ABSTRACT
The world’s food supply is obtained either directly or indirectly from plants, but fewer than 100 are used for food (Burger, 1981). Worldwide, about 50 species are cultivated actively, and as few as 17 species provide 90 percent of world’s food supply and occupy about 75 percent of the total tilled land on earth (Harlan, 1976). The important plant species include wheat (Triticum aestivum), rice (Oryza sativa L.), maize (Zea mays L.), potato (Solanum tuberosum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), sweet potato (Ipomea batatas), cassava (Manihot esculenta), soybean (Glycine max), oat (Avena sativa), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), millet (Pennisetum typoides), rye (Secale cereale), peanut (Arachis hypogaea), field bean (Dolichos lablab var. purpureus), pea (Pisum sativum), banana (Musa paradistaca), and coconut (Cocos nucifera). https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781849773744/65c2c63a-5adc-4ca3-89cb-094580b38b8d/content/figu_2_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
