Utilizing the Nutritional Potential and Secondary Plant Compounds of Neglected Fruit Trees and Other Plant Species of the Walnut-Fruit Forests in Kyrgyzstan

Forests make significant contributions to safeguarding agricultural production, food security, and nutrition of rural and urban populations. The walnut-fruit forests in Kyrgyzstan constitute a unique resource in this regard and are of global importance as a biodiversity hotspot. However, current patterns of forest management are unsustainable, vast parts of the forests are overaged, and derived benefits are unequally distributed among local populations. Walnut (Juglans regia L.) kernels have traditionally been used for human diets and constitute an economically important product of these forests. Although the walnut value chain in Kyrgyzstan is of significant economic importance, the level of domestic processing is weak and locally manufactured outputs are of low quality. The SUSWALFOOD project (BMBF, funding code 01DK17016) aims at contributing to the development of nutritious food from neglected and underutilized plant species of the Kyrgyz walnut-fruit forests, thereby improving local food security, promoting sustainable forest management, and increasing local incomes. Initial analyses have investigated timber growth of walnut trees and quality parameters of respective nuts from various parts of the forests. Regarding quality parameters, nut dimensions and weight, kernel weight, and rupture force were determined to result in a classification of the investigated trees. Results show that most trees are old and may, therefore, be anticipated to display declining walnut yields, underlining the need for forest rejuvenation. Timber and nut quality varied considerably across the study area. These results will facilitate the selection of superior trees for forest regeneration. Further work in this project aims to (a) analyze the nutritional composition and secondary plant compounds of other selected plant species of the walnut-fruit forests and their potential use in new food products; (b) further investigate the morphology, diversity, and plant-soil interaction of these species to determine their biological productivity and to support sustainable management and conservation efforts; and (c) examine the socioeconomic and gender-specific impacts of traditional and contemporary utilization including market chains and cost-benefit assessments at the household level.

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