Mass production of Diplazium maximum: A Nutritious Ethnic Food of Himachal Pradesh

Diplazium maximum (D. Don) C. Chr., is an edible fern locally known as Khasrod or Lengadu belongs to family Athyraceae. The croziers or highly curled young fronds of the fern are consumed as a nutritious leafy vegetable and a seasonal delicacy. The young fronds are energy rich containing high amounts of minerals (iron and zinc), polyphenols, essential amino acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (i.e., omega-3 and omega-6 including the unique dihomo-γ-linolenic acid). The fronds are also important source of protein and dietary fibre.

CSIR-IHBT has developed an efficient protocol for mass propagation of Diplazium maximum

Salient features of the tissue culture technology

1.Low cost, time effective protocol for rapid multiplication of the fern

2.Easily scalable protocol

3.Eliminates dependency on natural plant population as raw material

4.Potential resource of nutritionally enriched food products