K. Nirmal Babu

Turmeric: the genus Curcuma.

Turmeric: the genus Curcumanis the first comprehensive monographic treatment on turmeric. It covers all aspects of turmeric including botany, genetic resources, crop improvement, processing, biotechnology, pharmacology, medicinal and traditional uses, and its use as a spice and flavoring. Bringing together the premier experts in the field from India, Japan, UK, and USA, this book offers the most thorough examination of the cultivation, market trends, processing, and products as well as pharmacokinetic and medicinal properties of this highly regarded spice. While Ayurveda has known for millennia that turmeric cleanses the body, modern science has now discovered that it produces glutathione-s-transferase that detoxifies the body and therefore strengthens the liver, heart, and immune system. By comparing traditional uses with modern scientific discoveries, the text provides a complete view of the medicinal value and health benefits of turmeric. Heavily referenced with an exhaustive bibliography at the end of each chapter, the book collects and collates the currently available data on turmeric. Covering everything from cultivation to medicine, Turmeric: the Genus Curcuma serves as an invaluable reference for those involved with agriculture, marketing, processing or product development, and may function as a catalyst for future research into the health benefits and applications of turmeric.

Micropropagation of camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)

Multiple shoots were induced from shoot tips and nodal segments of a 12-year-old tree of Cinnamomum camphora on Woody Plant Medium (WPM) supplemented with BA and kinetin. The nodal segments from the in vitro developed plantlets could be induced again to produce a large number of harvestable shoots. Harvested shoots were rooted in vitro in WPM supplemented with activated charcoal (AC) and IBA. The plantlets were transferred to thermocol cups after which they were replanted into polybags and then to field. These plants survived with over 90% success under field conditions and exhibited vigorous growth. This system could be utilized for large-scale multiplication of C. camphora by tissue culture.

In vitro plant regeneration from leaf-derived callus in ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.)

Excised tissues from young leaves of ginger cv. Maran were cultured on revised Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with various concentrations of growth regulators. The presence of 2, 4-D in the culture medium at 9.0–22.6 μM resulted in callus growth. Organogenesis and plantlet formation occurred when the concentration of 2,4-D is reduced to 0.9 μM and with the addition of 44.4 μM BA into the medium. The rate of plant regeneration increased when the growth regulators are completely removed from the culture medium in the subsequent subcultures. The plantlets developed extensive root systems when they were put in MS liquid medium with 5.4 μM of NAA. The establishment of these plantlets in soil is about 80%.

Micropropagation of curry leaf tree.

Murraya koenigii (curry leaf tree) is cultivated for its aromatic leaves which are used as condiment. Nodal cuttings from mature curry leaf plants cultured in Woody plant basal medium (WPM) supplemented with 4.4 μM benzyladenine (BA) and 4.65 μM kinetin produced 12–30 multiple shoots per node by the eighth week of inoculation. The shoots easily rooted in vitro in woody plant medium contained naphthalene acetic acid 1.35 μM NAA. Ninety percent of the plants survived transfer to a hardening chamber and were transferred to the field after three months. In vitro-developed shoots were also rooted ex vitro by dipping in 2.46 μM indole-3-butyric acid for one minute. They were transplanted to sand in a hardening chamber with 70–80% relative humidity and a temperature of 28±2 °C. Eighty to ninety percent of the ex vitro-rooted plants survived and were transferred to the field after 3 months.

Plant regeneration from anther derived callus cultures of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.).

Summary Ginger anthers collected at the uninucleate microspore stage were subjected to a cold treatment (08) for 7.d and induced to develop profuse callus on MS medium supplemented with 2–3 mg l–1 2, 4-D. Plantlets could be regenerated from these calli on MS medium supplemented with 5–10 mg l–1 BAP and 0.2 mg l–1 2,4-D. The regenerated plantlets could be established in soil with 85% success, when they were planted in potting mixture of garden soil, sand and vermiculite in equal proportions and kept in a humid chamber initially for 22–30 d. This is the first report of successful regeneration of plants from ginger anther cultures and the protocol can be used for possible development of androgenic haploids and dihaploids in ginger.

In vitro Clonal Multiplication of Acorus calamus L

Acorus calamus L (sweet flag) is a semi-aquatic perennial medicinal herb having a creeping and much branched aromatic rhizome. Rhizome buds cultured in MS basal medium supplemented with BAP (8.87μM) and NAA (5.37μM) at light intensity of 30μE m−2 s−1 and photoperiod of 12 h produced 8–10 multiple shoots by the eighth week of inoculation. Shoots could be rooted in MS basal medium without growth regulators. They were transplanted in sand and kept in shade for 4 to 5 weeks. 90–95% of the plants were established and were transferred to field after one month.

Introduction to herbs and spices: medicinal uses and sustainable production

Abstract: This introductory chapter contains a brief history of herbs and spices, including cultivation, trade and uses. The cultivation requirements of important herbal spices are discussed, as well as uses of herbs and spices in food and beverages, perfumes and cosmetics, and medicinal and nutraceutical uses. The important flavour compounds in major culinary and herbal spices are considered. Other topics discussed in this chapter are antioxidants isolated from herbs and spices, active plant constituents and the molecular phytopharmacology of a few herbs and spices. It also deals with biosafety and efficacy issues from a phytochemical perspective.

Micropropagation and In Vitro Conservation of Vanilla ( Vanilla planifolia Andrews)

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews (syn. V. fragrans Salisb.), a source of natural vanillin, plays a major positive role in the economy of several countries. A native to the Central America, its primary gene pool is threatened by deforestation and over collection that has resulted in disappearance of natural habitats and wild species. Therefore, multiplication and conservation of vanilla diversity is of paramount importance because of its narrow genetic base. It plays an important role in the production of disease free planting material for commercial cultivation. Simple protocols for micropropagation, in vitro conservation and synthetic seed production are described in this chapter which could further be applied to other related vanilla species as well.

Capers and caperberries

Abstract: This chapter on capers and caperberries gives a detailed account of the plant description, distribution, important cultivars, chemical composition, flavour volatile profiles, cultivation practices, reproductive biology, propagation, production technology, caper grading system and post-harvest technology. It also deals with its uses in food, processing, functional and health benefits, nutritional properties, health-promoting and therapeutic characteristics, quality issues and future trends.

Comparative effectiveness of inter-simple sequence repeat and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA markers to study genetic diversity of Indian Garcinia

A study to compare the effectiveness of inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiling was carried out with a total of 65 DNA samples using 12 species of Indian Garcinia . ISSR and RAPD profiling were performed with 19 and 12 primers, respectively. ISSR markers generated a total number of 156 bands with 92 polymorphic bands, while RAPD markers produced a total of 134 bands with 80 polymorphic bands. Percentage of polymorphic loci in RAPD profiling was 60.4% while in ISSR profiling, it was 59.3%. Heterogeneity index was similar for the markers, 0.86 for ISSR and 0.89 for RAPD, indicating that both the marker systems are effective in determining polymorphism in Garcinia . ISSR markers showed clear distinction among the species whereas RAPD markers showed segregation based on geographical location as well as species based. Key words : Garcinia , genetic diversity, inter-simple sequence repeats, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA, principal component analysis.