Crop voyage in India and World

Crop voyage in India and World

• The literary meaning of voyage is a longjourney by water or air to a distance place.

• The crop voyage means the introduction ofdifferent crops form outside and movementof the crops originated in India to abroad.

• India is one of the mega agro-biodiversitycountries of the world. Many plant specieshave been domesticated here.

Enriched bio-diversity

The agro-biodiversity of the indigenouslydomesticated higher plant species was furtherenriched with introduction of exotic crops sinceancient times, as reflected in differentevidences.

Indices Used to Identify Ancient Introductions

• Archeological remains

• Archaeo-botanical remains

• Literary sources

• Ancient dating

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Limitations of evidences• Limited archeological evidence in crops

propagated vegetatively.

• Lack of knowledge of oriental languages, such asSanskrit, Prakrits, Pali, Dravidian, etc.

• Difficulties in identification and verification ofLatin synonyms of plant species

• Poor documentation/inadequate informationregarding minor crops of marginal significance.

• Difficulties in distinguishing the ancientintroductions from those of medieval period.

Probable Ancient Crop Introductions

Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, Okra / Lady’s finger

• The genus Abelmoschusis of Asiatic origin,however, the exactancestral home of thecultivated A.esculentusis disputed betweenAfrica and India.

• Sanskrit names,Tindisha andGandhamula,

Allium cepa L.Onion

• The Central Asiatic regionis considered primarycenter of origin whereasthe near east Asiatic andMediterranean regionsare the secondarycenters.

• In India, its reference isfound in 6th century BCwith Sanskrit names,Palanduh and Sukanda.

• Archaeobotanical remainsof A. cepa have beenrecorded in India.

Allium sativum L.Garlic

• Origin: Central Asia. • The trade relationship

between Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India during Mohenjo-Daro period, about 3000 BC, led to its introduction into India.

• Later, the bulbs as seed were brought and grown.

• Its Sanskrit names, Mahaaushadha, Lashunaha, Granjanaha, Aristaha, Mahakandahaand Rasonakaha.

Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.Amaranth

• A native of the northernMexico.

• Introduced into Indiathree millennia BC.

• Widely cultivated as foodcrop in the Himalayanregion.

• Its Sanskrit names areTanduliya, meaning ‘afield weed’, Kataib andChaulai.

Anacardium occidentale L. Cashew nut

• A native of Brazil or Venezuela.

• Depiction of complete plant with flowers and fruits at the Jambukeshvara temple suggested its ancient cultivation.

• It has Sanskrit names Beejara Sula or BijaraSala, Shoephahara and Kajutaka.

Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.Pineapple

• A native of Brazil, pineapplewas introduced into India,by the 5th century AD.

• A sculpture depicting itsfruit has been found on thevanamala of Vishnu in hisVaraha avatara in theUdayagiri cave temples inMadhya Pradesh, dated 5thcentury AD.

• Sanskrit names areAnamnasam andBahunetraphalam .

Annona cherimolia Mill.Large Annona, Custard Apple

• Native of of Colombia,Ecuador and Peru.

• Introduced into India in1820.

• However, the fruitpineapple is shown held bya sculpted goddess figureon a wall of a HoysalaDynasty temple inKarnataka, (13th century.)

Annona reticulata L.Bullock’s Heart, Custard Apple

• A native of tropical America, custard apple is naturalized in India to an extent that some authors considered it a native.

• It has Sanskrit names Rama Sita, Luvunee , Ramphala and Krishnabeejam.

Capsicum annuum L.Chili Pepper

• A native of SouthAmerica. It is generallybelieved to have beenintroduced into India bythe Portuguese in 16thcentury AD.

• However, In Sanskrit, ithas been referred to asMarichiphalam, Katuvira,Katuirah and Raktamaricha. (c.600AD)

Carthamus tinctorius L.Safflower

• Most evidence suggestsorigin of C. tinctorius inan area bound by theeastern Mediterraneanand Persian Gulf.

• Ancient Sanskritscriptures described itas Kusumbha.

Cicer arietinum L., Chickpea (Bengal gram)

• First grown in Turkeyabout 7000 BC, andintroduced into India asearly as 2000 BC.

• It was cultivated inMediterranean basinduring 3000-4000 BC.

• In ancient Sanskritwritings, it has beenreferred to as Chanaka.

Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Watermelon

• It is a native of southernAfrica.

• By 4th-7th century AD, itreached India

• Sushruta mentionedcultivation along the banksof the Indus River.

• In Sanskrit it Tarambuja.Krishnabija, Latapanasa,Madhuraphala andAlpapramanaka.

Corchorus olitorius L.Tosa jute

• Africa as the primarycenter of its origin, withIndia or Indo-Myanmarregion being thesecondary center.

• Discovery of jute textilethe Indus Valley.

• In Sanskrit, it has beenreferred as Patta andKakka Tapattraka.

Cucumis melo L.Muskmelon

• Musk melon is a nativeof Africa .

• Indian Subcontinent isthe original home oflocal variants and thecommon groups.

• In Sanskrit, it has beenreferred to as Kalinga,Kharvuja andMadhuphala.

Cucurbita pepo L.Pumpkin

• Pumpkin is a native ofNorth America.

• It is mentioned in theAtharvaveda datingbefore 800 BC; in theBuddhist Jatakas andother texts as early asthe 4th century AD.

• It has Sanskrit names,Kurkaru and Kushmanda.

Gossypium barbadense L., TetraploidCotton

• A native of SouthAmerica, wasintroduced into Indiavia Pacific.

• Indus civilizationevidenced cultivationand export of cotton.The Sanskrit name isMaghani.

Guizotia abyssinica Niger

• Niger originated in theEthiopian highlands asan oilseed crop.

• It is believed to havebeen brought to India bythe Ethiopianimmigrants, probably inthe 3rd millennium BC.

• In Sanskrit it has beenreferred to as RamaTilah.

Helianthus annuus L.Sunflower

• A native of Central andSouth America.

• It is mentioned in theCharaka Sahmita datedaround the 4th century AD.

• Its Sanskrit names areSuriya-mukhi, Adityabhaktaand Suryamukhi.

• Graphic depiction is foundin Rani Gumpha cave,Udaigiri in Orissa dated tothe 2nd century BC.

Hibiscus cannabinus L.Kenaf or Deccan hemp

• Kenaf is originated inAfrica (4000 BC).

• It spread to India at anearly period via Persia.

• It has been referred inSanskrit literature ofancient India of 7thcentury with name,balamulika.

Hordeum vulgare L.Barley

• Barley was one of thefirst grainsdomesticated in FertileCrescent .

• Barley is mentioned inearly Sanskrit recordswith names such asYava, Sithashuka,Atiyava and Akshata.

Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.Sweet potato

• This native of South America.

• It was mentioned in Sanskrit literatures as Valli, Pindalah and Raktaluh, which are similar to the names used in northwestern South America.

Lagenaria sicerariaBottle gourd

• Origin of Bottle gourd is southern Africa.

• In Sanskrit, it is referred to as Alabu and Kutukumbi confirming its ancient cultivation during Vedic age.

Crops of India Origin

Oryza sativaRice

• India is an importantcentre of ricecultivation. The rice iscultivated on the largestareas in India.

• Archaeologicalevidences prove therice is a crop of Indiansubcontinent.

Oryza sativaRice…(2)

Historians believe that theindica variety of rice was firstdomesticated in the areacovering the foothills of theEastern Himalayas stretchingthrough Burma, Thailand,Laos, Vietnam and SouthernChina, the japonica varietywas domesticated from wildrice in southern China whichwas introduced to India.

Aegle marmelosBael, wood apple

• It is a native of India,Nepal, Myanmar.

• The tree is consideredto be sacred by Aryans.

• Ancient Sanskrit textsdescribed it as Bilwa.

Piper nigrumBlack pepper

• Black pepper is nativeto south India.

• The ancient history ofblack pepper is ofteninterlinked with (andconfused with) that oflong pepper, the driedfruit of closelyrelated Piper longum.

Solanum melongenaEggplant, Brinjal

• A native of India and ithas been cultivated insouthern and easternAsia since prehistory.

• indicate it wasintroduced throughoutthe Mediterranialarea by the Arabs in theearly middle ages.

Ziziphus mauritianaIndian plum, Ber

• Ber is originated inIndo-Malaysian regionof South-East Asia. It isnow widely naturalizedthroughout the tropicsfrom Southern Africathrough the Middleeast to the Indian sub-continent and China,Australia and Pacificislands.