19 Nov Orphan crops and their role in changing climate
बदलती जलवायु परिस्थितियों में ऑरफन फसलों की भूमिका Orphan crops are crops that are not traded internationally and very less attention is provided to them in terms of research, training and extension. These are grown in Asia, Africa and South America. Generally these constitute major part of local diet. In comparison to major food crops like rice, wheat and maize, breeding technology for orphan crops is far away behind. Similar to major crops, orphan crops are also member of different types of food i.e. cereals, legumes, vegetables, root and tuber crops. Orphan crops are also called as neglected, minor, promising, niche, traditional, alternative crops, future smart food and many more. Worldwide, around 12000 crop species are classified as suitable for human consumption, yet 30 crops play important role in feeding the world and to our utter surprise out of that, 60% of world population’s dietary energy is fed by rice, maize and wheat. This is mainly due to strong policy support, target breeding efforts and trade policies in favor of major food crops. Beside these factors changes in traditional food habits have resulted in an overdependence on energy rich and nutrient poor staple crops. Different types of orphan crops are: 1. Millets: Millets ere tolerant to moisture deficit (Kholova et. al,2010) and have great suitability in semi arid...