ISHS Acta Horticulturae 279: III International Workshop on Temperate Zone Fruits in the Tropics and Subtropics
TEMPERATE ZONE FRUITS IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA TO BE DESCRIBED IN PROSEA PUBLICATION |
| Author: | E.W.M. Verheij |
| Abstract:
PROSEA, short for 'Plant Resources of South East Asia', is a project set up in 1985 to give an up-to-date account of the useful plants of the region in a series of volumes devoted to different commodity groups. The text of the handbook and additional information collected during its compilation is stored in a computerised data base. One of the first volumes to be produced deals with 'the edible fruits and nuts'. The temperate-zone fruits and nuts will also be described in this volume. Temperate-zone fruits indeed have a role to play in the tropics. At elevations at which the banana no longer thrives (>1 600 m), nearly all tropical and subtropical species disappear and people depend largely on temperate species for home-grown fruit. Moreover, each of these fruits has its niche in the market, so that there is scope for commercial production. Because of the isolation of the highland areas and the segregated development during the bygone colonial era, each centre of production has its characteristic species, cultivars and growing techniques; no two areas are alike. This makes it difficult to get a comprehensive picture of the current position and perspective of the temperate-zone fruits in South East Asia as a whole. At the same time this fragmentation makes an intensive exchange of planting material and skills and insights between centres all the more rewarding. It is this kind of exchange that PROSEA intends to facilitate: compiling existing knowledge and applying it to South East Asian conditions to promote a better use of plant resources in the region. In order to identify potential authors for this group of plants, PROSEA would welcome information about existing expertise on any of the temperate fruits and nuts in South East Asia, at the above address. | |
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