While most Malayalis are familiar with Alphonso, a premium GI-tagged mango variety from Maharashtra, they may not have tasted Kalkanda vellari, Kolambi, or Muthalamookkan.
Though Kerala boasts of a wide range of indigenous mango varieties, many of them are on the verge of extinction. Now, the Farming Systems Research Station, Sadanandapuram, under Kerala Agricultural University, has launched a three-year programme to preserve the endangered breeds.
“Kerala has the highest number of native varieties known as nattu mavu. Mango trees are felled for making funeral pyre and very often rare breeds get axed. There are numerous nameless varieties in rural Kerala and we will be first focussing on the four southern districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Kottayam,” says B.Bindu, assistant professor, who heads the project.
The project, funded by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, will map all indigenous trees in backyards, farms, orchards, and public…