Nowadays, there is a large demand for nutrient-dense fruits to promote nutritional and metabolic human health. The production of commercial fruit crops is becoming progressively input-dependent to cope with the losses caused by biotic and abiotic stresses. A wide variety of underutilized crops, which are neither commercially cultivated nor traded on a large scale, are mainly grown, commercialized and consumed locally. These underutilized fruits have many advantages in terms of ease to grow, hardiness and resilience to climate changes compared to the major commercially grown crops. In addition, they are exceptionally rich in important phytochemicals and have medicinal value. Hence, their consumption may help to meet the nutritional needs of rural populations, such as those living in fragile arid and semi-arid regions around the world. In addition, local people are well aware of the nutritional and medicinal properties of these crops. Therefore, emphasis must be given to the rigorous study of the conservation and the nutritional characterization of these crops so that the future food basket may be widened for enhancing its functional and nutritional values. In this review, we described the ethnobotany, medicinal and nutritional values, biodiversity conservation and utilization strategies of 19 climate-resilient important, underutilized fruit crops of arid and semi-arid regions (Indian jujube, Indian gooseberry, lasora, bael, kair, karonda, tamarind, wood apple, custard apple, jamun, jharber, mahua, pilu, khejri, mulberry, chironji, manila tamarind, timroo, khirni).

Jujube or ber (Ziziphus spp.) is one of the most important fruit crops of India’s arid and semi-arid regions because of its high adaptability to resource constraints hot (semi)arid region. Jujube is a rich source of minerals, vitamins and dietary antioxidants to arid zone dwellers, where it is known as poor man’s apple. Given the present rising trends in discovering and exploiting plant-based health-promoting compounds, it is imperative to know the extent of variability with respect to fruit nutritional compositions present in the jujube germplasms. In this study, we assessed genetic variability for fruit nutritional and functional quality traits in eighteen jujube accessions belonging to three species (Z. mauritiana, Z. rotundifolia and Z. oenoplia) from an ex-situ collection from Indian arid and semi-arid regions in two consecutive fruiting seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22). Results revealed significant variability among eighteen jujube genotypes for important fruits physico-biochemical parameters. The IC 625864 (Z. oenoplia) identified as a superior accession for fruit antioxidant potential with having high levels of total phenols (256.2 mg/100 g dry weight) and total antioxidants (423 mg/100 g in FRAP). Moreover, IC 625849 (Z. mauritiana) and IC 625848 (Z. rotundifolia) were other genotypes containing high levels of phenols and total antioxidant (FRAP). Thus, while aiming for simultaneous improvement for total antioxidants with phenols, IC 625848, IC 625849 and IC 625864 genotypes can be considered as valuable resource for jujube fruit quality improvement program. Further, the high levels of phenotypic variance with high genotypic variance coupled with high heritability and genetic advance particularly for total antioxidants, total phenols, and ascorbic acid contents in fruits, indicating them to be considered as reliable biochemical markers to identify the productive genotypes having higher amounts of dietary antioxidants. Depending on the identified genotypes for their richness in the particular phytonutrients, these can be exploited either for table purpose or biofortification of other products, or using in jujube breeding program for quality improvement.

Purpose: This paper aims to optimize the quantum of aonla pulp that could be mixed with guava pulp to make a nutritional rich fruit bar. The developed fruit bar will not only help in the improvement of processing value of both Guava and underused but highly nutritional Aonla but also serve the purpose of improvement in nutritional status of consumers. Design/methodology/approach: Response surface methodology (RSM) using Box–Behnken design was used with the process variables as aonla and guava pulp ratio, PR (30:70, 40:60, 50:50); pectin concentration, PC (0, 0.15, 0.30%); and drying temperature, DT (50, 60, 70°C) for optimization of process conditions. The prepared mixed fruit leather was evaluated for physico-chemical, textural and sensory properties such as titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid content (AA), L value (lightness), cutting force (CF), taste and overall acceptability (OAA). Findings: Second-order regression models fitted for TA, AA, L value (lightness), CF, taste and OAA were highly significant (P = 0.01) with the coefficient of determination (R² = 0.85). The TA and AA of mixed fruit bar increased whereas L value, CF, taste and OAA decreased with increasing level of aonla pulp in the blend formulation. The optimum process conditions for mixed aonla-guava bar with desirable characteristics were 40:60 (PR), 0.02% (PC) and 56°C (DT). The corresponding optimum values of TA, AA, L value, CF, taste and OAA were 1.00%, 164 mg/100 g, 50, 5066 g, 7.83 and 7.92, respectively. The design formulation and data analysis using RSM validated the optimum solution. Originality/value: This paper demonstrates that optimum blending of aonla and guava pulp has improved the overall nutritional characteristics and acceptability of the final product. This will not only help in reducing the associated post-harvest losses but also encourage the cultivators/local processing industries by stabilizing the price during glut sea.

Background: Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is one of the oldest spices crop of the world. It is the third largest seed spice in India after coriander and cumin. It is a Rabi season crop, mostly grown in sandy loam soil. The present study was carried out to get better information regarding GCV, PCV, heritability and genetic advance, pre requisite for formulating an effective breeding programme. Methods: Fifty-two accessions of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) including four checks viz., (AFg-1, AFg-2, AFg-3 and RMt-1) were evaluated in augmented complete block design (ACBD) in Rabi 2021-2022 for nine quantitative traits. Analysis of variance for agro-morphological characters showed in significant differences among the studied accessions indicating existence of wide variability. Adjusted mean values were used for estimation of genetic variability parameters. Result: The high to medium magnitude of genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV), high heritability coupled with high genetic advance were expressed by traits viz., number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant seed yield per plant and test weight. On the basis of per se performance of fifty-six accessions including checks it is concluded that selection of number of branches per plant and number of pods per plant could be effective in EC510598 and AFg-1. Likewise effective selection could be made in IC0624520 for early maturing. For pod length, accession EC510631 and for seed yield per plant EC510737, EC510536 and AFg-1 could be efficiently utilized for improvement of respective trait in fenugreek.

Dragon fruit based ready to serve drink (RTS) was formulated using dragon fruit (60-80% v/v), grape juice (0-10% v/v) and sugar syrup (2-6% v/v). The juice concentrations were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) following box-behnken design (BBD) for obtaining blended RTS drink with higher functional and nutritional characteristics like total soluble solid (TSS), titratable acidity, ascorbic acid content, total phenol content, colour and sensory evaluation. Results showed that there was significant (P

An exploration was conducted to collect genetic variability of Karonda (Carissa carandus), in different district of Uttar Pradesh during 2019-20. Augmenting germplasm is the first and the foremost activity indeed required for this fruit crop improvement as vast diversity still present in different ecosystem. Being a rich source of iron and minerals, it has potential to improve socio economic status and nutrition standard of Indian rural population. All genotype from IC632668 to 0632678 collected from different places of Uttar Pradesh found erect in nature with fruit diameter of 11 to 19 mm and with three distinct colours (white, green and red). Higher variation was reported in fruit weight, leave size, fruit colour, TSS, acidity and vitamin C content. Significant difference among TSS and vitamin C content was recorded. Attractive colour with good fruit size was observed in Accession no. IC-0632675 collected from Chiraigaon district Varanasi with excellent blend of TSS (9.5°B), acidity (1.10) and vitamin C (28 mg 100 g-1).