Abstract India is the native land of many nutraceutically important underutilized or minor fruit crops such as bael ( Aegle marmelos ), jamun ( Syzigium cumini ), aonla ( Emblica officinalis ), lasora ( Cordia myxa ), phalsa ( Grewia subinaequalis ), karonda ( Carissa carandus ), ber ( Zizyphus mauritiana ), ker ( Capparis decidua ), tamarind ( Tamarindus indica ), wood apple ( Feronia limonia ), khirni ( Manilkara hexandra ), chironji ( Buchnania lanzan ), aonla ( Emblica officinalis ), pilu ( Salvadora oleoides ), manila tamarind ( Pithecellobium dulce ), etc., of arid and semiarid region. These fruits are the primary source of vitamins and minerals for rural people and have also been used in medicines for centuries. Besides their medicinal and nutritional importance, they also have a very attractive color and excellent flavour. Underutilized fruits allow local farmers to access local and national markets where consumers value their exotic traits. However, their cultivation is restricted to limited areas, and most of these neglected fruit species await future exploitation. Therefore, it is crucial to impart efforts on genetic resource management of these underutilized fruits so that the nutritional security of the population (rural and urban) can be ensured and the income of farmers can be enhanced.
Pooja Pant (Thu,) studied this question.