The status and challenges of managing vegetable genetic resources in Northeast India

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North-Eastern (NE) India is a global hot-spot of biodiversity with varied agro-climatic conditions and ethnic diversity, thus harbors the genetic resources for various vegetables, including leafy, legumes and traditional tubers such as Dioscorea and Colocasia. These crops form an integral part of the diets of the local communities and are produced extensively on their Jhum field or kitchen gardens as a mixed crop. Underutilized vegetables in the region are genetically diverse, stress-adapted to hilly landscapes, drought and poor soil conditions, forming productive reservoirs of genes for long term ecological sustainability with the potential as useful resistance donors in crop improvement programmes. The intrinsic vulnerability to environmental extremes, reflecting the relatively high inter-annual climatic variability, prevalent acidic soils (with average pH at 4.0–5.5) and a high level of drought stress during dry seasons and sustainability concerns over declining Jhum fallow cycles. Critical logistics bottlenecks like a lack of storage infrastructure, poor road penetration and low access to good quality seeds further hamper commercialization. To realize the breeding potential, it will be necessary to integrate traditional management practices with technology and focus on breeding of improved cultivars resistant to diseases, insects and stress. Scientific management thus becomes essential to conserve and utilize this genetic diversity for sustainable, climate-resilient agriculture, which will help in shaping the nutritional and economic future of this region. This review is intended to analyze a conservation assessment and strategic framework for managing vegetable genetic resources in the North-Eastern region of India. Northeast India is a global biodiversity hotspot with diverse agro-climatic zones supporting rich vegetable genetic resources. Cultural traditions play a major role in the conservation and utilization of diverse vegetable crops. Underutilized vegetables are hardy, tolerant of climate change and suited for hilly land and acidic soils. Such crops under low-input and stress conditions are considered as extremely valuable genetic resources for crop improvement. Environmental stresses such as acidic soils (pH 4.0–5.5), high climatic variability, drought during dry seasons, and shortened Jhum fallow cycles act as major constraints to productivity. Integration of traditional knowledge with modern technologies is essential for conservation, genetic enhancement and sustainable utilization of vegetable germplasm. Breeding of improved cultivars with resistance to diseases, insect pests, and abiotic stresses will be crucial for strengthening climate-resilient agriculture in the region. The review emphasizes the need for ex-situ conservation, participatory breeding, genomic characterization, policy interventions to conserve, evaluate and utilize rich vegetable biodiversity for nutritional security and economic upliftment.