Main Species and Medicinal Value of Wild Edible(Medicinal) Fungi in Yunnan Province

Yunnan Province is rich in wild edible( medicinal) fungus resources,where there are about 882 species,96 genera,35 families,11 orders,and 2 classes,and the species of the resources accounts for 40. 7% of the world's resources and 90. 0% of China's resources,so Yunnan is known as " the kingdom of medicinal and edible fungi". Edible fungi contain a variety of functional ingredients,such as polysaccharides,peptide amino acids,nucleosides,triterpenes,minerals,vitamins,etc.,so they have important medicinal value. In order to understand and rationally develop wild edible( medicinal) fungus resources in Yunnan,the main trading species of wild edible( medicinal) fungi in Yunnan Province were investigated,and the biological characteristics and medicinal value of these wild edible( medicinal) fungi were summarized.Moreover,the development prospects of wild edible fungi in Yunnan Province in edible and medicinal fields were discussed.

Bioinventory and documentation of traditional ecological knowledge of wild edible fruits of Kodagu-Western Ghats, India

Forty-five species of wild edible fruits were identified and traditional local knowledge of their usage was recorded in 40 villages of Kodagu district in Central Western Ghats, India one of the eight top hotspots of biodiversity in the world. We combined biodiversity inven-tory of trees with village interviews to record traditional ecological knowledge. Wild edible fruits were an opportunistic source of food for rural people. Wild edible fruits were rich in minerals, vitamins, carbohy-drates, proteins, fats and fiber. In recent years there has been a decline in numbers of wild fruit trees due to changes in land use from uncultivated private wooded area to cardamom and coffee cultivation. The availability of wild edible fruits that were once very common on private cultivated areas has declined and their distributions are now restricted more to jungles and wildlife sanctuaries. We propose methods for conservation and describe the need for sustainable utilization to provide supplemen-tary sources of nutritional and pharmaceutically useful edible wild fruits.

Ethnobotanical Study of Wild Edible Plants and Their Indigenous Knowledge in Sedie Muja District, South Gondar Zone, Northwestern Ethiopia

Wild edible plants have played a vital role in supplementing the diet of people in developing countries. People in Sedie Muja District, South Gondar Zone, consume different parts of wild plants. This study was done in Sedie Muja District, South Gondar Zone to deal with ethnobotanical uses of selected wild edible plants. Field surveys were carried out in 2018-2019. Ethnobotanical data were collected from 84 respondents using semi-structured interview, guided field walk, market survey and field observations. Preference ranking, direct matrix ranking and informant consensus with buyers, sellers, cookers and elderly people of the user groups were used for data analysis. A total of 33 wild edible plants were documented. Of these families, Moraceae, Fabaceae and Solanaceae were the most dominant families that account 3 (11.5%) species each. Fruits are the most edible parts compared to the other edible plant parts that account 18 (54.5%). These species can be promoted for large-scale cultivation and marketing for the benefit of the local communities.

Global perspectives on the ecological,cultural and socioeconomic relevance of wild edible fungi

Wild edible fungi(WEF),including mushrooms and truffles,comprise a natural source of nutritious and healthy food.The consumption of WEF began at least 18,700 years ago during the Stone Age.Current data from over 100 countries indicates the existence of more than 2,100 edible species,a figure that is continually growing,as vast regions and many cultures remain understudied.However,only around 30 species of WEF are grown commercially at a large-scale.WEF also play a key ecological role in the structure and functioning of natural ecosystems and have significantly contributed in shaping all life on the planet.Either as food,medicine or both,they are important for the survival,cultures,and economies of hundreds of ethnic groups around the globe.Over the last 15 years,there has been a noteworthy increase in the international trade of WEF,which is currently estimated at billions(USD)annually.In 2017,the WEF global trade,of either fresh or processed products,exceeded 1,230,000 tonnes.Due to their ecological,sociocultural and economic importance,the international WEF trade has a role to play in the post-pandemic recovery period.The main challenge of this period will be maintaining natural ecosystems while simultaneously improving human wellbeing.Critical elements of this challenge include ensuring food security,enhancing rural development,creating sustainable jobs,mitigating hunger,and slowing the loss of traditional knowledge generated over millennia.This review analyzes the ways in which sustainable use of WEF could contribute to achieving these goals.

Perceptions of Local People toward Wild Edible Plant Gathering and Consumption:Insights from the Q-method in Hani Terraces

Wild edible plants(WEPs)can provide a variety of provisioning services and cultural services but they are currently under-utilized.Understanding farmers’perceptions of the collection and consumption of wild edible plant resources is essential for promoting local socio-ecological system resilience and local wild plant resource use.This paper uses the Q-method to investigate the main perspectives of farmers toward collecting and consuming wild edible plants in the Honghe Hani Terraces region of Yunnan Province.This analysis identified four main perspective types among the farmers,including market-driven,household user-driven,cultural service seekers,and tradition followers.It revealed the main factors that limit and facilitate farmers’WEP collection and consumption,including limitations due to loss of traditional knowledge,and changes in socioeconomic conditions that negatively affect WEP collection and consumption;while,on the other hand,the demand for WEP-related cultural services and the presence of a strong culture slowed down changes in dietary structure,which in turn have maintained WEP collection and consumption.The Q-method can help in identifying the relationship between community residents and local wild plant resource use in rapidly transitioning areas and in identifying the barriers that affect the resilience of local socio-ecological systems.

Nutritional evaluation of Kedrostis africana (L.) Cogn:An edible wild plant of South Africa

Objective:To evaluate the nutritional composition and elemental constituents of Kedrostis africana and their safety aspect.Methods:Proximate parameters(moisture,ash,crude fibre,crude fat,proteins,and carbohydrate and energy) were evaluated using ALASA methods,and elemental analysis by ICP-OES technique.Results:The results from nutritional analysis showed that the tuber used for this study had a low content of crude fat and high content of ash,crude protein,crude fibre,carbohydrate and energy having the recommended dietary allowances.The tuber was rich in major minerals Na,K,Ca and Mg,there was sufficient amount of trace elements Fe,Cu,and Zn while the anti-nutrients oxalate,phytate,alkaloids,and saponins were detected in amounts that are not harmful according to Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization.Conclusions:The outcome of this study suggests that this wild plant has very good nutritional potentials to meet the recommended dietary allowance and it could be a cheap source of essential nutrients that may ameliorate most nutritional challenges and can contribute remarkably to the amount of nutrient intake in human and animal diet.

Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of Juice from Edible Wild Fruits (Adansonia digitata, Tamarindus indica and Parkia biglobosa) Consumed in Cote d’Ivoire

The diabetes mellitus is a public health problem in C?te d’Ivoire. The Glycemic index (GI) and the Glycemic load (GL) determination of commonly consumed foods such as juice fruits is an alternative to prevent metabolic diseases. This study carried out three wild fruits locally named Baobab (Adansonia digitata), Tomi (Tamarindus indica) and Néré (Parkia biglobosa) collected at maturity stage. The juices from the pulp of fruits have been elaborated, pasteurized, submitted to microbiological and physicochemical analysis before GIs/GLs determination. Ten healthy subjects with body mass index and age average respectively 21.57 ± 1.06 and 28 ± 2 years old tested the three juices and glucose (50 g) as reference food. Blood samples have been collected at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min after foods consumption. The GIs/GLs has been determined according to ISO/FDI 26642:2010 protocol. Data showed that pasteurized juices has a weak microbiologic load (1.0102 - 2.4102 of Mesophylls Aerobic Germs) and not contain pathogen germs. The GI and GL of Néré juice are high with respective values of 89.54 ± 1.63 and 29.22 ± 4.09 whereas those of Baobab and Tomi juice are moderate with respective GI/GL values of 66.48 ± 2.12/13.24 ± 1.99 and 60.41 ± 2.63/12.87 ± 1.67. The juice of Néré should be consumed occasionally when those of Baobab and Tomi should be consumed with moderation. It would be suitable to know more about the GI and GL of all the juice fruits produced locally so as to prevent efficiently diabetes mellitus in the country.

Diversity of Wild Mushrooms in Nagaland, India

The Indian sub-continent is blessed with favorable agro climatic conditions that are suitable to a varied range of fungal species. Though the occurrence of mushrooms is of diverse nature, they are not well studied and documented. Northeastern region of India is one of the biodiversity hotspots. Nagaland is one of the Northeastern states of India. The people of the state highly covet mushrooms and have been a delicacy since time immemorial. The present study documents the macro fungal diversity in various districts of the state. A total of 87 species of wild mushrooms were collected and identified. They are parasitic, saprophytic and ecto-mycorrhizal in habitat. The highest numbers of mushroom species were collected during May–September from the study areas. Of the collected mushrooms, 37 species were identified as edible, 21 species medicinal, 5 poisonous and 37 inedible/unclassified.

Assessing anthropogenic pressure and threats on Paeonia emodi Wall.ex Royle habitats in Garhwal Himalaya

The Garhwal Himalaya is among the major repositories of immensely valuable wild edible plants and provides food security to the local population.Among the valuable plant species that grow in this region,Paeonia emodi(family Paeoniaceae)is an important wild edible species that found in temperate regions with an altitude range between 1800 and 2800 m.The species is facing a severe threat to its sustainability due to overharvesting,habitat disturbances,and a lack of effort regarding conservation.For the first time,this study investigated anthropogenic pressure,population decline perceptions in the natural habitat,and vulnerability assessment of P.emodi under selected study sites(n=23 villages).A semi structured questionnaire was used to interview approximately 45%of the local inhabitants,including herbal practitioners(Vaidhyas or Dais)of each village.On the basis of demographic characteristics,the perceptions and responses of 464 local people were documented regarding potential causes of deterioration and feasible options for sustainable utilization.Using the weight survey method,we estimated the actual amount of collection based on personal interaction and direct observation.In order to determine the threats status,a rapid vulnerability assessment(RVA)was performed and were used based on the current exploitation and usage.The present study revealed that leaf(100%)was the most frequently harvested part,followed by stem(95.65%),seed(26.09%),root(21.74%)and flower(13.04%).The village Triyuginarayan and Pothivasa recorded the highest collection scores while the purpose of the collection was mostly edible(100%),medicinal(100%),and least commercial(8.70%).According to the literature review and the present survey,the RVA(total=21)is categorized as category II(intermediate side of the RVA index),indicating a degree of vulnerability.The study revealed that P.emodi faces extinction in the Garhwal Himalayas.Growing this species through agro-production techniques may alleviate the pressure on the existing population as a result of the availability of raw materials for commercial and household uses.These findings will provide an effective framework for conservation and management decisions and plans.

Porcini mushrooms(Boletus sect.Boletus)from China

Porcini mushrooms(Boletus sect.Boletus)have both economic and ecological importance.Recent molecular phylogenetic study has uncovered rich species diversity of this group of fungi from China.In this study,the Chinese porcini were characterized by both morphological andmolecular phylogenetic evidence.15 species were recognized,including nine new species,namely B.botryoides,B.fagacicola,B.griseiceps,B.monilifer,B.sinoedulis,B.subviolaceofuscus,B.tylopilopsis,B.umbrinipileus and B.viscidiceps.Three previously described species,viz.B.bainiugan,B.meiweiniuganjun and B.shiyong,were revised,and B.meiweiniuganjun is treated as a synonym of B.bainiugan.A key to the Chinese porcini mushrooms was provided.