Utilization of wild vegetables in Dapoli Taluka of Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra Bhuvad Pankaj N, Mhaiske Vinod M*, Gawali Anil S, Zagade Suyog J, Rathod Shilpa S, Chiplunkar Tahoora A Gani, Rane Ajay D College of Forestry, Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, Ratnagiri, 415712, Maharashtra, India *Email for correspondence: vinod.mhaiske@gmail.com
Online published on 21 February, 2022. Abstract Wild plants make an important contribution to the life of rural communities. These plants have been used as a source of food, fodder, shelter, clothing, medicine and a veriety of useful commodities from ancient time. Rural communities include wild edibles in their daily food intake and sales from the surplus add to their income. Importance of wild edible vegetables in food security has not been given sufficient attention in India. The present investigations were carried out with the objective to explore, identify, document and study the ethno-botany with respect to food value of wild edible plants consumed by local communities in Dapoli Taluka of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. In the study, total 29 species of wild vegetables belonging to 21 families were documented. Life forms indicated that herbs were dominating (48.29%) followed by shrubs (24.13%), climbers (17.24%) and trees (10.34%). Average consumption of wild vegetables by respondents in study area was found as 51.43 days in a year. Per family utilization of wild vegetables for one time food was reported as 369.31 g. However Clerodendrum serratum was most demanding vegetable preferred and consumed by local people. In a year, amount saved on purchase of vegetables was calculated Rs 1,126.70 per family. Top Keywords Wild vegetables, Utilization, Ethno-botany, Medicinal uses. Top |
Introduction Wild vegetables refer to the species which are not cultivated on large scale commercially and local people collect these plants from forest or farm field for domestic requirement as a food. Wild plants make important contribution to the life of rural communities. Throughout the world, wild or uncultivated plants provide a ‘green social security’ to hundreds of millions of people in the form of food, materials for clothes and shelter. From ancient time, plants have been used as a source of food, shelter, clothing, medicine, gum, resin, oil etc (Aryal et al 2009). Wild edible plants play significant role in meeting requirement of local people in remote parts of the country (Sundriyal and Sundriyal 2001). The diversity in the wild vegetables not only gives variations in the diet but also provides nutritional diversity (Gawali and Narkhede 2018). Local people can earn extra income by selling wild edibles to the urban markets (Setiya et al 2016). |
Every year during rainy season, various vegetables growing wild are eaten by people on the basis of traditional knowledge (Jadhav and Rajbhoj 2018). There are several wild edible plants that are consumed by the local people in several forms such as roots, tubers, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds etc. Wild edible plants are nutritionally richer than some cultivated species (Burlingame 2000). It has been observed that the traditional knowledge on wild food plants is rapidly declining. Unless efforts are made to educate the younger generations about their importance, this knowledge may be lost in the near future (Bhogaonkar et al 2010). |
The tradition of eating wild plants has not completely disappeared from India and their nutritional role for health benefits are reported in many surveys (Vartak and Gadgil 1980). Nowadays people are more focused on domestic plants for their basic needs but still wild edibles form major part of the diet of many tribal communities. The nutritional value of traditional wild plants is higher than several known common vegetables and fruits. These wild edibles can be considered as a valuable resource which can be used for new crop species development (Chaithanya et al 2015). |
In Maharashtra, several studies have been conducted on traditionally used wild vegetable plants. There is limited work that records the diversity and usability of wild vegetables in Konkan region (Khan and Kakde 2014). Rural people fulfill their nutritional requirement from wild resources. They get knowledge of wild edible plants traditionally. Documentation of traditional knowledge of wild edible plants along with their ethno-botanical uses is essential for conservation and understanding of indigenous knowledge (Sundriyal and Sundriyal 2001). Therefore present study was conducted to document the diversity in wild vegetables used by rural community of Dapoli Taluka of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. |
Top Methodology The present study was conducted in Dapoli Taluka of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. Dapoli lies in Konkan region and is a part of Western Ghats and represents more or less tropical climate with rich biodiversity in area. The average humidity is 78 per cent with well-expressed three seasons viz summer (March to May), rainy (June to October) and winter (November to February). The average minimum and maximum temperature is 18.5°C and 30.8°C respectively with an average annual precipitation 3,500-4,000 mm which is generally received from June to October. Dapoli has an altitude of 250 m amsl. Total 44 respondents were randomly selected from 9 villages of Dapoli Taluka to investigate the wild vegetable utilization pattern. The data were collected with the help of specially designed questionnaire by the personal interview and discussions with respondents in the month of February-March 2021. Prior to survey, a questionnaire was designed and pre-tested with five informants to find out its suitability for present study and modified according to the response of informants. Information regarding the local names, growth forms, plant parts used, availability, quantity consumed, most preferred species, money saved, pre-treatment and conservation needs were recorded. Plant specimens identified during the field visits were cross checked throgh different informants to validate the information. |
Top Results and Discussion Wild vegetables available in the study area In the present investigations total 29 species belonging to 21 families were documented in the villages (Tables 1, 2). Three species each belonged to family Fabaceae and Amaranthaceae; 2 species each to Moraceae, Asteraceae and Areaceae; 1 species each to Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Moringaceae, Vitaceae, Sapindaceae, Portulacaceae, Phyllanthaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Basellaceae, Commelinaceae, Malvaceae, Solanaceae and Agaricaceae. Life forms of the plants indicated that maximum were herbs (48.29%) followed by shrubs (24.13%), climbers (17.24%) and trees (10.34%). Leaves were collected in different seasons, cooked and eaten with their staple food. Therefore majority of the species (72.42%) were used in the form of leaves as a part of their food. These were collected either from forest area or from agriculture fields. Women played major role in collection and preparation of wild leafy vegetables. Status of available data showed that majority (two-third) of the wild vegetables were under sufficient category and one-third of them were under rare category. Favourable climatic conditions for growth and development of species and endemic nature of species yield led to sufficient availability of these wild vegetables. Anthropogenic pressure, harvesting by non-scientific methods, grazing, forest fire and concrete jungles were the main reasons for species under rare category. Study indicated that total 10 species of wild vegetables were needed to be protected and conserved for sustained yield. Considering the utilization pattern of wild vegetables, 61.36 per cent of the respondents used 250 g of wild vegetables in one time food, 34.09 per cent 500 g and 4.55 per cent respondents consumed 1,000 g wild vegetables. Per family utilization of wild vegetables for one time food was reported as 369.31 g. In the present study, total 29 species were reported in Dapoli Taluka of Ratnagiri district. Thus in this study more species were documented than the study conducted by Dhore et al (2012), Wankhade (2015), Deshmukh and Khyade (2020), Pawar (2020), Patil and Tale (2018), Lele et al (2017) and Pranjale and Dube (2016) in Maharashtra state. However more species than the present investigations were documented by Gawali and Narkhede (2018), Bhogaonkar et al (2010), Kuvar and Shinde (2019), Khyade et al (2009), Khan and Kakde (2014), Lokhande (2020), Setiya et al (2016), Jadhav et al (2011), Deshpande et al (2019), Mahadkar and Jadhav (2013) and Oak et al (2015) in the studies conducted in Maharashtra state. Most demanding wild vegetables Out of the total reported wild vegetable species, Clerodendrum serratum (93.18%) was top vegetable preferred and consumed by local people followed by Cassia tora (81.82%), Colocasia esculenta (81.82%), Artocarpus heterophyllus (59.09) Moringa oleifera (15.91%), Agaricus bisporus (11.36%) (Fig 1). Most of the respondents demanded Clerodendrum serratum due to its easy and plenty availability in surrounding area, having better growth in Konkan climatic conditions and its non-palatability nature for grazing animals. Wild vegetables consumption It was observed that 15.90 per cent of the respondents consumed wild vegetables for 40 days in a year, 40.90 per cent for 41-50 days, 34.09 per cent for 51.90 days, 6.81 per cent for 61-70 days and 2.27 per cent for 71 days (Fig 2). Average consumption of wild vegetables by respondents in the study area was found as 51.43 days in a year. Total money saved through utilization of wild vegetables Total amount saved by respondents was grouped into six categories as given in Fig 3. It was observed that maximum respondents (54.54%) saved Rs 100-500 through utilization of wild vegetables while minimum (2.27%) saved Rs 2,000-2,500. In a year per family amount saved on purchase of vegetables was calculated to be Rs 1,126.70 which ranged from Rs 480.00 to 2,880.00. Top Conclusion Wild vegetables contribute to the household food security and give variation in diet to the village community. Survey revealed that village community depended on wild plant species for consumption as these were growing on forest land and agriculture fields and people had rich knowledge about their utilization. Study concluded that there was immense need to document the indigenous knowledge of wild edibles for future generations and to encourage the people for cultivation of wild edible plants in their home gardens. Further investigations on phytochemical and nutraceutical value of these wild vegetables were needed for sustainable management and conservation of wild resources. |
Top Figures | Fig 1.: Most demanding wild vegetables in study area
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| | Fig 2.: Wild vegetables consumption in Dapoli Taluka, Maharashtra
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| | Fig 3.: Total amount saved by the respondents (Rs)
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Tables | Table 1.: Details of wild vegetables of Dapoli Taluka
| | Local name | Common name | Botanicalname | Family | Habit | Edible plant part | Medicinal value | | Bharangi | Bharangi | Clerodendrum serratum | Lamiaceae | Shrub | Leaves | Root is useful in asthma, cough | | Kuda | Kutaj a | Holarrhena antidysenterica | Apocynaceae | Shrub | Flowers and pods | Dysentery | | Abhaysheng | Swort beam | Canavalia gladiata | Fabaceae | Climber | Pods | Beneficial in anorexia dyspepsia, hyperdipsia | | Phodashi | Musali | Chlorophytum tuberosum | Liliaceae | Herb | Tender leaves and tuberous root | Effective against colic, anorexia, bronchitis | | Fanas | Jackfruit | Artocarpus heterophyllus | Moraceae | Tree | Immature fruits | Effective against heart diseases | | Takala | Tora | Cassia tora | Fabaceae | Herb | Leaves | Effective against helminthiasis, constipation, cardiac disorders | | kurdu | Kuradu | Celosia argentea | Amaranthaceae | Herb | Leaves | Used against kidney stones | | Teri | Taro | Colocasia esculenta | Araceae | Shrub | Leaves | Effective against haemorrhage, otorrhorea, adenitis, alopecia | | Ambushi | Creeping woodsorrel | Oxalis corniculata | Oxalidaceae | Herb | Leaves | Beneficial and useful against snake bite | | Karinde | Air potato | Dioscorea bulbifera | Dioscoreaceae | Climber | Fruits | Treatment of piles, dysentery | | Shewaga | Drum stick | Moringa oleifera | Moringaceae | Tree | Leaves, pods | Anti-diabetic | | Dinda | Bandicoot berry | Leea indica | Vitaceae | Shrub | Leaves | Used against skin diseases | | Agada | Chaff flower | Achyranthes aspera | Amaranthaceae | Herb | Leaves | Beneficial against asthma, bronchitis | | Kapalfodi | Balloon plant | Cardiospermum halicacabum | Sapindaceae | Climber | Leaves | Effective against cough, fever | | Karvand | Karonda | Carissa carandas | Apocynaceae | Shrub | Fruits | Effective against skin diseases, diabetes | | Suran | Elephant foot, yam | Amorphophallus paeoniifolius | Araceae | Shrub | Leaves, tuber | Beneficial against asthma, vomiting | | Maka | False daisy | Eclipta prostrata | Asteraceae | Herb | Leaves | Antiseptic | | kawala | Laj alukavala | Smithia sensitiva | Fabaceae | Herb | Leaves | Leaf juice used as lotion against headache | | Ghole | Common purslane | Portulaca oleracea | Portulacaceae | Herb | Whole plant | Effective against gastro-anorexia, jaundice | | Bhui Awala | Gale of Wind | Phyllanthus amarus | Phyllanthaceae | Herb | Leaves | Used for stomach problems | | katala | Kakrol | Momordica dioica | Cucurbitaceace | Climber | Fruits | Used against fever, asthma, jaundice | | Mayalu | Malabar spinach | Basella alba | Basellaceae | Climber | Leaves | Effective against constipation, flatulence, anorexia | | Pimple | Pepal | Ficus religiosa | Moraceae | Tree | Leaves | Used in case of skin diseases | | katemath | Prickly Amaranth | Amaranthus spinosus | Amaranthaceae | Herb | Leaves, stem | Effective against diabetes | | kena | Tropical spiderwort | Commelina benghalensis | Commelinaceae | Herb | Leaves | Beneficial in piles, constipation, fever, calculi indigestion | | Patheri | Creeping Launaea | Launeaprocumbens sp | Asteraceae | Herb | Leaves | Effective against dysentery | | Chuch | Jute mallow | Corchorus olitorius | Malavaceae | Herb | Leaves | Effective against fever | | Chichardi | Brihati | Solarium indicum | Solanaceae | Shrub | Fruits | Effective against fever, asthma, chest pain | | Alambi | Mushroom | Agaricus bisporus | Agaricaceae | Herb | Whole plant | Anti-diabeic |
| | | Table 2.: Analytical data of each family
| | Family | Total species | Trees | Shrubs | Herbs | Climbers | | Lamiaceae | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | | Apocynaceae | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | | Fabaceae | 3 | - | - | 2 | 1 | | Liliaceae | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | | Moraceae | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | | Amaranthaceae | 3 | - | - | 3 | - | | Araceae | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | - | | Oxalidaceae | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | | Dioscoreaceae | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | | Moringaceae | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | | Vitaceae | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | | Sapindaceae | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | | Asteraceae | 2 | - | - | 2 | - | | Portulacaceae | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | | Phyllanthaceae | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | | Cucurbitaceae | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | | Basellaceae | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | | Commelinaceae | 1 | - | | 1 | - | | Malvaceae | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | | Solanaceae | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | | Agaricaceae | 1 | - | - | 1 | - |
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