2019 Vol.25 No.2 PP 121­-136

Legume accessions diversity at ICAR-IGFRI herbarium with special reference to their utility

VC Tyagi^*, AK Roy, N Dikshit and RV Kumar

ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute,
JHANSI-284003, INDIA
*Corresponding Author : Email : tyagiv54@yahoo.in

ABSTRACT

Workers describe accepted name, common name, habit, habitat, and place of collection etc. of 210 herbarium specimens belonging to 83 taxa of leguminous family under 28 genera and 83 species available at ICAR-IGFRI, Jhansi and their interpretations. The collection includes herbs (52), shrubs (25), trees (5) and climber (1). Forage legumes form an important source of feed for livestock and have potential to provide a sustainable solution for food and protein security. Diversity observed at species level and utility levels in terms of food value, fodder and medicinal value are also described besides other economical uses. A comprehensive analysis based on the specimen available was undertaken to identify a total of 29 medicinally important plants species belonging to 12 genera for the treatment of different diseases in human being.

Key words : Forage, Grassland, Herbarium, Leguminous crop, Medicinal uses