Shri Mohan Jain · S. Dutta Gupta Editors Biotechnology of Neglected and Underutilized Crops Biotechnology of Neglected and Underutilized Crops Shri Mohan Jain · S. Dutta Gupta Editors Biotechnology of Neglected and Underutilized Crops 1 3 Editors Shri Mohan Jain S. Dutta Gupta Department of Agricultural Sciences Department of Agricultural University of Helsinki and Food Engineering Helsinki Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Finland Kharagpur India ISBN 978-94-007-5499-7 ISBN 978-94-007-5500-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5500-0 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg New York London Library of Congress Control Number: 2013934379 © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 This work is subject to copyright. 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Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Preface The availability of food supply worldwide is dependent on few crop species or ‘major crops’. Till today, only 30 plant species are used to meet 95 % of the world’s food requirements. They are widely and intensively cultivated crops; and developed by extensive selection from available large agro-biodiversity pool. There is a great need to expand the exploitation of the plant genetic diversity that would broaden the crop diversity for food supply in order to feed the ever grow- ing human population and avoid dependence on few food crops, especially under the climatic change. The neglected crops could become an excellent source for useful gene source, e.g., nutrition, biofuel, abiotic and biotic stresses, medicinal compounds, and so on. Molecular marker analysis work would be of great help for analyzing genetic diversity, and exploit genetic resources for identification, isola- tion, conservation, and utilization. Moreover, the funding agencies have neglected underutilized crops and focused on major crops for feeding the population and earned economic gains. Several factors as physical appearance, taste, nutritional properties, cultivation methods, processing qualities, economic gains, and others are responsible for the promotion and acceptance of ‘major crops’ worldwide. The success of breeding programs of these crops is very much dependent on the avail- ability of suitable gene pool and modern biotechnological tools. So far, all efforts have been made to conserve a narrow gene pool of ‘major crops’ and only a lim- ited amount of underutilized and neglected crops. This situation raises questions how to maintain food security, poverty alleviation, economic growth, future supply of food, and risk of rural incomes and ecosystem conservation? ‘What is a Neglected and Underutilised Crop?’ This question is addressed at length in the book “Breeding of Neglected and Under-Utilized Crops, spices, and herbs” (Ochatt and Jain 2009). These crops are categorized as ‘minor crops’ and have lesser importance globally in terms of production and market value. Some crop species may be widely distributed worldwide but tend to have preference in the local ecology and local production and consumption system. They are tra- ditionally grown in their centers of origin or in centers of diversity by farmers, and are still important for the subsistence of local communities and, more often than not, they also play a social role. They are locally well adapted to marginal lands and constitute an important part of the local diet, providing valuable nutri- tional elements (e.g. protein, vitamins, and minerals) and spices, often lacking v vi Preface in staple crops. Their role in traditional medicine is also well known. In addi- tion, these crops are important sources of resistance genes for biotic and abiotic stress breeding that can be utilized also for the genetic improvement of commod- ity crops. As compared to the major crops, they require relatively low inputs and, therefore, contribute to sustainable agricultural production. These crops continue to be maintained by socio-cultural preferences and traditional uses. They remain inadequately characterized and underutilized for their potential to contribute to the income of rural poor and to the global food security and, until very recently, have been largely ignored by research and development, and conservation. This is due to the lack of government funding and interest of the private sector. These tra- ditional crops are often low yielding and cannot compete with major crops, even though many of them have the potential to become economically viable. The lack of genetic improvement and often narrow genetic diversity for important agro- nomic traits hamper the development of these crops. Other constraints are a lack of knowledge on the taxonomy, reproductive biology, and genetics of agronomic and quality traits. International organizations have recognized the importance of underutilized and neglected crops toward food security and improving quality of rural poor lives by enhancing income. This important reference is the first comprehensive resource worldwide that reflects research achievements in neglected and underutilized crop biotechnol- ogy, documenting research events during the past three decades, current status, and future outlook. This book has 16 chapters and divided into 4 parts. Part I has three chapters dealt with Chenopodium as a potential food source, thin cell layer technology in micropropagation of Jatropha, and Panax vietnamensis; Part II deals with three chapters on molecular biology and physiology of Haberlea rhodopensis, cell trait prediction in vitro and in vivo of legumes, and application of TILLING; Part III has five chapters on biotechnology of neglected oil crops, Quinoa, Erucia sativa, Stylosanthes, and Miscanthus; Part IV contains five chapters mainly on genetic transformation of Safflower, Jatropha, Bael, and Taro. This section also includes a chapter on genetic engineering of Mangroves. This book is essential for researchers, policy makers, and commercial entre- preneurs concerned with neglected and underutilized crops. The book is invalu- able for students and specialists. This book is written by an international team of experienced researchers from both academia and industry. We wish to express our deep sense of gratitude to all the contributors for agreeing to participate. We wish to thank Dr. A. K. Kukreja, CIMAP; Dr. M. K. Maity, IIT Kharagpur; and Dr. T. Gechev, University of Plovdiv for their helpful comments. All peer reviewed manuscripts were revised according to the reviewer suggestions. Finally, we appreciate Springer for giving us the opportunity to bring out this volume. Finland S. Mohan Jain India S. Dutta Gupta Contents Part I Section 1 1 The Genus Chenopodium: A Potential Food Source ............... 3 Eulogio de la Cruz Torres, Guadalupe Palomino Hasbach, Juan Manuel García Andrade, Cristina Mapes Sánchez, Josefina González Jiménez, Thelma Falcón Bárcenas and Octavio Vázquez Arriaga 2 Thin Cell Layer Technology in Micropropagation of Jatropha curcas L. ......................................... 33 Duong Tan Nhut, Do Dang Giap, Bui Van The Vinh, Nguyen Thi Kim Loan, Nguyen Phuc Huy, Nguyen Thanh Hai, Hoang Xuan Chien, Tran Trong Tuan and Thai Xuan Du 3 New Achievement in Panax vietnamensis Research ................ 43 Duong Tan Nhut, Nguyen Thanh Hai, Nguyen Phuc Huy, Hoang Xuan Chien and Nguyen Ba Nam Part II Section 2 4 Molecular Biology and Physiology of the Resurrection Glacial Relic Haberlea Rhodopensis ................................... 61 Maria Benina, Veselin Petrov, Valentina Toneva, Atanaska Teneva and Tsanko Gechev 5 Cell Morphometry as Predictor of Protein Legume In Vitro Growth ............................................. 71 S. J. Ochatt 6 Application of TILLING for Orphan Crop Improvement .......... 83 Korinna Esfeld, Cristobal Uauy and Zerihun Tadele vii viii Contents Part III Section 3 7 Neglected Oil Crop Biotechnology ............................. 117 Sharad Tiwari