Researchers identify new tuber species from Western Ghats in Kerala’s Wayanad district

Researchers from Kerala have identified an edible tuber found in the Western Ghats region of Wayanad district as a new species of the genus Dioscorea.

The species, named Dioscorea balakrishnanii after V. Balakrishnan, environmentalist and current secretary of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board, holds potential as a tuber variety for food security and cultivation as a food crop with low glycemic index, the researchers said.

“This yam species is locally known as ‘chola kizhangu’ among the Kattunayikar tribes of Wayanad. The tubers are edible when cooked and are said to have an excellent flavour,” a paper on the findings published in the scientific journal Species said. The new species was discovered by Pichan M. Salim of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Wayanad, Jose Mathew, Assistant Professor in Botany, Sanatana Dharma College, Alappuzha, and M.M. Safir, College of Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University, Thiruvananthapuram.

Scientifically described

Found only in the sholas of evergreen forests, the chola kizhangu had not been scientifically described until now, Dr. Mathew said.

The species was named after Dr. Balakrishnan for his valuable contributions to the biodiversity conservation and the taxonomy of South Indian Dioscorea, according to the paper.

The Wayanad region of the Western Ghats is rich in unique wild tubers, relatives of the commonly cultivated tubers known as kachil or kavat (purple yam). These belong to the plant family Dioscoreaceae and 23 different forms of more than 14 species, including the newly discovered Dioscorea balakrishnanii, have been found in Wayanad, according to the researchers.  

Continuously observed

Since there are male and female varieties, Dioscorea balakrishnanii was continuously observed for the last ten years and the differences in the flowers have been recorded.

The discovery of this new tuber is of significance for the conservation of unique ecosystems and unique wild relatives as well as food security and the medicinal sector, Dr. Mathew said. In addition, it is also an indication that the biodiversity of the Wayanad forests has not yet been fully documented, he said.