Re-discover some of the Underutilized and neglected crops in the world with a broader base of our food Resource Base: Bambara groundnut
Do you know the neglected and neglected crops in the world.
1) Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.)
Background
Most of the food requirements be provided for fewer than 20 plant species. There remains a large collection of hundreds of species that were not used sufficiently grown locally for centuries and contribute to food security of the poorest people in the world. Many of these plants are in hostile tropical environment of small farmers without access to irrigation and fertilizer, and grown with little guidance on how to improve procedures and feasible alternatives. All attempts to improve their germplasm or management practices depend of local experience and resources, as have ignored the majority of agricultural scientists and farmers, or actively discouraged the cultivation of indigenous cultures are not sufficiently used. The few efforts that were to be evaluated, these types of conventional methods to slow and labor and research funds have rarely been addressed in the multidisciplinary Research on such crops of unknown potential. In addition, because many of these plants are grown for their own use, made little effort is genetically or to improve agricultural or assess their nutritional, processing and economic potential.
An important limitation of most research used on crops is not enough that because of insufficient funding, it is limited to a single aspect, such as discipline, of the individual species in question. The absence a multidisciplinary approach, or extensive published literature on a particular species that any unused funds research that is done, you can double prescribed elsewhere without increasing the general knowledge or understanding of the harvest not yet occurred. The lack of an overarching strategy for improving utilization the different cultures of the development of principles that can be applied to all species. This piecemeal approach reduces both the efficiency of research underutilized species to the individual and the collective influence of the advocates for greater efforts to increase agricultural biodiversity.
If it maintain an increase of biodiversity in agriculture and a broader basis for food security policy, there is an urgent need for research coordinate on the underutilized crops within a general and robust method that:
1. Widespread recommendations for producers and advisors to management practices and end uses.
2. Defines attributes and physiological responses to environmental factors, so that the agro-ecological requirements of each crop are determined.
3. Be Identifies how knowledge and understanding gained in a particular species applied quickly to increase our understanding of other cultures are not sufficiently used to.
Such a culture is Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc) that an indigenous grain legume mainly by subsistence farmers in drier parts of grown from Africa south of Sahara. The stock has advantages over less-favored species in terms of the nutritional value and tolerance to environmental conditions. In much of Africa, Bambara groundnut is the third most important legume for peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) (Sellschop, 1962). The stock has a number advantages in production, that on poor soils with little rainfall as income also produce significant revenue under better conditions. It is nutritionally superior to other legumes, and is the preferred food crop of many local people (Linnemann, 1990; Brough and Azam-Ali, 1992). Bambara groundnut is a rich source of protein (16-25%) and its seeds are valued both for their nutritional and economic importance. The seeds command a high market price, with demand far outweighs supply in many areas (Coudert, 1982). Despite these important attributes, the agro-ecological and genetic potential of Bambara groundnut is not yet fully realized yet its full economic significance determined. The crop is still cultivated by the local landraces and not specifically bred for certain varieties of agro-ecological conditions or production systems.
Recently, scientists in Africa and elsewhere have begun agronomic and physiological evidence accumulated over the harvest and those with indigenous knowledge and perceptions of linking farmers. Between 1992 and 1996, the University of Nottingham, UK, co-coordinated a large European Union (EU) project to assess the agro-ecological potential of Bambara groundnut. The program combined field trials in the United Republic of Tanzania, Botswana and Sierra Leone with experiments and Analysis in Nottingham and the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands. The objectives of the EU bambara groundnut project were:
1. Define sites and seasons for Bambara groundnut Cultivation in the United Republic of Tanzania, Botswana and Sierra Leone.
2. A validated, mechanistic model of Bambara groundnut to the total biomass and pod yield predict contrasting soil and atmospheric environments.
3. Identifying attributes associated with the ability to produce yields under semi-arid conditions.
4. Recommend Management practices, crop yields under rain fed conditions to stabilize.
5. Outline a methodology for applying a similar approach to a rapid assessment the potential of other species not used sufficiently.
Bambara groundnut has a less important role in many parts of Africa due to the expansion of peanut production. In recent years, however, has been a renewed interest in the plant for cultivation in the dry savanna zones. Bambara groundnut is a popular culture because of its tolerance to drought and the ability to produce an adequate return in poor soils.
Constraints associated with Bambara groundnuts production include, lack of education on the values of Harvest, or lack of availability of germplasm, pests and diseases. This has contributed to the unpopularity and low production of culture.
Used.
Bambara groundnut is grown primarily for human consumption, but it has other uses as well. The seeds of the plant make it a complete food, adequate and balanced amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and fats (Oliveira 1976, Linnemann 1987). On average, the seeds contain 63% carbohydrates, 19% protein ad 6.5% oil. The gross energy value of the Bambara groundnut should be greater than that of other common pulses such as cowpea and pigeon pea (FAO, 1982)
In countries such as Angola and Mozambique, boiled salted seeds are often served as an appetizer. Commercial canning of Bambara groundnut in sauce is a successful industry in countries like Zimbabwe and Ghana.
Bambara groundnut can be eaten in many ways. Immature pods can be cooked and eaten as snacks. However, on mature seeds have become harder and require cooking for a long time. Seeds can cause Flour will be crushed and used to the stiff porridge. Roasted seeds can be boiled, ground and eaten as an appetizer. Recently, a trial of Bambara groundnut milk was carried out the relation to its taste and composition prepared with milk from cowpea, pigeon pea and soybean (Brough et al, 1993). Bambara groundnut was ultimately the best and its lighter color was preferred. These plants can also be used as animal feed. The culm was found that palatable (Doku and Karikari 1971a), and the leaves were reported to be rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, and thus suitable for grazing (Rassel 1960).
Other than culinary use, it must Bambara groundnut medical applications as well. The Luo tribe in Kenya use Bambara groundnut to cure diarrhea. If the water from corn and Bambara groundnut mixture is drunk boiled treated Diarrhea (Goli, 1991). The leaves can be mixed with those of Lantana trifolia L. and crushed and water added to a solution that will be used to wash animals or as an insecticide.
The other reason Bambara groundnut is that there is a low-cost, reliable operation of resource that grows in harsh environments where many other Plants can not. For Africa, provides various advantages of the harvest;
the ideal stay-harvest
a good early crop
a good backstop for hungry times
a promising commercial resources
It is also easier for the legumes to grow: its fruit buried in the ground, keeps them safe from the multitude of flying insects, destroy destroy, or cowpea, common bean, soybean and other legumes, the careless wave of her tastiest parts in the air! Other than required open sunlight and light, loose soil, within which to bury their pods, Bambara tolerated very different Substrates, including those barren. Some observers swear "rather worn-out soil"! The crop grows in laterite, the reddish acidic soils, which is toxic to many plants and is the bane of tropical agriculture.
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Morphology
Bambara language peanut is an annual legume with a compact well-developed taproot with short (up to 20 cm long, the stems), shall be borne by the paper. The leaves are trilaminar (± 5) cm long. Flowers are generally Faboideae and will wear in a cluster on long hairy stems that arise from node to.
Plants can either pile, or they can to spread. Bunch are usually self-pollinated while the distribution of species in general are cross pollinated by ants. Pods form underground, where they are pests and protected from herbivores. Pods can be about 1.5 cm long, round or slightly oval and wrinkled, usually with one or sometimes two seeds. Immature pods are yellowish-white, while the mature pods are able to yellowish-brown or purple. After fertilization, the flower extended stem cells and penetrate the ground to develop when the fruit. The Testae color varies from light yellow to black in maturity, purple and other colors. Seeds are round up to 1.5 cm in diameter, smooth, hard and dry. Seeds can be black, creamy, brown, red or spotted, with or without hilar staining.
Genetic resources
The germ for Bambara groundnut is abundant in sub-Saharan Africa, how it is grown in all tropical regions of the continent. The harvest is believed to originate from northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon, where their wild relatives have been found. Electrophoretic studies of Howell (yielded done 1990) that there was no significant difference between the genotypes of the wild and cultivated forms, and it was found that the wild plant, perhaps an escape from the cultural form. Successful intraspecific hybridization is not yet in a culture that the full use of available Diversity limits reported.
The large collection of germplasm is led by IITA and has been characterized to be evaluated. The large collection of IITA was from countries Sub-Saharan Africa and the origin of the different accessions collected are given in Table 2.
Bambara groundnut seeds are orthodox, and may at temperatures below 0 ° C are stored. IITA The stocks are kept at-20oC, while the collection for distribution in a refrigerator at 5oc held and 30% relative humidity. The Most national programs receive their collections for the medium-term preservation at temperatures above 0 ° C, and freezers are the basis for the conservation of collections in a number of countries (Goli, 1995).
However, the collections of the Bambara groundnut in most national programs may not reflect all the existing diversity in the respective Countries. The crop germplasm is often collected in an opportunistic manner. Germplasm collectors use a mission to collect a major crop on sampling procedures the Bambara groundnut. Missions must primarily on collecting Bambara groundnut in many countries, dedicated to producing the crops to be organized. It has been suggested that where there is no Research on the culture exists, an expedition organized by the International Bambara groundnut network to the ecotypes that in the process of extinction preserve . speichern
About the Author
I am a Male Malawian, 49 years of age, currently working as a Lecturer/Researcher in the University of Malawi. I am a keen follower of nature and I am a self-acclaimed naturalist.
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