BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA SHEET

3. The nutritional role played by wild plants includes basic
components of energy (calories) from protein, carbohydrates, and
fats, as well as vitamins and minerals. Despite the publication
on nutritional composition by Leung (1968), few data are avail­
able on the nutritional composition of most edible wild plants.
With such data important decisions could be made for agricultural
development of outstanding wild plants with high potential for
nutritional return.
4. The nutritional aspect of wild plant research is but one of
several potential agricultural and economic focal areas. In
addition to wild plants serving as food resources, wild species
offer high potential for economic fiber, oil, dye, drugs/medicine,
and a host of other economic possibilities.
Thus, considering agricultural development in its broadest sense, one may
make a sound claim that an exciting research area with direct application for
agricultural development and economic improvement exists within the theme of
wild plant use. A number of recent reports build upon this theme of economic
development of wild plants, especially those by Goodspeed (1953), Jackson (1954),
Hodge (1958), Terra (1966), Mondonedo (1969), Bates and Hentges (1976), Wilkes
(1977), and Vietmeyer (1978; 1979) who suggest that tropical plants have not
been investigated adequately.
Approaching the question of further research from a complementary per­
spective is the view of the present author (Grivetti, 1976; 1978; 1979) that
holds agricultural development should not be at the expense of nutritional
83.