Fwd: Now, Jain potato in pav-bhaji!

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Now, Jain potato in pav-bhaji!

[ 6 Dec, 2006 0241hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

 

(Please discuss this news at

jainway )

 

JUNAGADH: The Jain pav-bhaji may no longer come sans

potatoes. A farmer in a village in Junagadh claims to

have come up with a wonder potato - one that grows

above the ground.

 

For Girish Akbari, it's the fruit of months of

research in his farm in Patarpur village in Una

taluka. For Jains, it could be the freedom to enjoy

the potato, with their religion keeping them from

having any vegetable that is grown underground.

Akbari, who hails from Rajkot, has even named his find

the 'Jain potato'.

 

" We have been experimenting for the past 18 months. We

used a grafting technique and succeeded. We have also

grown gourd in a similar way.We created this hybrid by

grafting a potato onto a grape vine. It grew best

during the monsoons, " adds Akbari.

 

While about 80 to 10 kg of potatoes grew on one vine

alone last year, he expects the yield to be about 400

kg per vine. " They are initially green but turn brown

on ripening. They even last for over a year after they

are picked, " he says.

 

And, they are more nutritious. Testing at the

Saurasthra University's biotechnology department found

this variety to have significantly more protein than

those grown underground. It also contained less

starch and calories while it had similar amount of

fibre.

 

And the taste? Akbari says there is no ifference. " All

regular dishes - from curry to potato vada and chips -

taste the same. You cannot tell the difference, "

claims Akbari.

 

However, some experts have expressed doubts. " Grafting

will change the characteristic of the potato. It is

not possible to have potatoes through grafting, " says

P Butani, principal of the Agriculture College,

affiliated to the Junagadh Agriculture University.

 

Akbari has sent the potato to a Central laboratory in

Delhi for confirmation.

 

 

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