The National Academies Press

Currently Skimming:

Pages 23-40

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.

From page 23... ... To become edible it must be boiled for some time, but then it can be processed into various tasty snacks, including roasted nuts and a spread that looks and tastes not unlike peanut butter.4 The tree provides other useful resources, too. In times of famine, the flowers, leaves, fruits, and even bark are relied on for food…indeed, for life itself. Read the entire page →
From page 24... ... (András Zboray) livestock production in dry places and in drought seasons where animal husbandry reaches its outermost limits. Read the entire page →
From page 25... ... Throughout this vast, parched, and perilous region, scattered balanites can even now be found -- and some occur in large concentrations. In Sudan, for example, the species makes up about one third of the total tree population in the country's central provinces; Blue Nile Province alone is estimated to have a million lalob trees. Read the entire page →
From page 26... ... Scientists, though, have given it only scanty scrutiny, and national and international authorities have accorded it little organized support so far.5 As the world turns its gaze ever more intently on desert trees in a search for potential foods and sources of income, it will see in balanites ways to help address several of the most pressing humanitarian environmental problems for perhaps the most drought-afflicted area on earth. Balanites offers fruits, seeds, oil, and shade from the burning sun, but it also could help overcome desertification, avoid soil erosion, maybe thwart parasitic disease, and reduce the environmental destruction caused by livestock. Read the entire page →
From page 27... ... It would thus seem to make an ideal security shield for the food supply in an area where such hazards all too often decimate other food resources. Moreover, the seeds are so popular with animals that they underpin livestock production in dry places and in droughty seasons when animal husbandry operates on its outermost limits. Read the entire page →
From page 28... ... Locals are skilled at gathering the maximum foliage while stopping just short of killing the tree.9 Wildlife 7 A contributor from Sudan wrote to us, saying "I prefer it over cottonseed oil and consider it equal to [peanut] oil." 8 How widely this occurs is uncertain, but it has been reported at least from Niger, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia. Read the entire page →
From page 29... ... , a serious disease in West Africa. Read the entire page →
From page 30... ... Vitamin and mineral contents have yet to be detailed but -- as in most dense fruit pulps -- are likely to be substantial. As has been noted, the seed kernels are rich in oil. Read the entire page →
From page 31... ... Kernels are for supplementary food, famine food, or even the staple food. They are also useful for producing industrial products. Read the entire page →
From page 32... ... However, this depends on the local conditions, and on pastureland balanites reportedly makes a good companion crop. A principal obstacle to the fruit's commercial exploitation has been the difficulty of obtaining adequate and regular supplies. Read the entire page →
From page 33... ... The one million trees in Blue Nile Province produce at least an estimated 100,000 tons. Of those, only about 2 percent reached any marketplace in that barren and sparsely populated area where transport and communications are difficult. Read the entire page →
From page 34... ... Through grafting or cross-pollination the Indian plants offer a possible key to rapidly improving the production of balanites fruits in Africa and the Middle East. Cooperative research, testing, DNA analyses, and much more are well worth fostering. Read the entire page →
From page 35... ... After processing at home, they can be turned into many tasty items, including roasted snacks and a spread not unlike peanut butter. They also supply a vegetable oil that is a prized ingredient in foods as well as in local cosmetics. Read the entire page →
From page 36... ... Synonyms Balanites roxburghii Planch. Agialida barteri, Agialida larteri van Tiegh., Agialida senegalensis van Tiegh., Agialida tombuctensis van Tiegh., Balanites ziziphoides Mildbr. Read the entire page →
From page 37... ... BALANITES 37 South Africa: umHulu, umgobandlovu (Zulu) Sri Lanka: ingudi Sudan: heglig, heglieg (Arabic) Read the entire page →
From page 38... ... Although none seems to offer promise as a fruit crop each is an interesting plant in its own right and is worth some horticultural attention. They typically provide fodder for goats, cattle and sheep, and occasionally camels. Read the entire page →

From page 23...

... To become edible it must be boiled for some time, but then it can be processed into various tasty snacks, including roasted nuts and a spread that looks and tastes not unlike peanut butter.4 The tree provides other useful resources, too. In times of famine, the flowers, leaves, fruits, and even bark are relied on for food…indeed, for life itself.