Cultivation of the Himalayan seasoning Allium in a remote village of Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Strachey’s Chive Allium stracheyi is popularly known as Himalayan Seasoning Allium. This species generally grows in cold deserts and higher temperate & alpine zones in the western Himalaya. Dried aerial parts (foliage/flowers) of Chive are used as a spice, culinary herb, and medicine. A. stracheyi is categorized as a Vulnerable Himalayan medicinal and aromatic plant. Wild collection and cultivation of Chive in mountain environments are common. The traditional cultivation and trade of A. stracheyi in Tolma, a small mountain village in Chamoli District in Uttarakhand, India, however, is remarkable. In addition to subsistence farming, optional cultivation of Chive in this village contributes to economic benefits to the villagers. In this communication, an attempt is made to present the status of A. stracheyi’s cultivation and prospects for technical and scientific improvement in this commercially sustainable and traditionally important conservation practice.

Keywords

• allium stracheyi
• cultivation
• marketing
• medicinal and aromatic plant
• research
• strachey’s chive
• uttarakhand
• value addition
• western himalaya