Showing papers in "Economic Botany in 1974"

The origin and use of cannabis in eastern asia linguistic-cultural implications

Abstract: Cannabis sativa is one of man's oldest cultivated plants. Botanically it is distinct from all other plants and readily recognized. Yet among individual plants it is extremely variable. It now grows spontaneously in great abundance and ubiquity. While most botanists consider the plant monotypic, some regard it as consisting of more than one species and a number of varieties, and so propose several different systems of classification. The systematics of this plant still awaits classification by further botanical studies. Cannabis is generally believed to be an Asiatic plant. There is no concerted agreement among botanists as to where the plant originally grew wild and where its cultivation first began. Estimates range within the wide span of temperate Asia from the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian Sea through western and central Asia to eastern Asia. There is no easy way to distinguish between wild and spontaneous or adventitious, and semi-cultivated or cultivated plants. Therefore, much remains to be done in determining the geographical origin of the plant. These difficulties in classification and origin arise from the long and close association of Cannabis with man. Man has caused its extreme variations and wide dispersion. It will no longer suffice to study the plant itself alone. The influence of man must be considered side by side with the botanical facts in order to unveil the complex nature of this plant.

Investigation of the cultivars of the basils (Ocimum)

Abstract: plants. Taxonomically, this study is limited to six species: Ocimum basilicum L. (sweet basil), 0. sanctum L. (holy basil), 0. canum Sims., 0. citriodorum Vis. (lemon basil), 0. kilimandscharicum Guerke (camphor basil), and 0. suave Willd. Only two of these species have produced numerous cultivars: 0. basilicum and 0. sanctum and only those of 0. basilicum present complex confusion

Arboriculture in the subsistence of Santa Cruz, Solomon Islands

Abstract: In Oceania, the indigenous agricultural systems are founded on a basic assemblage of cultigens largely in common, with the dominating species varying from area to area. Barrau (6) has defined the ecological correlates accounting for the distribution of the main herbaceous species in terms of wet and dry environments, as well as indicating the agronomic measures of adaptation by which native cultivators may convert to cropping otherwise unfavorable soil media. Trees are cultivated, or at least exploited by gathering to some degree throughout the Pacific islands for food, medicine, clothing material, construction and other industrial uses. The clear dominance of trees in subsistence systems, however, is restricted to a few genera in which the ecological template is obvious. The best known is the coconut, Cocos nucifera L., adapted to coral atolls, raised coral islands and the strands of the larger volcanic islands. Often associated are forms of Pandanus or screw pine, generally P. tectorius (Solander) Parkinson. The distribution of sago palms, Me troxylon spp., is restricted to the western Pacific, reaching as far as Samoa at its eastern periphery. As a starch staple, sago is now limited to the New Guinea region, cultivated or gathered by swamp dwellers. Breadfruit, A rtocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosb. is, or was in former times one of the major starchy resources of the high islands of Polynesia and Micronesia; in the case of the latter, the tree was also of considerable importance on the atolls of the Marshall and Caroline groups. In his reviews of Oceanic subsistence agriculture, Barrau (1, 3) provides further information on the distribution of these tree crops and enu-

Famine foods in the Rajasthan Desert

Abstract: Time and again famine has thrown a serious challenge to the Rajasthan Desert. In the recent past it was unprecedented in the five desert districts, where some parts had no rain for seven years. Food, water and fodder became scarce and the cattle "famished and emaciated." Jaisalmer, the largest district in the State, with an area of about 39,000 square kilometers and a population of about two lakhs of people, is more pastoral than agricultural. Food crops are secondary and fodder crops primary. Several villages in the district presented a deserted appearance, with people moving out in search of food and water, and fodder for their cattle. In view of the sharp decline in the purchasing power of the people, there was hardly any buyer in the open grain market since the price of bajra {which is the staple food) had already shot up to Rs . l l 0 / -pe r quintal. More than 200,000 cattle from drought-hit areas were moved in search of fodder and water. The entire desert was described as a land of vultures, with the birds preying on carcasses of cattle and sheep. Even the camel, famous for drought resistance, was tottering. The misery was dreadful and the task stupendous. The Central Government showed much concern and the State Government geared up its entire machinery towards famine relief operations. The calamity was, however, abominable in extent and severity. 2

Medicinal plants of samoa

Abstract: This is a preliminary survey of the use of plants for medicinal purposes in the Samoan Islands, the purpose of which is to pioneer the way for a more detailed study of specific plants and remedies. In addition to a survey of the literature, in 1961 and 1962 interviews were conducted in Samoa to determine what plants were being used medicinally by the Samoans at the time. The local names, habits, descriptions, plant parts used, and uses of 154 species (146 angiosperms, 4 ferns, and 4 nonvascular cryptogams) are presented in tabular form.

Cannabis — a polytypic genus

Abstract: It has been a general assumption by botanists who have not worked taxonomically on the genus that Cannabis is monotypic. The preponderance of literature has treated it as such in the absence of any thorough taxonomic review to establish whether the epithet sativa must be restricted to a single morphologically distinct taxon within a more variable genus than presupposed or whether the specimens and literature concerning Cannabis permit the recognition of more than one specific epithet, in accordance with the most recent appearance of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Several aspects of the problem have been enlarged by recent publications attempting to clarify the problem of species distinctions. The excellent work of Small and Beckstead (1973), based almost wholly on cultivated or weedy material, concluded that there was but a single species of Cannabis (on the basis of published chemical data rather than presentation of morphological evidence), even though three distinct chemical phenotypes from three geographically disjunct latitudes were recognized and plotted on a scatter diagram. One of the several unfortunate aspects of this work was that plants growing in Ottawa under uniform conditions were not able to reach maturity in many instances, due to the abbreviated growing season; thus morphological distinctions could not always be accessed from a study of mature specimens. Furthermore, this limited growing season did not permit the study of perennial forms. Most important is the fact that the

Podophyllum peltatum —may apple a potential new cash-crop plant of eastern North America

Abstract: In this paper a survey is given of the present knowledge of the medicinal value of May apple,Podophyllum peltatum, a plant which is common in the whole deciduous forest region of eastern North America. Intensive chemical, pharmacological and clinical research has shown that Podophyllum is a very valuable medicinal plant because it contains drugs which can effectively be used against certain virus and skin cancer diseases. The plant is so much in demand in the drug trade that selection of high yielding clones and cultivation might be contemplated. A review of the literature shows that surprisingly little is known yet about the flower biology, seed germination and productivity of this common plant. From various herbarium sources a distribution map has been compiled and the author tries to interpret this by comparing it with a number of climatic parameters. This might stimulate experimental work on the climatic requirements of May apple and it shows where optimum conditions exist for its eventual cultivation on a commercial scale.

Agronomic survey of jojoba in California

Abstract: On the basis of the information available today, the following observations can be made. (1) Jojoba wax has a good marketing potential. (2) Large-scale production could be based on the wild stands for a few years, preferably with a government subsidy. (3) Jojoba plantations should be established in the meantime so that production could eventually be based on these plantations. These three statements are valid now. If no action is taken soon to go ahead with a large-scale production project initially based on the wild populations and eventually on cultivated jojoba, and if time is lost, two things may happen: (a) Industries using sperm whale oil may reformulate their products or redesign their equipment to make the use of sperm whale oil unnecessary or essentially so. (b) Synthetic substitutes for sperm whale oil may be developed which will take the hoped-for market away from jojoba. In summary, jojoba could become a viable crop for semi-arid lands. This potential, however, might be jeopardized if the implementation of a master plan for jojoba production is excessively delayed.

Preliminary observations on the ethnobotany of the genus Coix

Abstract: The genus Coix belongs to the tribe Maydeae (Tripsaceae) of the family Poaceae. The tribe consists of annual or perennial monoecious grasses with the staminate spikelets in 2's or 3's, the carpellate single or in 2's or 3's, both kinds in the same or in different inflorescences. In Coix the carpellate spikelets are in 3's (1 fertile, 2 sterile), each group being enclosed in a more or less hardened, bead-like structure, the involucre, formed from the metamorphosed leaf sheath. The axis of the staminate portion of the inflorescence protrudes from the orifice at the apex of the involucre. Instances are on record in Coix aquatica Roxb. where, abnormally, more or less perfect leaf blades develop at the tip of the involucres (4, 5). We have examined, at Calcutta, the specimen cited by Haines (5)(Watt, from Balasore, Orissa); several involucres have leaf blades on their tips (Fig. 1). This confirms that the involucre is a metamorphosed leaf sheath. Recently, while studying material of Coix and allied genera, we gathered data on this genus during field work and from herbarium sheets, and also from obscure literature. These are of much ethnobotanical interest and are brought together here. References to Coix are found in European literature of the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the work of Rumphius (11). Coix lacryrna-jobi is referred to in such early works as \"Griemile,\" \"Li thospermon,\" \"Aegonychon,\" \"Diospyron,\" \"Heracleos.\" The edibility of the seeds was recorded as early as 1731 (8). In Asia, the plant reportedly was known in Vedic times; the Arabs called it \"Damu Daud\" (David's tears) and later \"Damu Ayub\" (Job's tears), referring to the shape of the involucre. Its medicinal value, as a tonic and diuretic, is said to have been known as early as 1260 A.D. Sometime after this, the plant was introduced by the Arabs into the West (13). The genus Coix is represented in India by four species: C. aquatica, C. gigantea, C. lacryrna-jobi, and C. puellarum.

Interspecific Cotton Breeding

Abstract: A systematic program df interspecific cotton breeding in Mississippi began in 1952. The objective was to transfer new or improved properties from wild species to Upland cotton. Even at this early period in history, biological resistance to cotton pests was a major goal. We have grown 28 species of Gossypium as greenhouse or field plants; sixteen of these species have been crossed with Upland cotton, twelve species are represented in breeding material that can be handled in field plots, and cytoplasms from seven species have been transferred into strains that can be handled by routine methods in Upland cotton breeding programs. Upland cotton, G. hirsutum L., furnishes most of the world's cotton fiber. A closely related species, G. barbadense L., includes the long-fibered Sea Island and Egyptian cottons. Both of these species were cultivated in the Americas for centuries before Columbus sailed across the Atlantic. Both of these species are tetraploid. Two diploid species, G. herbaceum and G. arboreum L., are native to Africa and Asia. These have also been used for textiles over a very long period of time. In addition to the four cultivated species, there are about 25 short-fibered or lintless wild diploid species scattered over the subtropical deserts of the world, and also one wild tetraploid Hawaiian species with very short brown lint. Fortunately for people doing interspecific cotton breeding, all tetraploid

The problem of rice straw waste a possible feed through fermentation

Abstract: Advancement of economy and technology makes current uses of rice straw uneconomical, and they will eventually be terminated. Thus, disposal of this vast amount of straw will be a serious problem in areas where rice is the major agricultural product. Many ideas have been developed to use straw — for pulp and paper, construction materials, soil incorporation, compost, fuel, etc. However, because of other competitive resources, the prospect of immediate use of straw for these purposes is dim. Some potential is seen in using straw as an animal feed. Rice straw, however, is a poor-quality feed in its natural state. It must be pretreated (to increase digestibility) or supplemented by other ingredients before it can be considered a suitable animal feed. Several new processes have been developed to attain these objectives by microbial action. Most of these new processes are in the laboratory-bench or pilot-plant stage, so that at the present time, the economic feasibility of these processes is not certain.

A WildIpomoea Species Closely Related to the Sweet Potato

Abstract: In a brilliant study of certain species of Ipomoea closely related to the sweet potato Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lamn., Nishiyama (1971) claims not only to have found the primitive wild type of 90 chromosomes from which the sweet potato originated, but also to have resynthesized the wild type from a diploid and a tetraploid species. In contrast, in a very careful study of many of the diploid and tetraploid relatives of the sweet potato, Martin and Jones (1972) point out that none of the species so far found resembles the sweet potato enough to be its ancestor. They hypothesize that the described diploid species are closely related to each other, but that the tetraploid species show no close resemblances to each other, to the diploids, or to the sweet potato. Nishiyama's (1971) hypothesis is that the tetraploid progenitor of sweet potato is I. littoralis Blume, a species that when grown in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, proved to be equal to what Martin and Jones (1972) have called I. gracilis R. Br. Matuda (1963) and van Oostroom (1953) consider I. littoralis to be a synonym for L gracilis. As they point out, the species has forms with cordate leaves as well as with lobed leaves. Nevertheless, Nishiyama apparently recognizes other differences, because he treats L littoralis and L gracilis as separate species (1971).

The domestication and genetic erosion of maize

Abstract: The genetic variability available for selection is the raw material for crop improvement. However, the process of domestication itself restricts the range of genetic variation, which eventually limits the crop's selective response to small gains and increases the crop's vulnerability to parasites. The variability in primitive cultivars and their wild relatives remains a largely unexploited genetic resource some of which has been lost. Therefore, we must preserve and understand the variation that still remains in our cultivars and their wild relatives, because it is upon this variation that mankind's survival depends (Galinat, 1972). The seemingly wide variation in cultivars in comparison to that in the ancestral wild species is more apparent than real. It results from a vast increase in population size, a transport to new habitats and a selection by man of traits that are not only lethal in the wild but that may be added up or assembled in combinations so bizarre that the original wild form may appear to be unrelated or unrecognizable. A full exploitation of the variation that lingers from the past requires an understanding of its role in the crop's evolution. The emergence of maize as a domestic plant from the wild grasses of Central America is shrouded in mystery because

Histological structure and commercial dehydration potential of breadfruit.

Abstract: The seedless form of breadfruit, unripe and sliced or diced, can be commercially dehydrated either by tunneldrying or by freezedrying. The products are adaptable to various culinary vegetable uses. Wastes, such as peel, core, and culls, serve as a highly digestible stock feed. Several anatomical features of the fruit pose special problems in preparation and processing. The histology of the fruit is discussed in detail with reference to possible solutions to those problems, and to textural qualities of both the freshly cooked green fruit and of dried products upon reconstitution. Some consideration of other botanical features relevant to possible use of seeded forms of breadfruit also are presented. Development of commercial processing should include serious consideration of fruit structure and other botanical information concerning the growing and adaptability of different species to commercial processing.

On the use of extracted anthocyanin as a food dye

Abstract: Anthocyanins are the typical red, purple and blue pigments of the higher plants, occurring in all parts of the plant but particularly in the flowers and fruit where they perform obvious biological functions in assisting cross-pollination and seed dispersal. Their presence is also of considerable importance to man in determining the attractiveness of certain foods, both in the natural state and in such processed products as wine, canned fruits, jam, etc. Although anthocyanins are thus present in most diets, there is apparently no record of these compounds being used as food dyes, either in the form of an extract of the natural pigment, or as a synthetic preparation. This is easily accounted for by their chemical vulnerability. All anthocyanins are polyphenols, and are thus more or less susceptible to oxidation (closely related flavonoids are sometimes used as anti-oxidants because of this property). All anthocyanins contain a positively charged centre in the molecule, which is responsible for the intense colour, but to maintain the cationic form the compound must be in an acid environment as is found in most fruit. Under neutral or basic conditions there is a redistribution of electrons in the aromatic core of the molecule with the result that it becomes very much more susceptible to air-oxidation. In all naturally occurring anthocyanins one or more of the phenolic hydroxy groups are in combination with sugar molecules. To some extent this "protects" the compound, but under the required acidic conditions outside the plant cell some hydrolysis of the glycosidic bond occurs during such operations

Preceramic transhumance and andean food production

Abstract: Thomas Lynch (1971) has recently attempted to document the fact that the preceramic hunter-gatherers of Peru were mobile throughout a range of altitudinal zones and that the fields of movement of these preceramic populations may well have been continuous, since the members of each group exploited the resources of different habitats in terms of regular annual cycles. However, it is equally clear that these long, linear fields of the preceramic populations began to be fragmented at some point in lime. We believe that the termination of the proposed period of transhumance constitutes an extremely interesting problem. At the present time this feature has been discussed only in terms of data from the Peruvian coast. In this paper we employ some of Lynch’s data and observations in an attempt to demonstrate (I) that a minimum of modification of the preceramic pattern of food procurement within the highlands was required to convert hunter-gatherers into food producers; and (2) wild tubers played a crucial role in this process.

Changes in the major constituents ofManihot esculenta seeds during germination and growth

Abstract: Manihot esculenta Crantz (M. utilissima), commonly known as manioc, cassava and tapioca, is an important economic plant of wide distribution in tropical and subtropical countries. In the developing countries of Africa, Asia, India, South America and the West Indies, the plant is extensively cultivated for its starchy root tubers, which form a major source of dietary and industrial carbohydrates (Jones, 1959; Rogers, 1965). In spite of the plant's enormous nutritional and economic values, it has been little studied. This situation contrasts with the considerable number of studies that have been conducted on some other tropical and subtropical members of the Euphorbiaceae, notably Ricinus communis, which also has important industrial and economic values (Butt & Beevers, 1966; Cornelius & Raymond, 1967). Apparently, no physiological or biochemical studies have been conducted on seeds during germination and growth, although seeds have been employed in studies involving breeding for resistance to mosaic virus, and for high protein and starch contents in tubers, cyanogenesis, and the genetics of manioc (Nichols, 1947; Graner, 1942; Bolhuis, 1953, 1954; Nartey, 1968, 1969; Nartey et al., 1972). Presumably, this situation is due to the fact that manioc plants are generally cultivated by stem-cuttings, which has been shown to result in higher tuber yields, as compared with yields obtained from

Effect of light and temperature on germination of two accessions ofLimnanthes alba seed

Abstract: The effect of light and temperature on germination of two accessions ofLimnanthes alba Benth. seed, a potential source of seed oil, were determined. Seed were germinated on a two-way thermogradient plate and in plastic dishes. Temperatures on the thermogradient plate ranged from 5 to 25 C and the temperature gradients were changed on an 8–16 hr cycle. Germination occurred over all treatments when averaged over a constant temperature range of 5 to 17 C. However, maximum germination at constant temperatures occurred at 9 to 13 C. Light suppressed germination on the thermogradient plate at temperatures which were not optimum for germination. Maximum germination and seedling growth were observed at an alternating temperature of 10 C for 16 hr and 15 C for 8 hr in continuous dark conditions.

Agronomic and chemical evaluation of selected sorghums as sources of pulp

Abstract: Nine accessions representing three sorghum species were grown at six locations in a single crop year to evaluate their potential as fibrous raw materials for pulp and papermaking. Evaluations were based on field yields, agronomic characteristics, and physical and chemical composition. Growing conditions caused considerable variation, but maturity, time of harvest, and harvesting methods also influenced composition. Preferred locations based on production of whole stalks (exclusive of roots) and of culms were Iowa, Indiana, and Georgia. The best productivity for several accessions exceeded 10 tons per acre (o.d.) for whole stalks and 6 tons per acre for culms. The mean content (for three locations) of crude cellulose in culms, ranged from 40.9 to 53.8% and of alpha cellulose from 25. 7 to 34. 7%; the level of pith ranged from 6.1 to 15.2%. Ash content in culms was 3% or less compared with 7% or more in leaves. Late-maturing PI 22983 7 and 229847 were consistently good yielders, but were chemically inferior to PI 177549 and 190579. Composition of PI 177549 was the most favorable, with a high proportion of culms to leaves and with crude cellulose content of 58.4% in culms (Georgia). In Iowa, the content of crude cellulose in culms of PI 229837 was equivalent to 3.40 tons per acre, and that of alpha cellulose was equivalent to 2.31 tons per acre. Accessions meriting further consideration are: PI 177549 (broom corn), 229837 and 229847 (kafir types), and 190579 (sorghum grass).

Description of maize

Abstract: Peter Kalm (1716–1779), a student of Linnaeus and later Professor of Economy at the University of Abo, Sweden,3 was sent to North America in 1748 by the Swedish Academy of Science to obtain seed and other planting stock of New World herbs, shrubs and trees for possible use in Sweden. Kalm was a close, objective observer of things botanical and cultural and had a distinct sense of the utilitarian. HisTravels into North America; containing its Natural History, and a circumstantial Account of its Plantations and Agriculture in general, with the Civil, Ecclesiastical and Commercial State of the Country, the Manners of the Inhabitants, and several curious and Important Remarks on the various Subjects were, as the English title of the 1770 translation of John Reinhold Forster suggests, wide ranging in interests and observations. Kalm’s own title,En Resa til Norra America, in its conciseness better reflects the student of Linnaeus. In the Travels there are a number of references to maize and maize growing. From 1749 to 1778 Kalm contributed seventeen articles on North American subjects to the Kongliga Svenska Vetenskap-Academiens Handlingar. “Beskrifning om Mays,” published in two parts, in 1751 and 1752, has not previously been available in English translation. Kalm’s keen observations on maize culture and utilization in the late colonial period should prove of interest to students of maize and of the history of North American agriculture.

The sweetest cures

Abstract: This is the age of innovation not only new ways of doing things but new ways of thinking. The versatility of many resources is being put to test as space and economy become determining factors. It is no longer easy to fit things or roles into old categories. Substances are synthesized to products unlike themselves, yet more important, new uses are found for old products. For example, fiber plants, such as cotton, become food plants. Garbage items are recycled and municipal wastes subjected to "pyrolysis a system of reducing refuse to basic chemicals, liquids, and gases which have commercial value" (7). And, now, the subject of this report is that an old and familiar food item becomes a medicine. The use of sugar in man's diet dates back to earliest times and its continuing popularity is ascertained by the per capita consumption of over one hundred pounds in at least ten countries in the world, namely (and in order of use), Ireland, Netherlands, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Denmark, Israel, Switzerland, United States, and Canada (8). In spite of such impressive figures, the humming bird has been, and still is, the best promotion agent the sugar industry has. There are 319 species of these "glittering fragments of the rainbow", and each day the individual bird locates and consumes half its body weight in sugar (12). Sugars are the simplest of organic foods. They exist in several forms, yet sucrose is the one of greatest significance in commerce and use. It is a disaccharide, known as granulated sugar and derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. Chemically, it is made up of one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose,