Local mango varieties protected in India
To conserve these varieties, the district forest department and Centre for Environment Education (CEE) will jointly collect seeds, saplings and scientifically conserve them.
District deputy forest conservator, Prabhunath Shukla, said, "There are thousands of local mango varieties found in India. But many of them are under threat. Therefore, we have started collecting mango seeds and saplings, with the help of Centre for Environment Education. There are many local varieties of mango found in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. As part of the project we have already collected 82 varieties of seeds from Maharashtra. The project will take two years to complete."
He further said, "We have formed the Germplasm bank in the Karveer range (division of forest areas). All the varieties will be conserved at one location. The initiative aims to conserve all local varieties as they maintain the diversity and flavor of the fruit.
City based environmentalist Anil Chaugule said, "It is welcome news that the forest department has come forward to conserve local varieties of mangoes. The Western Ghats is rich in flora and fauna. There are 70 local varieties found in the Western Ghats. Local people should also be involved and encouraged to conserve seeds."
Source: indiatimes.com
