masters), (13) Limonia acidissima Linn. [Feronia limonia (L.) Swingle] (Feronia elephantum Correa), (14) Malphighia glabra Linn. and Malphigia punicifolia Linn., (15) Monstera deliciosa Liebm. (Monstera lennea Koch.), (16) Phoenix sylvestris (Linn.) Roxb. (Elate sylvestris Linn.), (17) Phyllanthus acidus Skeels (Averrhoa acida Linn.) (Cicca disticha Linn.), (18) Phyllanthus emblica Linn. (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.), (19) Physalis peruviana Linn. (Physalis edulis Sims.), (20) Psidium cattleianum Sabine (Psidium littorale Raddi), (21) Spondias cytherea Sonner. (Spondias dulcis Sol. ex Forst. f.) and Spondias pinnata (L.f.) Kurz. (Spondias mangifera Willd.) (Spondias acuminata Roxb.) (Mangifera pinnata L.f.), (22) Syzygium cumini (Linn.) Skeels (Myrtus cumini Linn.) (Eugenia jambolana Lamk.), (23) Syzygium jambos (Linn.) Alston (Eugenia jambos Linn.), (24) Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merrill & Perry (Eugenia javanica Lamk.) (Myrtus samarangensis Bl.), (25) Syzygium uniflora Linn., (26) Trapa natans Linn. var. bispinosa (Roxb.) Makino (Trapa bispinosa Roxb.) and Trapa natas Linn. var. quadrispinosa (Roxb.) Makino (Trapa quadrispinosa Roxb.).