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Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. ssp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc. is commonly known as asparagus bean, Chinese long bean, long-podded cowpea, pea bean, snake bean or yardlong bean, and is an underexploited crop with rich nutritional value. Yardlong bean has evolved and was domesticated from cowpea but differs phenotypically as a result of divergent selection. This crop has its origin in Southeast Asia and its habitat in Asia, Europe, Oceania and North America. It is a warm season crop and besides being a food source, it is used as an ornamental plant and for fodder. Ample germplasm diversity exists in this crop. Major commercial varieties were developed by pure line selection. At present, other breeding methods and principles have limited scope. The presence of genetic diversity in this crop needs to be studied with molecular tools. DNA marker analysis with RAPDs, SSRs and SNPs has begun in yardlong bean. However, genomic studies need to be further developed for the construction of high-density genetic maps and application of modern biotechnology tools. This chapter is an overview of yardlong bean origin, evolution and domestication, general cultivation practices, germplasm biodiversity, characterization, conservation strategies, world and Indian gene banks, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and crop improvement strategies including conventional breeding, biotechnology, tissue culture and micropropagation.

Traditional medicine has a long history of cultural heritage and ethnic practices in India and in recent years has gained much recognition worldwide. The Eastern Ghats, inhabited by nearly 54 tribal communities, constituting nearly 30% of total population, are a diverse and rich source of threatened medicinal and aromatic plants used in drug, pharmaceutical, and perfumery industries. Out of 2500 species of flowering plants belonging to angiosperms, gymnosperms, and pteridophytes known to occur in Eastern Ghats, about 77 species (67 dicots, 9 monocots, and 1 gymnosperm) are endemic. The variations in altitude and climatic conditions, especially in rainfall, have immensely contributed to the evolution of rich ethnic floristic diversity in the Eastern Ghats. At least 788 medicinal plant taxa and 40 aromatic plants are concentrated in this area which are used in various medicinal systems including codified and folklore which belong to 132 families and 384 genera. The dominant medicinal plant families in the Eastern Ghats are Leguminosae (67 spp.), Apocynaceae (29 spp.), Malvaceae (26 spp.), Euphorbiaceae (25 spp.), Orchidaceae (22 spp.), Solanaceae and Rubiaceae (16 spp. each), Asteraceae (15 spp.), Acanthaceae, Asteraceae and Lamiaceae (14 spp. each), Cucurbitaceae and Zingiberaceae (13 spp. each), Rutaceae (12 spp.), and Araceae (10 spp.). These medicinal plant genetic resources are distributed in various vegetation types in the Eastern Ghats region. Ethnobotanical knowledge from the Eastern Ghats region has been recorded by several workers. Indian systems of medicine are reported to utilize around 2500 plant species of which about 800 species are used by the industry and approximately 25% of species are under cultivation. India ranks sixth in essential oil production and export of products derived from medicinal plants. It is estimated that India has a potential to export plant base crude drugs to the tune of Rs. 400 billion but manages to export produce worth only about Rs. 12.6 billion. India with its rich biodiversity and tradition of use of herbal drugs in healthcare holds tremendous opportunity for growth in a multibillion global trade, particularly in the herbal area, which has vast potential for developing multiple products for nutrition, cosmetics, and prevention and cure of diseases. This article provides an overview of the threatened medicinal plants of the Eastern Ghats, their distribution, and reported uses in local health traditions. Blending traditional knowledge with modern science including genomics is a priority area to meet the forthcoming challenges in the light of climate change, and thus conservation strategies, both ex situ and in situ, for these diverse species are also discussed.

This chapter presents the applications of geospatial technology in managing threatened medicinal plant genetic resources for conservation. It ensures integrated approach to use geospatial technologies (remote sensing, geographic information system, global positioning system and information system) in precise way to map, quantify and predict threatened taxa and diversity-rich areas besides other applications in the forestry sector. The Indian sub-continent is endowed with unique combination of habitats, ecosystems and medicinal plants of economic importance, which together make up rich and diverse forest genetic resources. The relative abundance and richness of medicinal plant species is another criterion to measure the degree of diversity. Management of threatened medicinal plant genetic resources (MPGR) at national level involves collation of enormous data and its analysis crucial to the effectiveness of its organizational process and also adding extensively to the value of natural resources. Innovations in geospatial technology are underutilized in the management of plant genetic resources (PGR) including those of threatened medicinal plant genetic resources (MPGR) in India and many other countries around the world. Geospatial technology and Geographical Information system (GIS) technology could help better meet the challenges and facilitate enhanced decision support including planning colletcing, conserving and managing threatened MPGR. Herbal medicines continue to play significant role in country’s health sector, as evidenced by activities of Ayush Ministry. Hence sustainable management of threatened MPGR is of atmost important for the country’s health security. In this paper the potential of using geospatial technologies in the management of threatened MPGR are highlighted.

Sorghum is an ancient crop of African origin and especially important in the semiarid tropics of Africa and South Asia, with significant production also in China, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. Questions regarding the time and place of its origin and domestication have been long deliberated on and debated. The earliest evidence of wild sorghums comes from hunter-gatherers in the Sahara dating to about 8000 BC, but the earliest known domesticated sorghum until now dated to 2000–1700 BC was reported from Late Harappan India where it is not a native crop. Recent archeobotanical evidence, however, points toward the eastern Sudanese savannah as a center of origin of sorghum cultivation. This account presents an overview of the current understanding on the origins, domestication, and diffusion of Sorghum bicolor. Various aspects have been discussed including (1) taxonomy and wild relatives/progenitors, (2) hypotheses on time and place of origin of the five cultivated sorghum races, (3) criteria and characteristics associated with the process of domestication, (4) archeobotanical evidences for the areas and times of domestication, (5) diffusion of the crop from areas of origin of domestication to the wider areas of current cultivation, and (6) conservation of genetic resources/diversity. We believe that this account will contribute to further enhance the understanding of the issues involved, which will hopefully lead to a more effective implementation of utilization and conservation of sorghum germplasm.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a highly versatile crop of African origin with multiple uses as food, feed, fodder, fuel, and fiber. The grain is used as food or feed; the stem can be used as a source of fiber, fuel, and lately as feedstock for cellulosic ethanol. The crop is grown throughout the tropics, semitropics, arid, and semiarid regions of the world, and according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, India, Nigeria, Mexico, United States, Argentina, and Ethiopia are the major producers. Ethiopia is the primary and India is the secondary center of its diversity. Immense morphological diversity of the cultivated types has emerged because of variable climate and geographical exposures in which its wild ancestors evolved, coupled with selection pressures imposed by the environment and by man for domestication (Doggett, 1988). The immense variation in the genus is currently conscribed to 22 species distributed in five sections, viz., Eusorghum, Chaetosorghum, Heterosorghum, Parasorghum, and Stiposorghum. Only one species, S. bicolor, is cultivated, while all the other 21 are wild or weedy. Profitable utilization of genetic resources, however, demands an interdisciplinary, multipronged approach to increase the probability of achieving the desired genetic improvement. To this end, this chapter presents a review of the current knowledge on (1) biosystematic aspects such as taxonomy, classification, and biology; (2) distribution, genetic resources, working groups, and gene pools; (3) utilization aspects including the specific potential of the wild species in crop improvement; and (4) strategies to maximize utilization of wild germplasm resources, including direct hybridization, reproductive barriers, and their circumvention.

Recognizing the importance of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the sovereign rights conferred on the countries by the Convention on Biological Diversity, concerted efforts are under way worldwide toward the conservation of these priceless genetic resources. The information available on this topic largely dwells on the value and opportunity offered by such conservation, rather than focus on the costs of establishing the required facilities and or on the performance of the various activities necessary to meet the planned objectives. This study is based on the practical experience gained in the preparation of large collections and in the restoration of the collections of Indian origin from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, to the Indian National Program. In this study, the costs were calculated for the establishment of the facilities, acquisition of the germplasm, processing of the seed material, storage of the seed material as per the objectives in medium- or long-term stores, monitoring of germplasm to keep it dynamic, and regeneration/rejuvenation of accessions falling below genebank standards in crops with different breeding systems, different seed sizes and compositions. The article draws inferences about the financial commitment needed and future conservation strategies for formulating cost-effective conservation approaches.

The genetic diversity in genus Prunus is mainly confined to temperate regions of Himalaya and to a lesser extent in the sub-montane and hilly regions of peninsular India. The cultivated and wild species of Prunus have tremendous potential for improvement and utilization. This paper includes the genetic resources of cultivated and wild useful species of Prunus in India with emphasis on their distribution, potential traits/ useful characteristics and utilization. The information on potential genetic resources of Prunus would be helpful in collection, evaluation, conservation and utilization of species.

Wild relatives of crops, sorghum being no exception, continue to play a key role in the development of high performing cultivars. Among the 22 species comprising this highly variable genus, only one, Sorghum bicolor, is commercially cultivated for food, feed and bioenergy production. The wild sorghums thus offer opportunities for further genetic enhancement of this crop. Profi table utilization of wild species however demands an inter-disciplinary, multi-pronged approach to increase the probability of achieving the desired genetic improvement. To this end, this chapter presents a review of the current knowledge on (1) biosystematic aspects such as botany, taxonomy and classifi cation, (2) domestication and evolution, including centers of diversity, genetic diversity, chromosome homologies and species/ phylogenetic relationships, (3) genetic resources, genepools and conservation perspectives including collections and preservation of germplasm, (4) utilization aspects including the specifi c potential of the wild species in crop improvement with reference to insect and disease resistance, yield, grain quality, ecological adaptation, allopatric resistance, and (5) strategies to maximize utilization of wild germplasm resources including direct hybridization, reproductive barriers and their circumvention, chromosome and physiological manipulation, the gaps between hybridization and utilization and molecular interventions. Recent advancements in biotechnology, in particular, are expected to increase the effi ciency and range of use of these wild sorghum species.