IT is not easy to find shankhalu in the fruit and vegetable markets of Delhi unless one waits patiently for February to taste its earthy sweetness. The root vegetable, with white and crunchy flesh and slightly sweet taste, is primarily grown in West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and several northeastern states, and is available around Vasant Panchami, a Hindu festival that marks the beginning of spring. In some states, particularly in West Bengal, where goddess Saraswati is worshipped on the occasion of Vasant Panchami, the tuber is one of the fruits offered to the deity. The turnip-shaped root vegetable with striations on its light brown papery skin resembles a conch or shankh that the goddess holds.
The plant, also known as yam bean, jicama and Mexican turnip, is not native to India. Rather, it is native to tropical America; the first yam bean plant to be described by Carl Linnaeus, the father of taxonomy, in 1753 was a species from Mexico and is known as Pachyrhizus erosus in scientific lexicon. So far, taxonomists have identified five species of the yam bean, of which three-Perosus, P tuberosus and P ahipa-are cultivated for their tuberous roots in Central America, China, India, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, the Caribbean, French Guiana, Brazil and Central and West Africa.
Esta historia es de la edición March 01, 2024 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición March 01, 2024 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara