One IndianVillage, More Than 100 Varieties of Mangoes-FORWARD. Dear friends,
I found reading theabove article appeared in Yahoo opening page today and thought of forwarding Gopalakrishnan4-8-2022 Kannapuram locals are documenting andconserving the many kinds of their favourite fruit.by Rashmi Gopal Rao July 27,2022 Some are as largeas coconuts while others are as tiny as gooseberries. Some have the pleasantsweetness of cane sugar while others have the sharp tartness of tamarind. Someare bright red, others sport a dull pistachio hue. This is just a glimpse ofthe biodiversity of mango species found in the tiny village ofKannapuram, located in India’s Kannur district in the southern state of Kerala.The plethora of native mango varieties here is truly mind boggling. With 207 indigenousvarieties and counting, it rains mangoes in Kannapuram. In fact, Kuruvakkavu, a smallarea within Kannapuram, boasts a whopping 102 varieties among 382 trees,growing on a plot of just 300 square meters (3,230 square feet). On July 22,2020—World Mango Day—the KeralaState Biodiversity Board declared Kuruvakkavu an Indigenous Mango Heritage Area.All this is thanks to the efforts of about 20 local families, led by42-year-old police officer Shyju Machathi. A resident ofKannapuram, Machathi nurtured a love for mangoes even as a child. Summervacations meant climbing different mango trees, collecting the fruits anddistributing them among family and neighbors. “During the mango season, eating,collecting, and distributing different varieties was my hobby,” he says. “Itwas a time when mangoes were not commercially available and we all ate whateverwas available locally.” Machathi’s parentscultivate rice, but he has no formal background in farming. His foray into mangovariety conservation began in 2016, when a friend alerted him that a200-year-old mango tree bearing fruit of the rare, sweet “Vellatha” variety wasbeing cut down. “Even though I reached there only the next day along with afriend from the agricultural department, we were able to obtain close to 50 [cuttings] which we graftedand propagated successfully,” says Machathi. Keeping just one for himself, hedistributed the cuttings among the community so people could plant them and thevariety could be preserved. Local news channels covered his mango rescueoperation, which further inspired Machathi to identify and preserve otherregional varieties. The next year he collected and documented 36 indigenousmango varieties and, with the support of friendsand officials from the agricultural department, organized an event highlightingthe wealth of the indigenous species in the area. It was the first of manymango events to come and motivated locals to support Machathi in his efforts.“It was indeed a surprise for us to discover so many varieties in our ownbackyard,” says Jeyachandran, who has been helping Machathi collect anddocument varieties. “The best part is that each one has a unique taste andflavor.” By 2020, and with the help of about 20 families, Machathihad identified more than 100 varieties by analyzing features such as color,taste, thickness of outer skin, fiber content, pulpcharacteristics, and the shape of the leaves. Before this, locals had no ideathere were so many kinds of mangoes in Kannapuram. The community identificationproject put the village on the national mango map alongside states that producemangoes commercially, such as Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Every year, on the first Sundayof May, Kannapuram now hosts a mango fest. Varieties of mangoes anddelectable dishes prepared from them are displayed, dignitaries are invited,and discussions held. The efforts ofMachathi and the community took a significant turn in late 2019, when one oftheir events attracted Dr.Joseph John, a former Principal Scientist at the National Bureau ofPlant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) Regional Station, Thrissur. He advised Machathito take a more scientific approach by documenting each of the varieties using photographs and3-5 characteristics, such as taste, color, and fiber content. A Facebook groupnamed “NattuManchottil,” which translates to “Under the Village Mango Tree,” wasformed for this purpose. Group members, most of them from Kannapuram, uploadednew varieties and exchanged information about the fruits. Machathi documented close to 150varieties and sent them to John, who visited Kannapuram andcollected cuttings of 102 varieties. These varieties have not only been addedto the gene pool of NBPGR but have been distributed and successfully propagatedin different districts of the state. In addition tobroadening the range of mango varieties available in India, the conservation anddistribution of native varieties within the country helps lessen the use ofharmful pesticides. “These varieties are pest resistant, diseaseresistant, and are well adapted to the local climatic conditions,” says Dr.Joseph. “We have already lost a considerable portion of our mango biodiversitydue to indiscriminate rubber cultivation in the state and it is of utmostimportance to preserve whatever we have today by supporting such [conservation]efforts.” Machathi continues to work on identifying indigenousspecies, propagating them, and conducting chemical analysisof special varieties. “We also need to figure out how to control harvestwastage,” he says, estimating it at close to 60 percent. He has floated a proposal to thestate agricultural department for 100 mango varieties to be planted in 100plots within select districts. This project would take place underthe Sugatha Kumari Manthoppu Mission, named after feminist environmental poetSugutha Kumari. There are alsoplans to lead visitors on a mango-themed heritage walk. The route, just undertwo miles, shows off the many local varieties alongside coconut palms andtemples. And finally, thebusy Machathi is working on the “Cherumanthoppu,” or the Little MangroveProject. The program helpsconservation-minded people set up mango groves by providing them plants andother technical support. With this project, Machathi hopes that people willvalue and enjoy the local flavors rather than opting for commercially grownvarieties. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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