The return of desi brinjal

Seed saver Laxmibai Zulfi in Bagalkot district has conserved the ‘kari badane’ variety. Photo credit: G Krishna Prasad

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At Mayasandra village in South Bengaluru, a seed plot maintained by farmer Kantharaj has as many as 15 heirloom varieties of brinjal. Each variety is unique in its colour, shape and size and some even have medicinal value. Over the years,
Kantharaj has studied the culinary use of each variety and even identified a variety that can be grown commercially.

Farmers and rural communities in Karnataka have been conserving over 50 traditional brinjal varieties in their farms. The debate around the introduction of genetically modified brinjal a decade ago was a turning point in the journey of indigenous varieties, most which were on the verge of extinction. Discussions over Bt brinjal enthused farmers to take up the cause of desi varieties and revive them on their fields.

Now the results are there for everyone to see, with farmers opting for seed production and large-scale cultivation.

Desi brinjals come in long, round, oval shapes, colour ranging from white to green and dark purple, with the plants also showing a great diversity — thorny, bushy, tall etc. Most of the heirloom varieties have been conserved by women in their backyard kitchen garden or in the farms.

Laxmibai Zulfi, 85, is one such seed saver who has developed a unique brinjal variety called ‘kari badane’ (black brinjal).

Laxmibai, a resident of Hulyal village of Jamkhandi taluk in Bagalkot district, found this variety on a hillock six decades ago. “Its size amazed me and I decided to cultivate it. In a couple of years, I collected enough seeds to be sown on one acre of land. As the fruits were big and bright, people from the surrounding villages started showing interest. This brinjal can weigh up to 3 kg each,” she says.

Laxmibai took to preservation of this purple-black vegetable and later developed the variety called HZKB-1, (Hulyal Zulfi Kari Badane) for which she was honoured by the National Innovation Foundation. The big, round glossy vegetable that she grows is ideal for stuffed brinjal preparations and to make ‘baigan ka bharta’.

Similarly, Sarojamma, a farmer of Channapatna of Ramanagara district, has conserved six varieties of brinjal.

GI tag

Among the many brinjals in the state, which range from musuku badane to adumore and gomukha badane, two varieties stand out - Mattu gulla and Eerangere badane. Both these varieties have the distinction of getting the geographical indication (GI) tag, which underlines their uniqueness.

The GI tag helped Mattu gulla, grown in Mattu of Udupi district, in terms of cultivation and marketing, as growers came together and formed ‘Mattu Gulla Belegarara Sangha’, a decade back. Now this vegetable is in good demand in the domestic market and has shown export potential too.

However, the Eerangere badane, native to Eerangere in Mysuru, is yet to see a well-planned effort in conservation.
Dr Ramakrishnappa, former Additional Director, Department of Horticulture, confirms that there has been a constant demand for this variety, despite a fall in production.

“We need consistent efforts to save indigenous varieties as they have unique characteristics. But most scientists develop varieties with the sole aim of increasing yield or tackling a prevailing pest and disease, while ignoring other traits of taste, sustainability, suitability etc. Each traditional variety has a significance. Biodiversity is not only important for the planet but also for human health,” says Dr Ramakrishnappa.

And each variety has a treasure of folk knowledge and traditional wisdom linked to it. For instance, mullu badane, called so because of the thorns on the plant and even vegetable, is grown on the borders to avoid crop theft.

Every farmer is inadvertently a seed conservationist, who passionately selects the best crop for seeds. Preserving seeds has been an informal community activity and is crucial to make farming viable and sustainable.

As seed production became a ‘profitable’ business, all this changed and a majority of farmers became dependent on seed companies. However, now efforts are on to encourage farmers to save and distribute heirloom seeds.

One such effort is by Sahaja Samrudha, an NGO, which has revived over 50 heirloom varieties of brinjal through participatory approach. Around 20 popular varieties are now grown widely by the farmers and the seeds of these varieties are marketed.