Taxonomic notes on the identity of Rungia latior var. anamalayana (Acanthaceae) from Western Ghats, India

Rungia latior Nees var. anamalayana Chandrab. & V. Chandras., examined as part of the revisionary studies on the Acanthaceae of Western Ghats, have shown some taxonomic ambiguity. As the original authors rightly pointed out, the variety ‘does not fit within the circumscription of the typical species’. Based on our recent collections, we also felt that the varietal status is superfluous as the same has got some merits to be recognized as a distinct species. As such the status of the variety has been reassessed; elevated to the specific rank and a new combination has been set, conserving the varietal name as the specific epithet. Accordingly, the species is renamed as Rungia anamalayana (Chandrab. & V. Chandras.) A. Nazarudeen & G. Rajkumar comb. et stat. nov. The distinctive features and alliance of the species is discussed and a full account of the species is presented with illustrations

Nutritional composition of some lesser-known fruits used by the ethnic communities and local folks of Kerala

398-402Wild edible fruits play a significant role in the dietary requirements of the tribal and local communities of Kerala. Out of 218 species of fruit plants collected from the wild, fruits of ten species based on their individual merit were selected for chemical analysis. Estimation of moisture, protein, fats, reducing, non-reducing and total sugars, fiber, total mineral matter, vitamin C, iron, sodium, potassium and energy value were carried out and the results are compared with the nutritive value of ten common cultivar fruits

A new black mildew fungus <i>Meliola erumeliensis</i> from Idukki, Kerala, India

Reporting a new species of black mildew fungus, Meliola erumeliensis infecting the leaves of Drypetes elata in Kerala State

Global Agriculture as an Energy Transfer System and the Energy Yield of World Agriculture 1961–2013

The global agricultural system is an energy transfer system converting solar radiation to stored chemical energy in the biosphere through photosynthesis and animal metabolism. Stored energy in the agricultural system is principally in the form of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and oils that humanity appropriates for food, fiber, and fuel. The total annual production of global agriculture was tabulated using data from the Food and Agriculture Organization from 1961 to 2013. Annual agricultural production for each agricultural item (T y−1) was converted to energy yield (kJ y−1) utilizing published proximate analyses (% moisture, % protein, % carbohydrate, % fat/lipid, and % ash). Global agricultural energy yield grew linearly over the 1961–2002 interval. From 2002 onward, global agricultural energy yield also grew linearly, but at a rate 2 times the 1961–2002 rate. Overall, agricultural energy yield more than tripled from 1961 to 2013. Unsurprisingly, energy output of global crops dominated, averaging 85.5 ± 0.4% of total energy output. Livestock and poultry production averaged 13.6 ± 0.4% of annual agricultural energy output, while world fisheries and aquaculture averaged 0.8 ± 0.1% of global energy output. From 1961 to 2013, the feeding potential of global agricultural energy yield exceeded the human metabolic energy requirement by an average multiple of 2.1 ± 0.18. Thus, agricultural production is more than sufficient to feed “The Global Mouth” into the future, and feeding world population is not a production problem per se. Instead, the inability of global agriculture to meet worldwide food requirements results from systemic energy losses associated with significant global food waste, diversion of food energy as feed to livestock and poultry, and appropriation of primary agricultural output for biofuels synthesis