ABSTRACT
Northeastern states of India are very diverse climatically, agro-ecologically, and ethnically. About 50% of wild edible plants wealth is located in this region, which is also one of the richest reservoirs of different underexploited vegetable crop species (Arora, 1997). Underexploited vegetables play a crucial role in poor people’s livelihood and may have a significant potential for commercialization in this region. Moreover, they also possess several desired medicinal properties. Some underexploited vegetables in northeastern regions are rice bean (Vigna umbellate) and tree bean (Parkia javanica Merr. Syn. P. Roxburghii), Manipur Loosestrife/Kengoi (Lysimachia obovata) in Manipur, Chingit/Indian Pepper (Zanthoxylum rhetsa) and Anhling/Black nightshade (Solanum americanum) in Mizoram, Indian pennywort (Centella asiatica), Zanthoxylum armatum in Arunachal Pradesh, Chichiri (Monochoria hastate) in Tripura, and East Indian Glory Bower (Clerodendrum colebrookianum) in Sikkim Most of them are very rich sources of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and phytochemicals that have anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties, which confer many health benefits. They have the potential to contribute to food security, nutrition, health, income generation, and environmental services as they are adapted to marginal soil and diverse climatic condition. The high nutritional qualities indicate that the cultivation and consumption of these crops may be helpful in overcoming the nutritional deficiencies predominant in many rural areas of this region and boost the socioeconomic conditions. Owing to various human activities, there is depletion of this biodiversity. The topic has been taken up for harnessing diversity of these vegetables that have enormous potential with much diversity for exploitation, their conservation, and food security.
