May 2015: Bioversity International has released the first inventory of underutilized species and less known food plants in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The book, originally published in November 2014, presents 778 underutilized cultivated food plants, pseudocereals, millets, grain legumes, root/tuber crops, vegetables, fruits and nuts. It also features several other species used as condiments and for agroforestry development and multipurpose uses as well as species for industrial use requiring further research.

The publication provides a list of species for priority research and development for each category based on criteria such as recognition by national programmes, existing germplasm collections, research capacity and potential uses of identified species. It further describes the relative importance of species within each category regarding specific nutritional aspects.

The concluding chapter discusses emerging concerns in promoting these and other underutilized crop species, including: diversity distribution assessment; enabling biotechnology applications; documenting indigenous knowledge and ethnobotanical information; and conservation and sustainable use. Policy-related concerns address: understanding benefits and constraints of promoting underutilized crops; networking and partnership; contributions to buffering climate change; nutrition and health; farm income and agrobiodiversity; and global efforts to strengthen research and development.

Bioversity International is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. [Bioversity International e-Library][Publication: Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species: An Asia-Pacific Perspective]