UMR Qualitrop is pleased to announce the publication of the book entitled "Heritage palms of French Guiana: wassay, comou, patawa". available at published by Éditions le Livre d'Art and produced by a team from the UG (UMR QUALITROP): Didier Béreau; Jean-Charles Robinson; Marie Fleury; Pierre-Olivier Albano.
Summary of the book:
"Wassay or wasseye (Euterpe oleracea ), comou (Oenocarpus bacaba ) and patawa (Oenocarpus bataua ) are strong markers of Guyana's cultural identity. They have a wide range of uses, including ornamental, craft, food, medicinal and cosmetic.
In recent years, there has been a growing body of scientific literature, particularly on the subject of the Euterpe oleracea species, which is attracting a great deal of interest in terms of scientific research and industrial applications.
The Palmazon project, a scientific programme to promote Amazonian palms, co-funded by Europe, the CNES and the French Guiana Region, and led by the Qualitrop joint research unit (University of Guiana), is associated with a number of local and international scientific partners. The work undertaken as part of this programme has contributed to a better understanding of these three emblematic palms of the Guiana landscape. It has resulted in the publication of articles in international scientific journals and in this book for the general public.
The book is structured as follows: firstly, a general botanical description of the three species is given, followed by a presentation of their traditional uses. Finally, a state of the art on the biological and nutritional potential of wassay, comou and patawa is presented" (extract from the preface).
UMR Qualitrop in a nutshell
The UMR Qualitrop, or QUALIté et valorisation des végétaux TROPicaux, aims to better characterise, construct and develop the quality of agricultural products, and also to explore and develop the properties of non-cultivated plants from the natural biodiversity of the French West Indies and French Guiana. It enables the analysis of little-known and exploited wild or cultivated tropical plants.
The QUALITROP joint research unit brings together players and skills from INRA, the University of the West Indies and the University of French Guiana.
