DISTRIBUTION, DIVERSITY, USES AND IN VITRO CONSERVATION OF CULTIVATED AND WILD ALLIUMS - A BRIEF REVIEW

Abstract

The genus Allium (Family Alliaceae) comprising both
cultivated and 'lVild species is of considerable importance as
vegetable, spice or condiments and for medicinal or aromatic
value. It comprises some 700 known species of herbaceous nature
distributed throughollt the world. Indian Gene Centre is
considered to be fairly rich in distribution and occurrence of some
30 cultivated and wild species; among which about 4-5 species
are cultivated as major crop or as Ininor kitchen gardcn plant.
The brief review deals with the distribution, diversity alld
occurrence, particularly of wild Allium species, along-with their
distinguishing taxonoJnical attributcs and potential cconomic
uses. The use of in vitro tec/molog)1 in the micropropagation for
rapid clonal propagation, induction of organogenesis and somatic
embn)ogenesis, protoplast culture, and embryo rescue etc. has
been reviewed with specific mcntion of status of in vitro research
at NPTCR.