IT may occasion some surprise to those men of science who are ill-acquainted with India, and who so frequently express the view that Governments are unappreciative of the importance of science to learn that as far back as 1886 the Government of India arranged for Dr. George (later Sir George) Watt, professor of botany in the Presidency College, Calcutta, to prepare a "Dictionary of the Economic Products of India". The six volumes of this standard work were published during the years 1889-99. In 1908 Sir George Watt published a condensed version, "The Commercial Products of India". Whatever the defects of these 'dictionaries', they have been of inestimable value to all interested in Indian natural products. The Wealth of India A Dictionary of Indian Raw Materials and Industrial Products. Raw Materials, Vol. 1. Pp. xxvii+254+39 plates. 15 rupees ; 24s. Industrial Products, Part 1. Pp. xii+182+8 plates. 8 rupees ; 12s. (New Delhi : Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948.)

The Wealth of India

Plant growth regulator mediated consequences of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants.

Although there is a plethora of traditional plants with great therapeutic potential, the majority of medicinal plants have yet to be utilized on a large scale. One of the main reasons for this is the chemical variability inherent in plant-derived therapeutics. Many of the medically useful secondary metabolites produced by plants are the result of the latter's response to stress. When medicinal plants taken from the wild are cultivated under “optimal” growing conditions, the natural stressors on the plant are removed and, therefore, the content of secondary metabolites and, consequently, the therapeutic activity of the plants are greatly reduced. A possible aid in overcoming these difficulties is elicitation, the use of biotic and abiotic elicitors to stimulate the stress response in plants and increase the content of biologically active compounds. Elicitation has already been utilized in the study of disease resistance in plants, as well as in metabolic studies in cell culture. Elicitation can also be a powerful aid in the characterization and development of many potentially beneficial medicinal plants. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge concerning the utilization of biotic and abiotic elicitors in plants.

Elicitation: An Underutilized Tool in the Development of Medicinal Plants as a Source of Therapeutic Secondary Metabolites

In the present investigation, the role of salicylic acid (SA) in inducing salinity tolerance was studied in Artemisia annua L., which is a major source of the antimalarial drug artemisinin. SA, when applied at 1.00 mM, provided considerable protection against salt stress imposed by adding 50, 100, or 200 mM NaCl to soil. Salt stress negatively affected plant growth as assessed by length and dry weight of shoots and roots. Salinity also reduced the values of photosynthetic attributes and total chlorophyll content and inhibited the activities of nitrate reductase and carbonic anhydrase. Furthermore, salt stress significantly increased electrolyte leakage and proline content. Salt stress also induced oxidative stress as indicated by the elevated levels of lipid peroxidation compared to the control. A foliar spray of SA at 1.00 mM promoted the growth of plants, independent of salinity level. The activity of antioxidant enzymes, namely, catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, was upregulated by salt stress and was further enhanced by SA treatment. Artemisinin content increased at 50 and 100 mM NaCl but decreased at 200 mM NaCl. The application of SA further enhanced artemisinin content when applied with 50 and 100 mM NaCl by 18.3 and 52.4%, respectively. These results indicate that moderate saline conditions can be exploited to obtain higher artemisinin content in A. annua plants, whereas the application of SA can be used to protect plant growth and induce its antioxidant defense system under salt stress.

Role of Salicylic Acid in Promoting Salt Stress Tolerance and Enhanced Artemisinin Production in Artemisia annua L.

Modulation of salt stress effects on the growth, physio-chemical attributes and yields of Phaseolus vulgaris L. plants by the combined application of salicylic acid and Moringa oleifera leaf extract

Plant secondary metabolites constitute the most important class of natural products with diverse and valuable chemical properties and biological activities Artemisinin, isolated from Artemisia annua L, is potentially a drug that could be effective against multidrug-resistant strains of the malarial parasite, Plasmodium Salicylic acid (SA) acts as a potential plant growth regulator and plays an important role in regulating a number of plant physiological and biochemical processes The present study was conducted to assess the alterations in plant growth, photosynthetic capacity, enzyme activities, and content and yield of artemisinin in Artemisia annua L in response to foliar application of SA Four levels of SA (000, 025, 050, and 100 mM SA) were applied on the aboveground plant parts Plant height and dry weight were altered significantly as the level of SA increased Besides, application of SA positively improved chlorophyll and carotenoid contents Furthermore, significant enhancement in net photosynthetic rate (317%) and the activity of nitrate reductase (172%) and carbonic anhydrase (109%) was noticed as the level of SA was increased from 000 to 100 mM SA Most importantly, the content and yield of artemisinin was positively regulated by the SA In comparison to no SA application (control), SA at 100 mM increased the content and yield of artemisinin by 258 and 500%, respectively

Salicylic acid acts as potent enhancer of growth, photosynthesis and artemisinin production in Artemisia annua L.

Exogenous application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) has vital impact on the growth and productivity of plants. Foliar application of selected PGRs, viz. indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), kinetin (KIN), thidiazuron (TDZ), gibberellic acid (GA3), salicylic acid (SA), homobrassinosteroids (HBR), and triacontanol (TRIA), were carried out in order to assess the effects on growth of two cultivars (Rosea and Alba) of Catharanthus roseus L. G. Don. The Rosea and Alba plants were sprayed with PGRs (10−7 M) at 60 days after planting (DAP). Shoot and root lengths, plant fresh and dry weights, leaf-area index, total chlorophyll and carotenoids content, net photosynthetic rate, nitrate reductase and carbonic anhydrase activities, and leaf essential nutrients (N, P, and K) were analyzed at 150 DAP while yield attributes and total alkaloids of leaves and roots, contents of vincristine and vinblastine alkaloids were measured at 210 DAP. The results showed that HBR significantly improved most of the growth attributes. Application of HBR, KIN, and GA3 resulted in the ameliorative effects on plant productivity, physiological and biochemical parameters as compared to the unsprayed (control) plants. The effect of TDZ was not significantly different than the control plants. GA3 application significantly increased the vincristine content (7.3%) while TDZ exhibited reduced vincristine content. The effect of other PGR was insignificant towards vincristine and vinblastine contents. The response of Rosea toward exogenous PGRs application was better than Alba in terms of crop productivity, physiological and biochemical parameters, and alkaloid production.

Augmentation of photosynthesis, crop productivity, enzyme activities and alkaloids production in Sadabahar ( Catharanthus roseus L.) through application of diverse plant growth regulators

The present investigation was premeditated to explore the toxic effects of arsenic (As) on an essential oil-bearing plant, the menthol mint (Mentha arvensis L.). Arsenic was applied in the ...

Arsenic Toxicity Induced Changes in Growth, Photosynthetic Pigments, Antioxidant Machinery, Essential Oil, Menthol and Other Active Constituents of Menthol Mint (Mentha arvensis L.)

Radiolytically derived oligomers of sodium alginate are considered to act as signal molecules, affecting growth, development and defense mechanisms of plants through gene regulation. Since germination is a critical stage in the life cycle of plants, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of irradiated sodium alginate (ISA) on the characteristics of seed germination of

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Promotive effect of irradiated sodium alginate on seed germination characteristics of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.)

The plants of Cassia tora L. were grown in pots containing soil, supplied with five levels of phosphorus: 0 (Control), 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 g P per kg soil. The fresh and dry weights, number of leaves and leaf-area per plant were recorded. The leaves were analyzed for inorganic elements, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium. Physiological and biochemical attributes including chlorophyll and carotenoid content, nitrate reductase activity, carbonic anhydrase activity, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were determined. Yield attributes including number of pods, number of seeds per pod, 100-seed weight, and seed-yield per plant were recorded. In addition, protein, total anthraquinone glycosides (in seeds) and total sennoside content (in pods) were also estimated. The results showed that phosphorus at the level of 0.3 g per kg soil proved optimum and significantly enhanced most of the attributes studied.

M. Masroor

Papers

Salicylic acid acts as potent enhancer of growth, photosynthesis and artemisinin production in Artemisia annua L.

Augmentation of photosynthesis, crop productivity, enzyme activities and alkaloids production in Sadabahar ( Catharanthus roseus L.) through application of diverse plant growth regulators

Arsenic Toxicity Induced Changes in Growth, Photosynthetic Pigments, Antioxidant Machinery, Essential Oil, Menthol and Other Active Constituents of Menthol Mint (Mentha arvensis L.)

Promotive effect of irradiated sodium alginate on seed germination characteristics of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.)

Promotive effects of phosphorus on crop productivity, enzyme activities, anthraquinone and sennoside content in Cassia tora L. – a medicinal herb