Diversity of wild edible plants traditionally used by the Galo tribe of Indian Eastern Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.2020.7.4.855Keywords:
Galo tribe, Ethnobotany, Wild edible plants, Edibility index, Relative frequency citation, Harvesting frequencyAbstract
Wild edible plants are found very useful in the fulfilment of food and nutritional requirements. Because of the availibity and cultural preference, the consumption of these plants among the tribes is high. To find out the diversity, utilisation pattern and sociocultural importance of the wild plants, a study was conducted in the state of Arunachal Pradesh selecting the Galo tribe, and accordingly the wild edible plants consumed are documented here. Data were collected through extensive field surveys and interviews with the community in the selected 12 villages in Upper Subansiri and West Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Overall, 125 wild edible plant species under 99 genera and 54 families are reported. These species are consumed mostly as leafy vegetables, fruits, medicine, spices and condiments and as a substitute to food grains. The Urticaceae with ten species is the most utilised family followed by Asteraceae, Moraceae and Lamiaceae with at least five species in each. Herbs with 47 species were found to be the most dominant growth form followed by trees with 44 species. Based on parts used leaves with 66 species were recorded to be the most used plant parts followed by fruits. The highest edibility index of 50 % was reported in Solanum americanum. The analysis of relative frequency of citation revealed that total 78 species exhibits more than 0.50 relative frequency of citation value with highest value in Pouzolzia hirta (0.95). It has been found that the wild plant resources play a vital role in the socio-economic aspects of the Galo tribe.
Downloads
References
Beluhan S, Ranogajec A. Chemical composition and non-volatile components of Croatian wild edible mushrooms. Food Chem. 2010;124:1435-1452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.07.081
S Rashid, Ahmad M, Zafar M, Sultana S, Ayub M, Khan MA, et al., Ethnobotanical survey of medicinally important shrubs and trees of Himalayan region of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2015;166:340–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2015.03.042
Jain AK, Tiwari P. Nutritional value of some traditional edible plants used by tribal communities during emergency with reference to central India. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 2012;11(1):51–57.
Reyes-Garcia V, Menendez-Baceta G, Aceituno-Mata L, Acosta-Naranjo R, Calvet-Mir L, Dominguez P, et al. From famine foods to delicatessen: Interpreting trends in the consumption and gathering of wild edible plants through their connection to cultural ecosystem services. Ecol Econ. 2015;120: 303-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.11.003
Luczaj L, Koncic MZ, Milicevic T, Dolina K, Pandza M. Wild vegetable mixes sold in the markets of Dalmatia (southern Croatia). J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2013;9(1):1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-9-2
Rao PK, Hasan SS, Bhellum BL, Manhas RK. Ethnomedicinal plants of Kathua district, J & K, India. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;171:12-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2015.05.028
Powell B, Kerr RB, Young SL, Johns T. The determinants of dietary diversity and nutrition: ethnonutrition knowledge of local people in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2017;13(23):1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-017-0150-2
Boedecker J, Termote C, Assogbadjo AE, Van Damme P, Lachat C. Dietary contribution of wild edible plants to women’s diets in the buffer zone around the Lama forest, Benin – an underutilized potential. Food Secur. 2014;6(6):833–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-014-0396-7
Uprety Y, Poudel CR, Shrestha KK, Rajbhandary S, Tiwari NN, Shrestha UB, et al. Diversity of use and local knowledge of wild edible plant resources in Nepal. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2012;8(1):16:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-8-16
Sansanelli S, Tassoni A. Wild food plants traditionally consumed in the area of Bologna (Emilia Romagna region, Italy). J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2014; 10(1):69:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-10-69
Strymets N, Elbakidze M, Ceuterick M, Angelstam P, Axelsson R. From economic survival to recreation: contemporary uses of wild food and medicine in rural Sweden. Ukraine and NW Russia. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2015;11(1):53:1-18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-015-0036-0
Ojelel S, Mucunguzi P, Katuura E, Kakudidi EK, Namaganda M, Kalema J. Wild edible plants used by communities in and around selected forest reserves of Teso-Karamoja region, Uganda. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2019;15(1):3:1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-018-0278-8
Angami A, Gajurel PR, Rethy P, Singh B, Kalita SK. Status and Potential of wild edible plants of Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 2006;5(4):541-50.
Bisht N, Verma PK, Negi R, Chandra A. An ethnobotanical study of plants used by forest fringe communities of Lwali village (Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand). Plant Science Today. 2018;5(2):39-43. https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.2018.5.2.365
Mahapatra AK, Panda PC. Wild edible fruit diversity and its significance in the livelihood of indigenous tribals: evidence from eastern India. Food Secur. 2012;4:219–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-012-0186-z
Ray A, Ray R, Sreevidya EA. How many wild edible plants do we eat- Their diversity, use, and implications for sustainable food system: An exploratory analysis in India. Front Sustain Food System. 2020;4:1-19. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00056.
Mao AA, Roy DK. Ethnobotanical studies in North East India: a review. Indian ethnobotany: emerging trends. New Delhi: Scientific. 2016;1:99-112.
Srivastava RC. Traditional knowledge of Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh on plants. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 2009;8:146-53.
Kato D, Gopi GV. Ethnozoology of Galo tribe with special reference to edible insects in Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 2009;8(1):81-83.
Bora SS, Lahan JP, Borooah M, Sarmah R. Poka- a traditional rice wine of the Galo tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India. International Journal of Agriculture Sciences. 2012;4(6):268-71. https://doi.org/10.9735/0975-3710.4.6.268-271
Ratan O, Mili R, Hui T. Ethnobotany of the Galo community of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Pleione. 2016;10 (2):248-61.
Bharali P, Sharma M, Sharma CL, Singh B. Ethnobotanical survey of spices and condiments used by some tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies. 2017;5(1):101-09.
Singh AV. Ethnomedicinal studies on the Galo tribe of Nari-Koyu, East Siang, Arunachal Pradesh. International Journal of Engineering, Science and Mathematics. 2017;6(3):17-24.
Kamum G, Kanwal KS, Lod Y. Ethnomedicinal plants used by Galo community of West Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh. International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology. 2018;6(1):438-44. https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2018.1065
Government of India. Census report: Arunachal Pradesh. Ministry of Home Affairs; 2011.
Singh TP, Singh S, Roy PS, Rao BSP. Vegetation mapping and characterization in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, India-a satellite remote sensing–based approach. Curr Sci. 2002;83(10):1221-30.
Jain SK. Methods and Approaches in Ethnobotany. Society of Ethnobotany, Lucknow, India. 1989.
Martin GJ. Ethnobotany: A methods manual. People and Plants Conservation Series. London; Sterling, VA :Earthscan. 2004.
Jain SK, Rao RR. A hand book of field and herbarium methods. Oxford and IBH Publishing Company, New Delhi. 1977.
Hooker JD. The Flora of British India. Vol. 1-7. London: L. Reeve & Co. 1875-1897. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.678
Hajra PK, Verma DM, Giri GS, (editor). Materials for the Flora of Arunachal Pradesh. Vol. 1. Kolkata: Botanical Survey of India.
Sundriyal M, Sundriyal RC. Wild edible plants of the Sikkim Himalaya: marketing, value addition and implications for management. Econ Bot. 2004;58(2):300-15. https://doi.org/10.1663/0013-0001(2004)058[0300:WEPOTS]2.0.CO;2
Chand R, Singh AN, Nirmala C. Ethnoecological survey of underutilised plant diversity of Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh, India: an edibility assessment. Environment and Ecology Research. 2017;5 (1):13-29. https://doi.org/10.21746/aps.2016.12.005
Tardio J, Pardo-de-Santayana M. Cultural importance indices: a comparative analysis based on the useful wild plants of Southern Cantabria (Northern Spain). Eco Bot. 2008;62(1):24-39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-007-9004-5
Kayang H. Tribal knowledge on wild edible plants of Meghalaya, Northeast India. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 2007;6(1):177-81.
Lyngdoh N, Piloo N, Gab T, Kumar M, Pandey AK. Wild edible fruit tree resources of Arunachal Pradesh, North East India. Journal of Applied and Natural Science. 2016;8 (2): 883-89. https://doi.org/10.31018/jans.v8i2.891
Kar A, Borthakur SK. Wild vegetables sold in local markets of Karbi Anglong, Assam. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 2007;6:169-72.
Pfoze NL, Kumar Y, Sheikh N, Myrboh B. Assessment of local dependency on selected wild edible plants and fruits from Senapati district, Manipur, Northeast India. Ethnobotany Research and Applications. 2012;10:357-67. https://doi.org/10.17348/era.10.0.357-367
FAO and WHO. Rome Declaration on Nutrition. Second international conference on nutrition. Rome, Italy; 2014. Available at: http://www.fao.org/about/meeting/icn2/en/
Lockett CT, Calvert CC, Grivetti LE. Energy and micronutrient composition of dietary and medicinal wild plants consumed during drought. Study of rural Fulani, North-eastern Nigeria. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2000;51:195-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637480050029700
Agrahar-Murugkar D, Subbulakshmi G. Nutritive values of wild edible fruits, berries, nuts, roots and spices consumed by the Khasi tribes of India. Ecol Food Nutr. 2005;44:207–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/03670240590953025
Ahmed J, Rahman IU, AbdAllah EF, Ali N, Shah AH, Ijaz F, et al. Multivariate approaches evaluated in the ethnoecological investigation of Tehsil Oghi, Mansehra, Pakistan. Acta Ecologica Sinica. 2019;39(6):443-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.11.006
Pamei R, Gajurel PR, Singh B. Ethnobotany of medicinal plants used by the Zeliangrong ethnic group of Manipur, northeast India. J Ethnopharmacol. 2019;235:164-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2019.02.009
Kahlon LK, Singh R. Traditional knowledge and dynamics of edible plants of primitive tribal group ‘Paudi Bhuyan’ with changing demography migration patterns in Northern Odisha. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 2019;18(1):7-15.
Srivastava RC. Traditional knowledge of Nyishi (Daffla) tribe of Arunachal Pradesh Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 2010;9(1):26-37.
Zaman W, Ahmad M, Zafar M, Amina H, Ullah F, Bahadur S, et al. The quest for some novel antifertility herbals used as male contraceptives in district Shangla, Pakistan. Acta Ecologica Sinica. 2020;40(1):102-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2019.05.017.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Tajum Doni, Padma Raj Gajurel
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright and Licence details of published articles
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Open Access Policy
Plant Science Today is an open access journal. There is no registration required to read any article. All published articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC Attribution 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
