COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MORPHOLOGY AND PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS IN DIFFERENT POPULATIONS AND MORPHOTYPES OF DATURA INNOXIA MILL. AND DATURA METEL L. FROM PUNJAB PLAINS

Objective: Comparative analysis of morphology and phytochemical constituents in different populations and morphotypes of Datura innoxia Mill. and Datura metel L. from Punjab plains.Methods: Morphological analyses of different populations have been done. Methanol extracts of seeds and roots of different populations have been prepared and total phenols, flavonoid contents were measured through spectrophotometry. Antioxidant activity was studied by 2, 2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and total antioxidant capacity. Two major compounds, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid were quantified by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) analyses.Results: Two morphotypes of D. metel were reported in the present study. Out of five different populations of D. metel and D. innoxia, the wild populations have more bioactive compound as compared to the cultivated ones from the detailed phytochemical investigation. Pharmacologically important two marker compounds chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid has been identified and quantified by HPTLC technique.Conclusion: Variation in terms of morphology and secondary metabolites exists among the different populations of Datura spp. Among the two plant parts studied, seeds have the maximum amount of bioactive metabolites and antioxidant activity. This study revealed that chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid are the potential polyphenolic compounds in Datura spp. It has been found that the antioxidant activity of plant is due to its polyphenol contents, which provides insight to various researchers to work on it as it imparts health benefit

Microgreen: A tiny plant with superfood potential

The design of novel and functional foods is a major driver of innovation in the food industry, which strives to meet consumer's rising demand and expectations for healthy foods. In recent years, microgreens have received popularity as functional foods due to their high-density nutrients and bioactive or secondary metabolite content. The morphology of microgreens is comprised of well-developed cotyledonalary leaves, immature true leaves, and a central stem. The scientific literature has documented numerous studies on microgreens such as nutritional content assessment, metabolite accumulation, nutraceutical potential, and shelf life enhancement. Physical, chemical, biological, and cultivation factors significantly increased the microgreen’s photosynthetic efficiency, growth, nutrient profile, antioxidant activity, and metabolite content. Using omics data, scientists have investigated the underlying molecular mechanism and potential gene(s) associated with nutrients, specialized metabolites, stress resistance, shelf-life enhancement, and disease resistance in nutraceutical plants

Phytoremediation toward Air Pollutants: Latest Status and Current Developments

In recent years, air pollution has become one of the major environmental concerns that threaten health of the living organisms and its surroundings. Increasing urbanization, industrialization, and other anthropogenic activities impaired the air quality of indoor and outdoor environment. However, global organizations are focusing on ecological and biological means of solutions to reduce or eliminate dangerous contaminants from ecosystems in a sustainable manner. In this fact, plants are capable of improving or cleansing air quality and reduce the concentration of harmful pollutants from the environment through various remediation processes. Plants interact with air pollutants and fix them through various biological mechanisms in both associated and non-associated forms of microbes. In association forms, the mutualistic interaction of plant and microbes leads to higher growth efficiency of plants and results in enhanced pollutant degradation in rhizosphere as well as phyllosphere. In this background, the book chapter provides a comprehensive discussion of the existing literature and recent advances in phytoremediation process for the mitigation of harmful air pollutants. The role of indoor plants and aids for the enhancement of phytoremediation process towards air pollutants are also discussed