Neglected crops : 1492 from a different perspective

346 Pages·1994·13.7 MB·English

by  Hernández Bermejo, J. E

NEGLECTED
CROPS
1492froma
different
Copyrightedm,
NEGLECTEDCROPS
1492fromadifferentperspective
This One
LBW6-KDP-F9FZ pyrign erial
FAQPlantProductionandProtection
SeriesNo.26
NEGLECTED
CROPS
1492froma
different
perspective
Editedby
J.E.HernandezBermejo
and Leon
J.
Publishedincollaboration
withthe
BotanicalGardenofCordoba
(Spain)
aspartofthe
Etnobotanica92Programme
(Andalusia,1992)
FOODANDAGRICULTUREORGANIZATIONOF
THEUNITEDNATIONS
Rome,1994
f
Thedesignationsemployedandthepresentationofmaterialinthis
publicationdonotimplytheexpressionofanyopinionwhatsoever
onthepartoftheFoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnited
Nationsconcerningthelegalstatusofanycountry,territory,cityor
areaorofitsauthorities,orconcerningthedelimitationofits
frontiersorboundaries
DavidLubinMemorialLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
BotanicalGardenofCdrdoba(Spain)
Neglectedcrops:1492fromadifferentperspective
<FAOPlantProductionandProtectionSeries,no.26)
ISBN92-5-103217-3
1.Plantproduction2.Marginalfarms3.Crops
4II..V.TTirHtelenerdnsaInI.deSzeriBeesrmieljl.o,FAJ.OE..RVo.meLe<dInt.alJy.
FAOcode:II AGRIS:FOI
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedina
retrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,
mechanical,photocopyingorotherwise,withoutthepriorpermissionofthe
copyrightowner.Applicationsforsuchpermission,withastatementofthe
purposeandextentofthereproduction,shouldbeaddressedtotheDirector,
PublicationsDivision.FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations,
VialedelleTermediCaracalla.00100Rome,Italy.
©FAO1994
Copyrightedmaterial
Foreword
Throughouthistory,humanbeingshaveusedthousandsofplantspeciesfor
food,manyofwhichhavealsobeendomesticated.Todayonly150plant
speciesarecultivated.12ofwhichprovideapproximately75percentofour
foodandfourofwhichproduceoverhalfofthefoodweeat.Thisinvolution
hasincreasedthevulnerabilityofagricultureandimpoverishedthehuman
diet.Asaresult,manylocalcropsthathavetraditionallybeenimportant
forfeedingthepoorestsectorsofsocietyarenowadaysunderutilizedor
neglected.
Therecanbenodoubtthattheuse.domesticationandcultivationofthe
mostwidespreadplantspecieshavetoagreatextentbeenbroughtabout
accidentallyandareconditionedbythesocial,economicandpoliticalvalues
ofthedominantcultures.Itishighlylikelythat,hadtheprocessbeen
carefullyplannedandthespeciesselectedonthebasisofthescientificdata
availabletoustoday,theresultwouldhavebeendifferent.Atpresent,new
biotechnologiesconstituteapowerfulmeansofhaltingtheinvolution
processand.consequently,ofacceleratingthedomesticationofother
promisingplantsaswellasthegeneticimprovementofthosethathavebeen
neglected.However,theeconomicandpoliticalinterestnecessarytopro-
moteresearchthatwouldbenefitthepoorestsocialstratawiththeleast
purchasingpowermaybelacking.
ThediscoveryofAmerica,whichbroughtintocontacttwodifferent
worldswiththeirownhistory,culturesandtraditions,atthesametime
formedabridgebetweentwoecologicalmacrocosms.Whenthesettlers
arrivedinAmerica,aswellastheirlanguage,religionandcustoms,they
broughtwiththemplantsthatwerecultivatedontheEurasiancontinent.In
return,togetherwithtalesofamazingriches,mysteriousculturesandexotic
customs,theytookbackproductsoftheearththatwereunknownintheOld
World.Thusbeganalong-lastingexchangeofplantsandanimalswhich
profoundlytransformedeatinghabitsonbothsidesoftheAtlanticinthe
followingcenturies.
Inthecourseofthisexchange,productsthatinthepasthadoccupieda
prominentplaceintheeconomiesandfoodsuppliesofvastregions,
particularlyinLatinAmerica,eitherdisappearedorweresetaside,giving
waytocropsfromtheothercontinent.Eventually,thechangeineating
habitsthatwastriggeredbytheintroductionoftheseplants,whichwerenot
alwayswellsuitedtolocalagro-ecologicalconditions,createdafoodand
Copyrightedmaterial
economicdependenceinsomecountriesofCentralandSouthAmerica
which,today,remainsaseriousobstacletotheirdevelopment.
Atatimewhentheworldisexperiencinganexponentialincreaseinits
populationandisanxiouslywonderingifitwillbeabletobringanendtothe
hungerandscarcityoffoodthatnowexistinmanyregionswithoutcausing
freshdamagetoournaturalenvironment,itwouldseemlogicaltolookto
thepastforpossiblesolutionsinspeciesthathavefedhumanitythroughout
itshistory.
Suchistheaimofthisbookwhich,beginningwithananalysisofthe
characteristicsoftheseplants,attemptstoidentifypossibleareasofresearch
anddevelopmentinordertofacilitate,wherepossible,theirreintroduction
inregionstowhichtheyhadbecomesowelladaptedoverthecenturies.Its
purpose,therefore,iseminentlypracticaland.incooperationwithinstitu-
tionsactiveinthisfieldandwithpossibledonors,itaimsatreawakeningan
interestintheefficientexploitationanddistributionofthesecrops.
Thisworkisalsoafirststeptowardsimplementingtheprinciplesstated
attheUnitedNationsConferenceontheEnvironmentandDevelopment,
heldrecentlyinRiodeJaneiro,andisinkeepingwithFAO'scontinuous
efforttofindsystemsandmethodsofcultivationthatmakeitpossibleto
combinedevelopmentwitharespectfortheenvironment.
EdouardSaouina
Director-General
FoodandAgricultureOrganization
oftheUnitedNations
Copyrightedmaterial
Contents
rnrt?w»rti V
Abbreviations XV
Preface xix
INTRODUCTION i
PlantgeneticresourcesoftheNewWorld 3
Geneticresources 3
Themajorphvtogeographicalregions 4
BiodiversityofAmericanflora 7
Culturalrelationships 7
Distributionofgeneticdiversity 8
Changessince1500 10
Thechallengeofconservation 10
Ornamentalplants 11
Medicinalplants 11
IntroductionofflorafromtheOldWorldandcauses
ofcropmarqinalization 23
DegreeofmarginalizationofAmericanplants 24
Causesofthemarginalizationofusefulplants 26
Conclusion 29
AGRICULTUREinMESQAMER1QA 35
DomesticatedplantsandneqlectedcropsinMesoamerica 37
Physicalgeographyandhumanoccupation 37
Pastcultures 38
Agriculturalsystems 38
Domesticatedplants 40
MarginalizationofcropsinMesoamerica 43
Beans(Phaseolusspp.) 47
Phaseoluscoccineus 48
Phaseolusacutifolius 52
Copyrightedmaterial
) )
Phasepluslunatus 54
Phaseoluspolyanthus 58
Cucurbits(Cucurbitaspp.) 63
Cucurbitaargyrosperma 63
Cucurhitapepo 67
Cucurbitamoschata 71
Cucurbitaficifolia 74
Chayote(Sechiumedule 79
Custardapples(Annonaspp.) 85
Annonadiversifolia 86
Annonareticulata 89
Annonascleroderma 9Q
Grainamaranths(Amaranthusspp.) 93
Amaranthuscruentus,Amaranthushypochondriacus 93
Sapote(Pouteriasapota) 103
Spanishplum,redmombin(Spondiaspurpurea) 111
Tomatillo,husk-tomato(PhysalisPhiladelphia) 117
ANDEANAGRICULTURE 123
NeqlectedcropsoftheAndeanreqion 125
Andeanqrainsandlequmes 131
Canihua(Chenopodiumpallidicaule) 131
Quinoa(Chenopodiumguinoa) 135
Andeanlupin(Lupinusmutabilis) 139
Love-lies-bleeding(Amaranthuscaudatus) 144
Andeantubers 149
Oca(Oxalistuberosa) 149
Mashwa(Tropaeolumtuberosum 152
Bitterpotatoes(Solatiumxjuzepczukii),(Solatiumxcurtilobum) 154
Ullucu(Ullucustuberosus) 159
Copyrightedmaterial
) ) )
ix
Andeanroots 1£5
Maca(Lepidiummeyenii) 165
Arracacha(Arracaciaxanthorrhiza) 168
Mauka,chago(Mirubilisexpansa) 172
Leafcup(Polxmniasonchifolia) 176
Andeanfruits 181
Pepino(Solanummurkatum) 181
Treetomato(Cyphomandrahetacea) 185
Mountainpapaw(Caricapubescens) 188
AMAZONIANANDCARIBBEANAGRICULTURE 183
CropsoltheAmazonandOrinocoregions:
theirorigin,declineandfuture 195
Originsofagricultureandgeneticdiversity 196
ThedeclineoftheAmazonandOrinocoregions 196
Currenterosionofgeneticandculturalresources 199
Cropsandwildspeciesthatdeserveattention 200
Newdirectionsforneotropicalagriculturaldevelopment 201
Cupuaqu(Theobromagrandiflorum) 205
Peach-palm(Bactrisgasipaes 211
SpeciesofPaulliniawitheconomicpotential 223
Guarana(Paiilliniacupana) 223
SubtropicalMyrtaceae 229
Jaboticaba(Mmiariaspp.) 229
Araza(Eugeniastlpllata) 230
Feljoa(Feijoasellowiana 233
Guineaarrowroot(Calatheaallouia) 239
Mate(Ilexparaguariensis) 245
Tannia,yautia(Xanthosomasagittifolium 253
Copyrightedmaterial
ACROSSTHEATLANTIC:SPAIN 259
Processesandcausesofmarqinalization:
theintroductionofAmericanflorainSpain 261
Neglectedspecies 262
ArrivalofAmericanspecies 264
Modelsandcausesofmarginalization 269
Grainlegumesforanimalfeed 273
Compositionanduse 274
Botanyandecology 278
Geneticdiversity 278
Cultivationpractices 282
Prospectsforimprovement 282
Traditionalvarietiesofgrainlegumesforhuman
consumption 289
Cowpea(Vignaunguiculata) 291
Fieldbean,kidneybean,gardenbean,haricotbean.
Frenchbean(Phaseohtsvulgaris) 293
Broadbean(Viciafaba) 294
Chickpea(Cicerarietinum) 296
Lentil(Lensculinaris) 298
Pea(Pisumsativum) 299
Neqlectedhorticulturalcrops 303
Rocket(Erucasaliva) 303
Gardencress(Lepidiumsativum) 307
Purslane(Porlulacaoleracea) 310
Borage(Boragoofficinalis) 314
Alexanders(Smyrniumolusatrum) 319
Scorzonera(Scorzonerahispanica) 322
Spottedgoldenthistle(Scolymusmaculatus) 326
Spanishsalsify(Scolymushispanicus) 328
Taxonomicindex 333
Copyrightedmaterial