Vol. 12, Issue 1 (2023)

Author(s):
Luna Barooah, Dhiraj Bhattacharjee, Sanchayeeta Gohain and Suchibrata Chamuah

Abstract:
Vegetables are the important component of balanced human diet and also the main factors in achieving global nutritional security by providing nutrients, vitamins and minerals. The growth in vegetable production has increased substantially and this was mainly due to development of hybrids, adoption of improved production and protection technologies long with large scale cultivation by the farmers. However, this remarkable growth in vegetable sector was contributed by only few major vegetables. The diverse agroclimatic condition of India is suitable for growing different underutilized vegetable crops yet not much attention is given on these crops, because of inadequate scientific knowledge on their nutritional potentials. The underutilized leafy vegetables are important source of balanced human diet as they provide different valuable micronutrients, vitamins and minerals. Underutilized leafy vegetables have local or regional importance, but they are not explored commercially and thereby they lack national or global recognition. The underutilized vegetable crops are the plant species that are traditionally used for culinary or for medicinal purpose. Underutilized or indigenous vegetables are characterized by a high nutritional value compared with commercially important major vegetables like tomato and cabbage (Keatinge et al.,2011). Most of the leafy vegetables used by local people of Assam are indigenous and are not known their potential value. In this context, there is an urgent need to take up research on genetic resources exploration, management, utilization and improvement of underutilized vegetable crops to ensure food and nutritional security for future and also to increase the income of rural people which will finally contribute the national economy.