Domestication and Conservation Efforts in <i>Haematocarpus validus</i> (Miers.) Bakh. F. Ex Forman (Menispermaceae):An Underutilized Fruit Species and Natural Colourant

Abstract

Blood fruit is a promising anti-oxidant rich underutilized fruit species with potential as a natural colourant for food, beverage and handicraft industries. The species has been used for fresh consumption, treating ailments and as a dyeing agent by local people including regional tribes in tropical Asian countries. However, at present, fruits are harvested from the wild and there is considerable scope for promoting their cultivation in homestead gardens. Owing to limited population of the species, seed germination studies were conducted. Treatment of seeds with thiourea (0.1%) or GA 3 (1000 mg/l) for 24 h was most congenial for obtaining healthy seedlings in large numbers. To extract chlorophylls and total carotenoids, dimethylsulphoxide was found to be a superior solvent over acetone (80%). Differences in fruit sizes were noticed in fruits grown in two states of India. These findings form the basis for conservation as well as domestication of this multipurpose fruit species in the tropical Asian countries.

Qualitative properties of spray‐dried blood fruit (Haematocarpus validus) powder and its sorption isotherms

“…Blood fruit ( Haematocarpus validus ) is locally known as Khoonphal/Tépattang in the state of Meghalaya which belongs to the family of Menispermaceae and is one of the underutilized species from Garo Hills, Meghalaya, India (Bohra, Waman, Basantia, Devi, & Reang, ; Momin, Sangma, Suresh, Singh, & Rao, ; Raju & Deka, ). The geographical location of the fruit as per the study is West Garo Hills, Meghalaya and GPS coordinates of the location are 25.5679°N, 91.2244°E, with an altitude of 349 m above mean sea level, along with authentication No.…”

“…Blood fruit has important bioactive compounds, antioxidant properties, and some essential minerals that play a significant role in traditional medicine for treating arthritis, jaundice, hypertension, cancer, etc. (Bohra et al, ; Momin et al, ; Rahim, Khatun, Rahman, & Anwar, ; Raju & Deka, ). The processing of blood fruit juice/pulp by spray‐drying technique to produce powder is classified among the best processes resulting in better, superior quality powders that are easy for packaging and transportation, and have an increased shelf life (Sasikumar, Chutia, & Deka, ; Sasikumar, Pradhan, & Deka, ; Sasikumar, Vivek, & Deka, ).…”

Seed Fatty Acid Composition and Germination Studies in Garcinia dhanikhariensis S.K. Srivastava (Clusiaceae): A Novel Tropical Fruit Species from Bay Islands, India

“…Soaking of seeds with gibberellic acid, kinetin, cow milk and hydrogen peroxide have been reported to improve germination process in G. cowa, G. gummi-gutta and G. tinctoria (Joseph et al, 2007). Suitable pretreatments could not only improve the germination percentage, but also improve the vigor of regenerated seedlings, which can facilitate better field establishment (Bohra et al, 2018). Further, source of seed has been reported to influence germination characteristics in Garcinia species and identification of superior seed source plays an important role in conservation and breeding programs (Bansude et al, 2013;Zobel and Talbert, 1984).…”

Effect of seed pre-treatment and its duration on germination of Detarium microcarpum (Guill. and Perr.)

“…The multipurpose uses have resulted in overexploitation of the species to local extinction in some areas (Kabore, 2005) mainly due to the high dependence on wild plant sources with little attention on domestication of the species. However, effective domestication will require knowledge on regeneration and other aspects of the plant biology (Bohra et al, 2018). Seed germination is known to be an important step towards raising a successful crop stand (Finch-Savage and Bassel, 2016), but there is a paucity of information on pre-treatment methods for D. microcarpum seeds.…”