Maanik, Reetika Sharma
Karonda (Carissa carandas Lin.) or Christ’s thorn (South India) or Vakkay (Telugu) or Kilaakkaai (Tamil) or Karjatenga (Assam) or Karamardaka (Sanskrit), also known as Garunde or Garna (in Dogri), is an underutilised fruit crop which can be grown in semi-arid and sub-tropical regions. It is found in the wild in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Rajouri, and Reasi districts of the Jammu region. The fruits of the Garna have a distinct taste and flavour, which is due to the presence of phenols and flavonoids. These fruits have a mix of sweet, sour, and astringent tastes. The berries provide a good amount of anti-oxidants, vitamin A, phosphorus, and calcium. Karonda, being the richest source of iron among all the fruits, can help in preventing diseases due to iron deficiency (Anemia, Tachycardia). Also, it is anti-consulvant, cardio-tonic, hepatoproctective, and antimicrobial in nature. The digestive fibres in fruit promote collagen production, reduce inflammation, and also address the problem of constipation that arises due to the consumption of nutrient supplements. The value addition of fruits helps in increasing the economic value as well as the shelf life of the fruit crop. Although it can be consumed as fresh or for culinary purposes, the fruit can be processed into jam, jelly, RTS, squash, nectar, syrup, fruit powder, chutney, pickle, candy, and juice. For the purpose of candy, pickle, and chutney, the fruit is to be harvested at an unripe stage, and for the purpose of jam, jelly, RTS, squash, nectar, syrup, and fruit powder, it is harvested at a fully ripe stage. The post-harvest value addition of karonda will help in year-round availability of the fruit and will also help in achieving the objective of doubling the farmers’ income. It is cheap and easily consumable, so it can be an important source of vitamins and nutrients for the people of rural areas as well as the urban population. It can also be a good alternative to iron for people following the growing vegan culture. New plants are produced commercially through sexual propagation and can be asexually propagated through hard wood cutting, layering, and budding.
Climate change and SDG 13 (Climate Action) can be addressed by cultivating karonda plants, which can withstand rapidly changing climates and harsh weather conditions such as highly saline-sodic soils and temperatures of up to 44 °C. The presence of a tap root system and spines helps in evading drought-like conditions. Karonda fruit crops are vital for their therapeutic capabilities and can be considered as potential horticultural assets to help countries ensure nutrition and food security as well as giving recreational, social, and environmental relevance due to its great medicinal and nutritional value. These genuses, which may thrive in challenging arid and semi-arid environments such waste areas, marginal or saline soil and water conditions, rocky terrains, as well as in backyard or kitchen gardening and avenue plantations, may be employed to boost sustainable farm income. Given the potential of the underutilised fruit crops, the emphasis will be on safeguarding the efforts being made to end global malnutrition by introducing them directly into other dry and semi-arid sections of the world. In order to support efforts being made to end global malnutrition, it is crucial to highlight the potential of the underutilised fruit crops in order to accomplish the UN’s sustainable development objectives (1-3). Other dry and semi-arid parts of the planet will immediately receive these crops.
(The authors are from SKUAST-Jammu)
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