Exploration, conservation and phytochemical screening of unexplored flora of India C. Rajasekaran1*, T. Kalaivani1 and R. Gopi2 1School of Bio Sciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore – 632014, Tamilnadu India 2Department of Botany, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar – 608 002 Tamilnadu India *Corresponding author: C. Rajasekaran Mobile: 9442994888 E-mail: drcrs70@gmail.com Abstract-India is one among the eight mega biodiversity countries in the world having 22% of forest cover rich in medicinal plants. Among these, 70% are found in tropical and subtropical forests, while the remaining 30% are restricted to temperate and high altitude forests. According to Botanical Survey of India (BSI), 93% of medicinal plants are threatened, of which 335 have been Red Listed. India has the world’s second largest tribal population with 550 tribal communities. About 6,500 plants are used as folklore medicines whereas few hundred species are only under common usage. Species specific active principles have their own identity to cure a range of aliments used by various ethnic tribes. However, scientific exploration is not yet attempted on such species. In the present study, three important plants namely Allium stracheyi, Acacia nilotica and Naravelia zeylanica endemic to Himalaya, Eastern and Western Ghats respectively were chosen. As per traditional ethnobotanical knowledge of Bhotiya, Malayali and Muthuvan tribes, these plants possess multiple medicinal applications. In vitro propagation studies reveal that MS media supplemented with IAA & BAP plant growth regulators induce callogenesis and NAA & BAP induce somatic embryogenesis. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of various phytochemical constituents besides antioxidants. The results indicated that these unexplored plant species were used by traditional communities for centuries. This study reveals the basic knowledge, biological potentials about these plant species to the world and the usage of appropriate tools to scale up our requirements in a sustainable manner. Keywords: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs), Conservation, in-vitro propagation, ethnobotanical knowledge, Tribes I. INTRODUCTION Plants have always played an integral role in the life of man from time immemorial. Plants have served and continue to serve mankind as a source of food, shelter and medicines besides cleaning the environment (Mukherjee and Rajasekaran 2010). The basic human needs increased multifold in the recent years, increasing demand of herbal medicines globally (Maikhuri et al. 2005). Hotspots like Himalaya, Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats are a treasure house for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: MAPs (Rajasekaran 2000). According Proceedings of the International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the 107 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Proceedings of International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals : Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016 at the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
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