TABLE 1.
Selected nutrient-dense orphan crops for dietary diversification in marginal environments.
| S. no. | Crop | Scientific name | Country/region of origin | Reaction to stresses† |
Importance | Source of information | ||
| Drought | Salinity | Heat | ||||||
| (1) | Finger millet | Eleusine coracana | East Africa | T | MT | – | Rich in methionine, High content of fiber and minerals | National Research Council, 1996; Chandrashekar, 2010; Bhatt et al., 2011; FAO, 1995 |
| (2) | Proso millet | Panicum miliaceum | Egypt and Arabia | T | T | T | Rich in protein, fiber, B vitamins, and minerals | FAO, 1995; Kalinova and Moudry, 2006 |
| (3) | Barnyard millet | Echinochloa spp. | Central Asia | T | T | – | Source of high protein, fiber, high iron, and gluten-free | Saleh et al., 2013 |
| (4) | Buckwheat | Fagopyrum tataricum | China | T | S | S | Low-gluten, high protein content, rich in vitamin B, and has nutraceutical properties | Wu et al., 2019; Pirzadah and Rehman, 2021 |
| (5) | Fonio | Digitaria sp. | West Africa | T | MT | MT | Gluten-free, rich in the amino acids, cysteine, and methionine. Matures within 60–70 days. | Temple and Bassa, 1991; National Research Council, 1996 |
| (6) | Little millet | Panicum sumatrense | India | T | MT | T | Low in calories but rich in dietary fiber, magnesium, bioactive compounds, and other essential minerals and vitamins. | Itagi et al., 2013; Ajithkumar and Panneerselvam, 2014 |
| (7) | African yam bean | Sphenostylis stenocarpa | West Africa | T | – | – | Abundant in protein, dietary fiber, carbohydrate, and minerals | Baiyeri et al., 2018; Anya and Ozung, 2019; George et al., 2020 |
| (8) | African winged bean | Psophocarpus tetragonolobus | New Guinea and Indonesia | – | – | T | Rich in dietary protein and low in anti-nutritional factors | Wan Mohtar et al., 2014; Mohanty et al., 2015; Vatanparast et al., 2016 |
| (9) | Moth bean | Vigna aconitifolia | India | T | MT | T | Rich in protein and minerals such as Ca, Mg, K, Zn, and Cu | Gupta et al., 2016; Tiwari et al., 2018; van Zonneveld et al., 2020 |
| (10) | Bambara nut | Vigna subterranea | West Africa | T | MT | T | Rich in quality protein and dietary fiber. Also, a good source of calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin C. | National Research Council, 1996; Feldman et al., 2019; Soumare et al., 2021; Olanrewaju et al., 2022 |
| (11) | Jatropha | Jatropha curcas | African tropics | T | T | MT | Rich source of protein and oil | King et al., 2009; Maes et al., 2009; Devappa et al., 2010 |
| (12) | Jojoba | Simmondsia chinensis | Northern Mexico and Southwestern United States | T | T | T | Oil makes 50% of seed by weight, contains 97% monoesters of long-chain fatty acids giving it very long shelf life | Dunstone and Begg, 1979; Benzioni and Dunstone, 1986; Makpoul et al., 2017 |
| (13) | Camelina | Camelina sativa | Eastern Himalayas, China, Japan, and Malaysia | T | MT | – | High level (about 45%) of omega-3 fatty acids | Acamovic et al., 1999; Bakhshi et al., 2021 |
| (14) | Teff | Eragrostis tef | Ethiopia | T | MT | T | Gluten free and highly rich in iron and other key nutrients | National Research Council, 1996; Aptekar, 2013; Zhu, 2018; Gelaw and Qureshi, 2020 |
†T, tolerant; MT, moderately tolerant; S, sensitive.