Babool

Why in news?

• Various studies have shown that arid plant babool has many benefits.

About Babool:

• It is a perennial, evergreen tree which is indigenous to Indian Sub-continent as well as in Tropical Africa, Burma, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and West and East Sudan. It occurs in tropical and subtropical regions of India.
• India is home to at least three of nine subspecies of the tree, with natural babool forests found in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka.
• Historically in India, the bitter babool has been used as a famine food in arid and semi-arid regions like Rajasthan.

Benefits of Babool:

• Almost every part of the babool tree is packed with medicinal properties.
• Seeds:
  • High in nutritional value such as Protein, fibre, fat, Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Iron, Manganese
  • Its seed oil can be an alternative to chemicals for controlling major farm pests.
• Pods:
  • Its pods have Antibacterial properties and are effective against gram-positive bacteria.
  • Its pods also act as a natural food preservative. Its pod extracts can replace synthetic food preservatives and inhibit microbial spoilage.
• Leaves:
  • Its young leaves improve digestion. Together with pods, leaves are used as feed for animals, providing comparable nutrition to cottonseed meal.
• Stem and Bark:
  • Woody stems keep teeth clean and gums healthy; Bark treats burns, skin diseases, and infected wounds.
• Other benefits include:
  • Nitrogen-Fixing and Reclamation:
    • Babool helps in the reclamation of degraded areas by fixing nitrogen and acting as a windbreak.
  • Biodiversity and Climate Resilience:
    • Planting babool trees benefits biodiversity and helps combat desertification.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following trees:

1. Babool

2. Mahua

3. Teak

How many of the above are deciduous trees?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Answer