Adventure & Wildlife Magazine - Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 Vol 2 | Issue 1 | Mar - May 2017 | Page 46

ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
Conservation
In a village called Markanja,
an ordinary farmer is on a mission to
conserve as many breeds as he can
image credit: healthyliving
M
angifera indica is indigenous to the Indian
subcontinent; domesticated over 2000 years ago;
it is now also cultivated in east Asia, Africa and the
Americas.
The
breeds we squabble about - every part of
India has its favourite that it regards as better than
any other -are the result of selective breeding and
hybridisation. But all over the country, countless natural
varieties grow wild, each with characteristics influenced
by local soil and climate conditions. Wild mangoes tend
to be small, rich in fibre and thus good for digestion,
and the trees are hardier and more disease-resistant than
commercial varieties. But, development’s inexorable
march has meant land being cleared for infrastructure
projects or plantations and farms, and so there is the very
real risk of some wild varieties being lost forever.
Shivamogga, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu, and,
motivated by nothing else than a desire to conserve the
breeds, he has planted and nurtured at least two trees
of each. Only one other factor guides his choices: all of
them are varieties he has personally tasted and liked.
Among the varieties he has are the Sambar Mavu, used
to make sambar, Jeerige Appe, which tastes like jeera,
and Mente Appe, which tastes minty. One he is proud
of originates in Manchi village. He got the seeds from
a classmate’s father; some time after he planted his
saplings, the only remaining wild mango tree in Manchi
died, so he has the only trees of the breed now. “It is my
favourite,” he says, “as it is best for making juice.” Among
his few disappointments are his Appe Midi trees. This
tender mango, grown on riversides in Uttara Kannada
and Malnad, is favoured by the pickle industry. His have
never borne fruit; he thinks this may because the soil is
In Markanja village, Dakshina Kannada district, not ideal for the breed.
Karnataka, Mapalathota Subraya Bhat is doing his best
to preserve as many as he can. He isn’t a scientist or Mr. Bhat isn’t even trying to make money from his work:
researcher: he calls himself a common farmer, and over he says anybody who is interested is free to collect seeds
the last 25 years, he has used a part of his land to grow as from his trees and grow them in their own land.
many varieties of wild mango as he can get his hands on.
Source – The Hindu
Mr. Bhat has personally collected seeds of 80 varieties
from the neighbouring districts of Uttara Kannada,
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Vol 2|Issue 1|Mar - May 2017