AN ETHNOBOTANICAL EXPLORATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN MANAR BEAT, KARAMADAI RANGE, WESTERN GHATS, TAMIL NADU

Objectives: This investigation provides an ethnobotanical information that truly focused on the traditional medicinal plants used by Irula community inhaled in Manar beat to treat various human diseases. Ethnobotanical study about medicinal plants was carried out from January 2018 to December 2018 in Manar beat, Karamadai range, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu. Methods: The traditional in-depth knowledge of medicinal plants was collected during group discussion, interviews, and guided field walks along with tribe. All the traditional medicinal plants collected during the field visit were identified with local floras and the identity was authenticated by Botanical Survey of India. Results: A total of 89 medicinally important endemic, threatened and endangered aromatic herbal plants distributed in 71 genera and 42 families were collected and identified. Among the surveyed plants, Fabaceae and Moraceae with eight species were the largest plant families, respectively. Leaves (35%) are most widely used plant part of reported plants and decoction forms are mostly used by Irulas. The surveyed plants were checked for conservation status in Red Data List formulated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; around nine species were listed out. Conclusion: The documentation of the medicinal herbal plants will be a good reference to all the young researches to carry out various conservation works

ANATOMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USING FOLDSCOPE: A PAPER BASED ORIGAMI MICROSCOPE-(NEW DIAGNOSTIC TOOL)

Objective: This study mainly focussed how foldscope can be used as an efficient viewable tool to detect in morphological and anatomical investigation of various bioactive medicinal plants. Microscope provides a beneficial instrument for visualization of living cells. Its cost is very high which is not affordable for rural based educational institutes. Foldscope is the ultra-affordable and versatile, paper microscope designed to be extremely portable, durable and to give optical quality similar to conventional research microscopes. Methods: For enhancing scientific temperament among rural children, Indian Born Scientist (Dr. Manu Prakash) has introduced an ultra-low-cost foldable origami-based approach for large-scale manufacturing of microscope, specifically demonstrating bright field, dark field and fluorescence microscopes. However, its potential as in research tool in the area of aromatic medicinal plants is still not known. The slides were prepared by own and were observed with the magnification power of 140X. Results: The result of the present study reported that the Foldcsope images revealed viable stained areas in the respective plant parts like trichomes, stomata, pollen grains, stem and leaf of different medicinal plants and indicating their live activities. Conclusion: Based on the attractive images captured from the Foldscope, the uses of foldscope were recommended to public. Previously we had organized some awareness cum demonstration programme regarding foldscope and its applications in the field of science education in the different educational institute of Erode District, Tamilnadu. Based on the clarity of images and easy handling of Foldscope the uses of origami microscope were recommended for higher studies

ECOLOGY AND THE RAPD TECHNIQUES USED TO ASSESS THE GENETIC DIVERSITY IN PTEROLOBIUM HEXAPETALUM, A SCRAMBLING MEDICINAL SHRUB IN MARUTHAMALAI AND CHENNIMALAI HILLS, THE WESTERN GHATS

Objective: To investigate the ecological and genetic diversity, climatic factors, edaphic factors morphological and reproductive characters and RAPD analysis of medicinal plant species Pterolobium hexapetalum in two hills viz., Maruthamalai (arid) and Chennimalai (very arid), which is located in Coimbatore and Erode districts, Tamil Nadu. Methods: The present research was carried out by using a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was made to determine the genetic variation between the two populations of the medicinal shrub, Pterolobium hexapetalum in an environmental gradient. Among the five primers tested, the OPN7 (80 %) and OPN17 (71.4 %) produced higher polymorphism was used in RAPD analysis. Results: The results of RAPD analysis showed the presence of 51 individual bands were formed, out of which, 29 were polymorphic bands which showed the existence of genetic variation between populations. A dendrogram was constructed based on Jaccard’s coefficient to determine the degree of genetic relationship among the two populations and analysed. The primers OPN7 and OPN17 were clustered together at a genetic distance level 10. Considering the elevation and proximity, the temperature ranges from 18 °C to 37.6 °C in Maruthamalai hill and 20 °C to 39.4 °C in Chennimalai hill. Conclusion: From the morphoecological studies the results indicated that both arid and very arid climatic conditions showed slight differences in their vegetative and reproductive characters

MICROPROPAGATION OF AN ENDANGERED AND ENDEMIC MEDICINAL PLANT CAYRATIA PEDATA VAR. GLABRA

Objective: The objective of the present study was to develop standardization protocol for the successful in vitro mass propagation of Cayratia pedata var. glabra through leaf and stem explants, since it is a rare, endangered, and endemic medicinal plant using biotechnological involvements and to conserve this endangered species. Methods: The application of biotechnological principles for the establishment of micropropagation under in vitro conditions has been studied by following the methods. The explants, namely, leaf and stem harvested from in vivo plants were thoroughly washed and properly sterilized with sterilients. The explants were transferred to Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with growth regulators 6-benzyladenine (BAP) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) in the concentration range of 0.5–3.0 mg/l which were tested for callus induction and morphogenesis. The elongated shoots were transferred to MS medium supplemented with NAA at different concentrations for root induction. Results: The explants collected from the field (shola) were treated in different steriliants with various concentrations at different time for sterilization. Among the various combinations tried, the Teepol treatment for 10 min followed by bavistin 20 min, antibiotics, namely, ampicillin and rifampicin for 20 min, 70% alcohol for 30 s, and 0.12 % HgCl2 for 3 min was found to be effective. The explants were cultured in MS medium supplemented with various concentrations of BAP and NAA. The results noted that an increase in the concentration of BAP concomitantly reduced the frequency of callus formation. The maximum callusing frequency and more number of shoot formation was observed in the lower concentration of BAP (0.5 mg/l) in combination with NAA (0.2 mg/l). The callus obtained from all the above combinations was sub-cultured on MS medium with same combinations of BAP and NAA. The maximum frequency of root formation in leaf callus was 85% and 75% in stem callus and both were achieved on MS medium with NAA (1 mg/l) after 2 weeks. Conclusions: The current investigation provides a competent in vitro propagation method for C. pedata var. glabra which could be commercialized for developing identical plants with high-quality mass multiplication rate and for better conservation of the germplasm. Both the methods described here are well suited for the mass multiplication of this critically endangered and endemic climber species