SEABUCKTHORN (Tsoqskyur)



BY AJAZ ALI


SEABUCKTHORN.                 
Local name in ladakh as tsoqskyur. 
Scientific name.:- Hippophae
Family:- Elaeagnaceae
Hippophae is a genus of sea buckthorns
Sea buckthorn is a plant. The leaves, flowers, seeds, and fruits are used to make medicine. For centuries, people have used sea buckthorn oil for health and beauty. The oils are rich with fatty acids and antioxidants having so much dense nutrition, that's why the ancient Tibetans called it Liquid Gold.



Importance:-
Juice from sea buckthorn berries is a common drink in many parts of Asia and Europe but now also progressing in ladakh under the shade of DRDO and sub agricultural bodies in differnet parts.  The juice is very high in protein, vitamins C and E, and organic acids.
The leaves, either fresh or dried, can be steeped to yield a nutritional tea.The leaves, young branches and fruit pulp can be used as animal fodder.
Seabuckthorn, the thorny shrub with diverse uses ranging from medicinal to cosmetic, has the potential to change the economy of India’s Himalayan desert region of Ladakh, where it is sometimes referred to as gold but also destroyed as a weed. In Ladakh, seabuckthorn is grown in 11,000 hectares in the five valleys Leh, Nubra, Zanskar, Suru and Changthang.



       Sea buckthorn leaves and flowers are used for treating arthritis, gastrointestinal ulcers, gout, and skin rashes caused by infectious diseases such as measles. A tea containing sea buckthorn leaves is used as a source of vitamins, antioxidants, protein building blocks (amino acids), fatty acids and minerals; for improving blood pressure and lowering cholesterol; preventing and controlling blood vessel diseases; and boosting immunity.
      
Interesting is that for its troops confronting extremely low temperatures (at Siachen), India's Defence Research Development Organization established a factory in Leh to manufacture a multi-vitamin herbal beverage based on sea buckthorn juice.
Hippophae salicifolia :
This sub species is restricted to the Himalayas., it differs from  H. rhamnoides in having broader (to 10 mm (0.39 in)) and greener (less silvery) leaves, and yellow berries. A wild variant occurs in the same area. It is a low shrub not growing taller than 1 m (3.3 ft) with small leaves 1–3 cm long. 

Occurance:-
in central Asia, it is more widespread in dry semi-desert sites like himalayas where other plants cannot survive the dry conditions. It  occurs as a sub-alpine shrub above the tree line in mountains, and other sunny areas such as river banks where it has been used to stabilize.
Conditions for its cultivation:-
  •  For its germination success soak the seeds in water for up to 48 hours before sowing. 
  •  Any seeds that are floating should be thrown away. 
  •  Press the seeds into sterilized soil leaving them partial exposed. Being sunphobia the seeds need to be exposed to light in order to germinate. The plant prefers light, sandy soil. It will grow best in full sun, as it needs a lot of energy to produce a large crop of berries. It cannot tolerate shade at any stage of growth. 
    
 Broadly practice... 

1) SEED GERMINATION:-
          Will germinate in 3 to 10 days after stratification to break dormancy depending on germination temperature.
Stratification for 90 days at 3 to 5 °C under moist conditions are required to achieve good germination when sown in the spring or in the greenhouse.
Fresh seed can be sown directly in the field in the fall covered with 5 mm of soil. 

2) SOIL TYPE:-
Sea buckthorn is adapted to a wide variety of soils, and will grow on marginal land including sandy, gravely soils with poor nutrient and water retention capacities. Sea buckthorn thrives on well drained, light to medium sandy loam. Has a moderate tolerance for saline soils with pH between 6-7 is optimum.
   The cultivation of seabuckthorn, for which the Himalayas provide the best climatic conditions, can be the future generation eco-friendly crop of the mountains if supported by proper scientific research and technological intervention. Ladakh has best potential for its cultivation as for as economy is concerned.
   
          
Thanks for reading..... 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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