Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 10 (1), January 20011, pp. 146-155 Kair ( Capparis decidua ): A potential ethnobotanical weather predictor and livelihood security shrub of the arid zone of Rajasthan and Gujarat Dheeraj Singh 1 & Ranjay K Singh 2* 1Krishi Vigyan Kendra, CAZRI, Pali-Marwar 306 401, Rajasthan; 2Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal 132 001, Haryana E-mail: [email protected] Received 20.12.2010; revised 11.01.2011 Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew. commonly known as Kair, is an important indigenous shrub found growing along farm boundaries, orans, gochars (local grasslands) and wastelands, widely distributed in arid and semi-arid tracts of India. It is a densely branched shrub, reaching a height of 4-5 m, with a clear bole of 2.5 m. Its branches are tender and waxy with rough, corky, gray bark. Kair has the ability to survive in various habitats and can grow unattended and unprotected on barren lands. It has good soil binding capacity, a fair tolerance to salinity and alkalinity, and can help to improve the fertility of sand dunes and reduce alkalinity. Its xerophytic qualities, including a deep taproot system, scanty foliage, mucilaginous sap and tough conical spines make this shrub suitable for cultivation on a large scale, especially to combat soil and wind erosion on sandy wastelands. Significantly, the plant’s unique capacity to tolerate drought and heat make it a good weather forecasting species, and it has played an important role in the rural economy of western Rajasthan and Gujarat. It provides people with food (pickle and vegetable), medicine, fodder, wood for carving, and fuel. The plant’s mature fruits serve as valuable and integral source of nutrition for villagers of arid and semiarid regions, and the immature fruits are collected from natural stands and serve an additional source of income and nutrition for the rural poor. Medicinally, it is used to treat in cardiac and gastric troubles. It is also commonly used as a biofence and its termite-resistant wood is used by rural people for making handles, cartwheels, and other items. Keywords: Kair , Capparis decidua , Economic desert shrub, Traditional food, Traditional medicine IPC Int. Cl.8 : A47G 19/26; A23K; A01D 14/09; A01D 14/10; A01D 7/12 The genus Capparis comprises approximately 250 sandy desert areas where little else grows. As an species, including shrubs, trees and woody climbers. estimate, kair is distributed over 3,540 km 2 piedmont About 234 species of Capparis are listed in Index plains in Bikaner and Jodhpur districts of Rajasthan, Kewensis 1. Reportedly, 26 species of this genus occur with an estimated annual production of 7,000 tonnes in India 2. Here, Capparis species are elements of the of fruits 3. Kair can be found at the altitude range from mixed xeromorhic woodland and psammophytic scrub 300-1,200 m with mean annual rainfall of 100-750 vegetation. Capparis decidua is one of the important mm and mean annual temperature of 25-41ºC. It multipurpose woody species of desert and arid regions prefers alkaline, sandy and gravel soils, thriving on of the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Saudi Arabia. shallow, hard soils and rocky outcrops. In India, kair Found in several states, is locally referred as Kair in can be found in the dry regions. Although it is well Rajasthan, Karil in Uttar Pradesh, Ker in Gujarat, suited to areas with low rainfall (150 mm), kair can Teent in Haryana, Della in Delhi and Punjab and survive in areas with rainfall as high as 600 mm. Nepti in western Maharashtra. Its natural habitat is C. decidua grows well on soils with lower sodicity pediment plains all over the dry regions. It is an (pH <9, ESP <35, EC 4 dS/m) important constituent of desert ecosystems and plays a Kair usually grows in dry, exposed habitats such as significant role in the rural economy of peoples of the foothills and wastelands. It grows in very shallow northwest arid regions of the Indian sub-continent. soils, soils affected by saline irrigation water, or in The natives of the Thar Desert recognized the stabilized sand dunes. Kair grows in association with importance of this shrub long ago. It is an extremely Anogeissus pendula Edgew., Calotropis procera , hardy species and provides vegetative cover in hot, Maytemus emarginatus , Zizyiphus nummularia , —————— *Corresponding author Salvadora oleoides , Prosopis cineraria , etc. SINGH & SINGH: KAIR : A POTENTIAL WEATHER PREDICTOR OF THE ARID ZONE 147 Methodology October and January-March – which can be referred The study, to assess the role of kair as a weather as summer foliation, pre-winter foliation and winter indicator and local economic plant of the arid zone of foliation, respectively. As reproduction is a high Rajasthan, was conducted in 20 villages of the Pali energy consuming activity, it is possible that leaves district. Participant observations were also taken from supplement the plant’s food requirement and help to three districts of Gujarat, Kheda, Surender Nagar, and generate better food reserves. A close view at Bhavnagar. From each district 2 villages (total 6) the metrological data of Pali during last five years were selected randomly. From each village 10 elder (Table 1) shows that there was a sharp rise in members (total 60) were further randomly identified temperature, for both day and night temperatures, and for interviewing. Two hundred farmers from 20 this was very high in the year 2009. There was also a villages of the district were also selected on random decline in the total rainfall (157.5 mm) in 2009, sampling basis for interviewing. Thus, the total indicating it to be a drought year. Consequently, there number of research participant from the two states was a sharp decline in the water table as well, and was 260. An interview schedule was formulated to almost all the field crops failed. The results indicate a study the demographic information on foliation, common local belief that kair performs best under flowering and fruiting of kair in selected locations. water stress conditions when the temperature is very The primary data were collected through a personal high. Almost 100% of the interviewees stated that interview schedule (with open-ended questions) and kair and kachri (Cucumis melo var. agrestis) are the secondary data on meteorological parameters were only two climate change indicators in the arid zone. taken from the regional research station of the Central Kair will be fully laden with flowers and fruits if Arid Zone Research Institute from Pali station. At that there are drought and high temperatures, whereas in same time that interviewing was taking place, focus the case of a good monsoon, it bears only average group discussions (FGD) were organized in each flowers and fruits. Water stress and environmental village of both states, specifically for generating a factors also are likely to affect the foliation patterns of general consensus on the changing patterns of use and kair . For example, in 2009, the severe drought year, availability of kair . Relevant information was also pre-winter foliation started early and most of the collected from secondary sources, including research plants started producing leaves in mid September and review papers, to supplement the interview and instead of October. The severe stress conditions seem focus group data and to document different biological to have led to the early foliation. Further, no cases of and cultural aspects of kair . continued foliation from September-October onwards could be observed, in contrast to the situation in other Results and discussion years where a few plants showed this type of foliation Capparis decidua is a small much-branched tree or pattern. There is vast variation for this trait between tall shrub, growing 4-5 m high. The leaves are small, plants of this species within a season and within the linear-oblong, acute, spinous-pointed, and very minute, same plant during different years. However, it is not with a very short life span on young shoots, so that the possible to infer the overall contribution of leaves to plant looks leafless most of the time (Fig. 1). Flowers photosynthesis, as the stem and branches are also are pink, with red-veined petals, in small clusters green and some photosynthetic activity must be along the leafless shoots, borne in the axils of the occurring even in the absence of leaves. The leaves spines in many-flowered corymbs, from the old are more of a reflection of moisture availability in the branches, or from short lateral shoots; pedicels deeper soil layers and tend to normally appear a slender, about 12 mm. long (Figs. 2 & 3) During month or so before flowering. initial months a single tap root is developed and at the Table 1- Weather conditions of Pali district during last five years 6-month stage it starts developing few secondary 0 roots. At the 12-month stage, a number of secondary S. No Year Temperature ( C) Avg. RH Total (%) Rainfall branches develop even though the tap roots continue Mean Mean Average to dominate. The roots of mature plants can penetrate Max. Min. (mm) up to about 4 meters. 1. 2005 34.2 19.4 26.8 48.1 645.6 2. 2006 34.4 19.8 26.1 46.0 473.2 Phenology 3. 2007 34.0 19.6 26.8 49.2 602.7 Foliation in C. decidua populations occurs up to 4. 2008 33.8 19.2 26.5 49.6 469.8 three times in a year–during the months of June-July, 5. 2009 35.0 20.5 27.8 47.1 157.5 148 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE VOL 10, JANUARY 2011 Reproductive Biology during low rains was early during winter in most of As noted previously, flowering occurs at the the plants and late during good rain years.