Using the Past to Preserve the Future

New Spatial Technology to Study the Biogeography and Medicinal Properties of Horsegram (Macrotyloma Uniflorum), an Important Indian Pulse Crop

Horsegram is a major pulse crop for millions of rural inhabitants on the subcontinent today. Tracking and recording the wild progenitor of this important crop could help preserve the native biogeography and genetic variability present within this species. Maintaining and even improving the genetic variability could help this crop in the future become more resilient to issues of climate change, including hotter and drier conditions, rapid urban development and new planting regimes.

Conducted by colleagues at Kew Gardens and Dr Satish Naik at Deccan College, Pune, India, and using GeoCAT software, the spatial analysis of the hypothesized native wild range of Horsegram, represents the first study to incorporate both archaeobotanical and phytochemical, as well as medicinal properties data in this type of research. This project will be the first to unite these diverse investigative approaches, adding a time depth of over 4,000 years to explore the historical and current geographical range of wild Horsegram and potentially predict its future distribution.

As climate change accelerates the impacts on Earth's systems, developing efficient methods to locate and conserve plant biodiversity is more crucial than ever, especially for indigenous wild species facing threats from habitat loss, particularly in developing regions. This project aims to leverage new spatial technology and software to create a more effective approach to collecting plant taxa. By integrating various relevant data sources and spatially mapping these variables, GeoCAT software can refine the geographic search areas for specific taxa, expediting conservation efforts and preserving genetic diversity. This improved methodology has the potential to aid in urban planning, support nutritional and medicinal plant research, and strengthen conservation outcomes, particularly in India, with broader applications for plant taxa worldwide.