Ethnobotany of Job’s Tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.): A Vanishing Minor Cereal Crop of NEH Region, India
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Authors
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Laxmiesha K M
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GM Puneeth
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DP Semwal
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Bhatt
Abstract
Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi), a potential minor cereal crop cultivated primarily under shifting cultivation (Jhum) in northeastern hill region (NEH) of India. At the same time, a declining trend in crop cultivation has been observed over the years due to various reasons. Keeping this in view, an ethnobotanical study was conducted to document the traditional knowledge associated with Job’s tears and to understand the reasons for erosion from the area. Forty-five respondents belonging to twenty-six tribes of five states were interviewed during the study. Based on the information obtained, the crop is mainly grown to fulfill the basic requirements of food, fodder, medicine and various other purposes including local beverage. In addition to these, a local festival 'Mimkut' and folktale ‘the story of two brothers’ is also celebrated among the Kuki tribe. As per the information gathered during the survey, the cropped area and its diversity is declining rapidly due to changes in consumer preferences and land use patterns as well as the adoption of Christianity by the majority of the tribal communities.
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