Neglected and Underutilized Plant Species (NUS) from the Apulia Region Worthy of Being Rescued and Re-Included in Daily Diet

Aurelia Scarano,Angelo Santino,Marcello Chieppa,Teodoro Semeraro

doi:10.3390/horticulturae7070177

Abstract

Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) are cultivated, semi-domesticated, or wild plant species, not included in the group of the major staple crops, since, in most cases, they do not meet the global market requirements. As they often represent resilient species and valuable sources of vitamins, micronutrients, and other phytochemicals, a wider use of NUS would enhance sustainability of agro-systems and a choice of nutritious foods with a strategic role for addressing the nutritional security challenge across Europe. In this review, we focused on some examples of NUS from the Apulia Region (Southern Italy), either cultivated or spontaneously growing species, showing interesting adaptative, nutritional, and economical potential that can be exploited and properly enhanced in future programs.

Highlights

Often considered a central argument in the scientific debates at a local or global scale, the biodiversity loss issue is becoming a critical challenge that needs to be carefully considered in future years
We focus on some examples of Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) from the Apulia Region
The most important biological activities of milk thistle are related to silymarin, a mix1.6

Summary

Introduction

Often considered a central argument in the scientific debates at a local or global scale, the biodiversity loss issue is becoming a critical challenge that needs to be carefully considered in future years Following this debate, the newly launched EU Biodiversity strategy has put forward measures to address the biodiversity loss across the European Union [1]. Starting from the Green Revolution, we assisted the decline of many local/traditional species and varieties, which were less competitive compared with commercial cultivars, and, they have been replaced by high-yielding and uniform cultivars developed by modern breeding programs [2,7] This genetic erosion has been amplified by urban. Italy), either cultivated landraces or spontaneously growing as a part of the local flora, that are worthy of being rescued and enhanced for their interesting nutritional properties and economical potential

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Conclusions