P. N. Ravindran

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.

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.

CHARACTERIZATION OF TWO INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS OF PIPER

SummaryTwo interspecific hybrids of Piper, P. nigrum x P. attenuatum and P. nigrum x P. barberi, produced for the first time, were characterized by morphology, anatomy, isozymes, cytology and function (reaction to pollu beetle). The hybrids exhibit distinct morphological and anatomical features. Hybrid-specific bands as well as male-specific bands were observed in the zymograms of the isoforms of three of the four isozymes, peroxidase, esterase and polyphenol oxidase. Paired affinity index of the four enzymes revealed more similarity between the female parents and hybrids than between the male parents and hybrids. The hybrids had the same chromosome number (2n.=.52) as their parents. The leaves of the hybrids were less preferred for feeding by pollu beetles when compared with their female parents. Successful hybridization among the three species belonging to the same subgenus Maricha confirms their phylogenic relationship.

Cryopreservation of Spices Genetic Resources

Plant genetic resources constituting genotypes or populations of cultivars (landraces, advance/improved cultivars), genetic stocks, wild and weedy species, which are maintained in the form of plants, seeds, tissues, etc. hold key to food security and sustainable agricultural development (Iwananga, 1994). They are non-renewable and are among the most essential of the world’s natural resources. Due to deforestation, spread of superior varieties and selection pressure, genetic variability is gradually getting eroded. This demands priority action to conserve germplasm be it at species, genepool or ecosystem level, for posterity (Frankel, 1975).

Optimizing Culture Conditions for in vitro Propagation of Trichosanthes cucumerina L.: An Important Medicinal Plant

ABSTRACT A simple and efficient, single medium–based protocol for rapid in vitro propagation was developed for Trichosanthes cucumerina L., an important medicinal plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. The effects of culture vessel, medium quantity per vessel, and inoculation density were investigated, and optimum culture conditions for vigorous growth for large-scale propagation were standardized. Axillary bud proliferation coupled with rooting from nodal explants was obtained in MS medium supplemented with 0.46 μM kinetin and 2.46 μM indole 3-butyric acid. The highest culture response (97 %) and multiplication rate of 1:7 (seven shoots per explant for next subculture in 4 weeks) coupled with rooting was achieved in this medium. Inoculation density of five nodes per culture bottle containing 30 ml of the medium was the optimum. Rooted plantlets could be established in sand with an average of 90% survival. The micropropagated plants exhibited morphological similarity with the mother plants. The results indicate the key culture conditions can be regulated to improve the multiplication rate and quality of planting material.

Protocols for In Vitro Propagation, Conservation, Synthetic Seed Production, Microrhizome Production, and Molecular Profiling in Turmeric ( Curcuma longa L.)

Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial but cultivated as annual, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. It is a native of India and South East Asia. The tuberous rhizomes or underground stems of turmeric are used from antiquity as condiments, a dye and as an aromatic stimulant in several medicines. Turmeric is an important crop in India and it is used as a spice, food preservative, coloring agent, cosmetic as well as for its medicinal properties. Propagation is done vegetatively with rhizome bits as seed materials. It is plagued by rhizome rot diseases most of which are mainly spread through infected seed rhizomes. Micropropagation will help in production of disease-free seed. Sexual reproduction is rare in turmeric, making recombinant breeding very difficult. In vitro technology can thus become the preferred choice and it can be utilized for multiplication, conservation of genetic resources, generating variability, gene transfer, molecular tagging, and their utility in crop improvement.

Protocols for In Vitro Propagation, Conservation, Synthetic Seed Production, Embryo Rescue, Microrhizome Production, Molecular Profiling, and Genetic Transformation in Ginger ( Zingiber officinale Roscoe.)

Ginger is a rhizomatous plant that belongs to the family Zingiberaceae. It is a herbaceous perennial but cultivated as annual, with crop duration of 7-10 months. Ginger is native to India and Tropical South Asia. The tuberous rhizomes or underground stems of ginger are used as condiment, an aromatic stimulant, and food preservative as well as in traditional medicine. Ginger is propagated vegetatively with rhizome bits as seed material. Cultivation of ginger is plagued by rhizome rot diseases, most of which are mainly spread through infected seed rhizomes. Micropropagation will help in production of disease-free planting material. Sexual reproduction is absent in ginger, making recombinant breeding very impossible. In vitro technology can thus become the preferred choice as it can be utilized for multiplication, conservation of genetic resources, generating variability, gene transfer, molecular tagging, and their utility in crop improvement of these crops.

Diversity and Erosion in Genetic Resources of Spices

Genetic resources are global assets of inestimable value to human kind, which holds the key to increasing food security. The loss of variation in crops due to the modernization of agriculture has been described as genetic erosion. The current status of the genetic diversity and erosion in spice crops is discussed in this chapter. Human intervention into the natural habitats of wild and related species in centers of diversity, diseases, and pests plays an important role in the loss of older species and varieties. This is further complicated by climate change and reproductive behavior of crop species. The Genetic erosion of cultivated diversity is reflected in a modernization bottleneck in the diversity levels that occurred during the history of the crop. Two stages in this bottleneck are recognized: the initial replacement of landraces by modern cultivars and further trends in diversity as a consequence of modern breeding practices. The factors contributing to erosion is due to the enormous diversity in cultivated plants, population growth, deforestation, erosion, changing land use, and climate factors are major threats to the existing biodiversity of the region. Urbanization is increasing and agriculture is changing from subsistence based on highly market-driven farming. Although these changes have increased incomes of the populations of wild habitants to certain extent, not all of them are for the good. In particular, biodiversity is declining as a result of some of these changes. It is mandate to conserve the vanishing plant genetic resources and to understand better the linkages between agricultural and economic system that affect diversity and sustainable production. Genetic erosion may occur at three levels of integration: crop, variety, and allele. Thus, genetic erosion is reflected in the reduction of allelic richness in conjunction with events at variety level. This requires immediate efforts to understand and implement the effective multiplication and conservation strategies using both conventional and modern technologies to save the loss of the valuable genetic resources and preserve them for posterity. An important aspect is also to include genetic resource conservation as an important part in our social life.

Bidaria indica Rahman & Wilcock a Rare and Little Known Endemic from Nilgiri District of Tamil Nadu, India

Bidaria indica Rahman & Wilcock, belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae is a rare endemic species found rarely in the Western Ghats regions of Kamataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Present collection from Naduvattam forest, near Ooty (Western Ghats), Nilgiri district, extended its distribution towards Norm Tamil Nadu. After Beddomes type collection, in 1857 it is for the first time this species is collected, after a lapse of 148 years from Tamil Nadu. This is also a new report from this district. The specimens have been compared with the specimens housed in Madras Herbarium, (MH), Coimbatore. A brief description together with ecological notes is provided for better understanding of this endemic and little known taxon.