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Spatial and Seasonal Diversity of Wild Food Plants in Home Gardens of Northeast ThailandWild food plants (WFPs) are major components of tropical home gardens, constituting an important resource for poor farmers. The spatial and seasonal diversity of WFPs was analyzed across multi-species spatial configurations occurring within home gardens in a rice farming village in northeast Thailand. Data were collected in 77 sampling sites corresponding to five different home garden spatial configurations, namely fenced plot, fenced plot margin, yard, home garden boundary, and pot. Absolute abundance and frequency of occurrence were quantified per individual WFP species in both dry and rainy seasons, and data on additional uses (besides food) were collected through focus group discussions for each WFP species. A total of 20 species corresponding to 13 botanical families were reported. Results show that species abundance and frequency of occurrence varied seasonally and spatially within home gardens. Diversity, as observed in the analysis of Shannon and Simpson diversity indexes, also differed seasonally and across different spatial configurations. Home gardens showed higher diversity in the dry season because of the presence of human management. Ninety-five percent of the WFP species presented additional uses, with nine different types of uses in total. Finally, as this study demonstrates, the results on both the spatial and seasonal diversity of WFPs over different spatial configurations comprise a new perspective in home garden research by providing new understandings about their composition and management.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12231-015-9309-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Spatial and Seasonal Diversity of Wild Food Plants in Home Gardens of Northeast ThailandWild food plants (WFPs) are major components of tropical home gardens, constituting an important resource for poor farmers. The spatial and seasonal diversity of WFPs was analyzed across multi-species spatial configurations occurring within home gardens in a rice farming village in northeast Thailand. Data were collected in 77 sampling sites corresponding to five different home garden spatial configurations, namely fenced plot, fenced plot margin, yard, home garden boundary, and pot. Absolute abundance and frequency of occurrence were quantified per individual WFP species in both dry and rainy seasons, and data on additional uses (besides food) were collected through focus group discussions for each WFP species. A total of 20 species corresponding to 13 botanical families were reported. Results show that species abundance and frequency of occurrence varied seasonally and spatially within home gardens. Diversity, as observed in the analysis of Shannon and Simpson diversity indexes, also differed seasonally and across different spatial configurations. Home gardens showed higher diversity in the dry season because of the presence of human management. Ninety-five percent of the WFP species presented additional uses, with nine different types of uses in total. Finally, as this study demonstrates, the results on both the spatial and seasonal diversity of WFPs over different spatial configurations comprise a new perspective in home garden research by providing new understandings about their composition and management.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12231-015-9309-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Background: Berberis commutata Eichler is a berry that grows in the Peruvian Andes and has been consumed in the Andes of South America since ancient times. The edible fruits have an intense purple color and are rich in anthocyanins and phenolic compounds that are available from February until May each year. The color of the fruits is a soft purple dye for natural fibers, and many birds use them as food. Objective: This study quantified the total phenolic, monomeric anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity of Berberis commutata Eichler berries. Methods: The total phenolic content was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric assay. Monomeric anthocyanin content was determined by the pH difference method, and the antioxidant activity was measured using the Brand-Williams method. Results: The total phenolic content was 7,490 ± 0.85 mg GAE/100g, and the monomeric anthocyanin content was 70 ± 0.03 mg/100g. The antioxidant activity of the berries showed a tendency to increase with B. commutata extract concentration; an EC50 of 0.91 mg/mL was calculated, indicating a high antioxidant power. Conclusion: Our results showed that B. commutata E. has both high total phenolic content and monomeric anthocyanins comparable to other superfruits and increased antioxidant activity, which means that it is possible to use this berberis species as a functional food.
The objective of this study was to investigate the multiple uses and cognitive importance of edible weeds in Northeast Thailand. Research methods included focus group discussions and freelistings. A total of 43 weeds consumed as vegetable were reported, including economic, naturalized, agricultural and environmental weeds. The weedy vegetables varied considerably on edible parts, presenting both reproductive (flowers, fruits and seeds) and vegetative organs (shoots, leaves, flower stalks, stems or the whole aerial part). The results of this study show that weedy vegetables are an important resource for rice farmers in this region, not only as a food but also because of the multiple additional uses they have, especially as medicine. The fact that the highest Cognitive Salience Index (CSI) scores of all wild vegetables freelisted corresponded to weeds, reinforces the assertion that weeds are culturally cognitively important for local farmers as a vegetable source. This is a key finding, given that these species are targets of common pesticides used in this region.
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