Khasi mandarin: its importance, problems and prospects of cultivation in North-eastern Himalayan region

摘要

Northeast India is recognized as an important part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. It is one of the 25 global biodiversity hotspots accepted at present. This is also considered as the richest and one of the most endangered places for plant survival in the world. This area is known as one of the centers of origin of various Citrus species. Among the Citrus crops available in northeastern region, Khasi mandarin is the most economically important one and plays a vital role in the socio-economicdevelopment of the people in this region. Khasi mandarin is well known for its quality, fruit colour, unique sugar-acid blend and shelf life which make it the most popular citrus cultivar in northeastern region of the country. It covers the largest areain the region due to its commercial value. Assam and Meghalaya have the maximum area and production of Khasi mandarin. The health benefits of oranges have been well known for centuries, but it has therapeutic values that have long been utilized in conventional herbal medicine. Experimental studies shows that its bioactive compounds have tremendous pharmaceutical activity like, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, cancer preventing etc. which clearly indicate the potential of the crop for the pharmaceutical industry. Although India is fourth largest producer of orange in the world but due to the problem of citrus decline the average yield of orange in India is alarmingly low as compared to other countries. This review thereby summarizesthe medicinal and nutritional value of mandarin, their economic importance, problems and prospects of cultivation in northeastern region.