Guwahati: Northeast India’s traditional vegetables—from king chilli and tree bean to wild yams and medicinal leafy greens—could hold vital clues to making Indian agriculture more resilient to climate change, according to a new study that warns many of these genetic resources are under threat.
The review, published in the journal Discover Plants, describes the Northeast as a global biodiversity hotspot and a “treasure trove” of vegetable genetic diversity, harbouring crops that have adapted over centuries to acidic soils, drought stress, rugged mountain landscapes and low-input farming systems.
Authored by R. Ramesh Babu, S.P. Gautham Suresh, D.C. Manjunatha Gowda, N. Pradeep Kumara and Vadde Mounika, the study argues that these underutilised crops could become increasingly important as climate change places growing pressure on conventional agriculture.
The researchers note that although Northeast India occupies only about 7.7 per cent of the country’s geographical area, it harbours more than half of India’s biodiversity.
The region is also home to an extraordinary array of indigenous vegetables, with more than 60 per cent of its crop diversity classified as underutilised or neglected despite their nutritional and agricultural potential.
Among them are King Chilli (Bhut Jolokia), one of the world’s hottest chillies, tree bean (Parkia roxburghii), winged bean, velvet bean, colocasia, wild yams, bamboo shoots and a variety of leafy vegetables traditionally grown in jhum fields and home gardens.
Many of these crops are valued not only as food but also for their medicinal properties and their ability to thrive in challenging conditions.
According to the study, these traditional vegetables represent a valuable reservoir of genes that could help breeders develop future crop varieties resistant to diseases, insect pests and environmental stress.
Their ability to survive in hilly terrain, drought-prone environments and highly acidic soils makes them particularly relevant as farmers across India face increasing climate uncertainty.
Researchers say many of these crops are effectively living libraries of climate-adaptive traits. Wild relatives and traditional landraces found across the Northeast could serve as genetic donors for breeding programmes aimed at improving resilience in mainstream vegetable crops.
The study also highlights their importance for nutritional security. Many indigenous vegetables are rich in proteins, vitamins, antioxidants and other bioactive compounds, while several have long been used in traditional medicine.
Crops such as tree bean, sohphlang, fish mint (Houttuynia cordata), vegetable fern and Indian pennywort remain integral to local diets and healthcare traditions.
Yet many of these genetic resources are quietly disappearing.
The researchers point to shortening jhum cycles, soil degradation, changing agricultural practices and the growing dominance of a handful of commercial vegetable crops as major threats to crop diversity.
Today, potato, cabbage, tomato, cauliflower and brinjal account for nearly two-thirds of the region’s vegetable production, raising concerns about genetic erosion and the loss of traditional landraces.
The study also highlights a striking contradiction. Despite its immense biodiversity wealth, Northeast India’s average vegetable productivity remains just 10.51 tonnes per hectare, well below the national average of 17.97 tonnes per hectare.
Researchers attribute this gap to environmental constraints, limited access to quality seeds, poor infrastructure and inadequate market linkages.
Infrastructure remains a major challenge. Poor road connectivity, lack of cold storage facilities, weak supply chains and limited access to scientific inputs make it difficult for farmers to conserve, exchange and commercialise traditional crops.
In many remote areas, these limitations discourage the cultivation of diverse vegetable varieties and contribute to the gradual narrowing of the genetic base under cultivation.
The review also draws attention to the role of indigenous knowledge in conserving crop diversity. The Adi community of Arunachal Pradesh, for instance, cultivates at least 30 vegetable species in traditional jhum systems.
Meghalaya’s centuries-old bamboo drip irrigation system and other traditional soil and water conservation practices continue to support vegetable cultivation in difficult terrain.
Researchers argue that the Northeast also holds significant potential for organic agriculture. Because chemical fertiliser and pesticide use remains relatively low across much of the region, many indigenous vegetables are already being cultivated in systems that are effectively “organic by default”, creating opportunities for expanding sustainable and climate-smart farming.
Beyond conservation, the study sees opportunities for improving rural livelihoods through value addition and agro-processing. Traditional vegetables and related products could support local enterprises through the production of pickles, sauces, chutneys, fermented foods and other speciality products, generating additional income for farming communities.
The authors argue that conserving this diversity will require a combination of traditional ecological knowledge and modern science. They call for greater investment in gene banks, molecular characterisation of crop diversity, improved seed systems, participatory breeding programmes and stronger market support for indigenous vegetables.
With climate change expected to intensify droughts, floods, pest outbreaks and other agricultural challenges, the study suggests that some of the solutions may already exist in the fields and forests of Northeast India.
The researchers conclude that Northeast India, with its diverse agro-climatic conditions and extraordinary vegetable biodiversity, has the potential to become a “green reserve” for the country. Realising that potential, they say, will require stronger conservation efforts, improved infrastructure and seed systems, and a blend of indigenous knowledge and scientific innovation to transform the region into a climate-resilient and sustainable vegetable-producing hub.
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