BACKGROUND HISTORY OF THE AINP ON MEDICINAL & AROMATIC PLANTS

The All India Coordinated Research Project on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants made its humble beginning in the fourth five year plan with five centers, two based in ICAR institutes such as Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and Indian Institute of Horticultural Research and three based in State Agricultural Universities such as Gujarat Agricultural University, Anand, Dr Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at Kodaikanal. The Head quarter of the project was located in the Plant Introduction Division of IARI. The project started with multi-crop multi-disciplinary research programme. The project was given mandate to work out on those crops having bulk demand within the country and outside such as Isabgol, Senna, Aswagandha, Dioscorea, Rauvolfia, Solanum spp, Foxglove, Plamarosa, Lemon grass, Vetivar etc. and at the same time introduction and domestication of crops like mints, henbane, liquorice, basil, Solanum laciniatum, Glaucium flavum, anise etc. were encouraged.

During 1976, Plant Introduction Division of IARI was separated from to give it a status of new institute named National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) and therefore,   the head quarters of the project was also shifted from IARI to NBPGR, New Delhi.

In the fifth five year plan, a new center was created in the project at Jawaharlal Nehru, Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya at its Agricultural College Campus at Indore. During sixth five year plan, after receiving request from Central Bureau of Narcotics, Govt. of India for creation of Opium poppy research infrastructure, three more centers at Jawaharlal Nehru, Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya at its Agricultural College Campus at Mandsur, Rajasthan Agricultural University at Udaipur campus and Acharya Narendra Dev University of Agriculture & Technology at Faizabad were created to work on Opium poppy.

During seventh five year plan, TNAU, Kodaikanal center was discontinued and a new center at Kerala Agricultural University at Trichur was created. In the eighth five year plan two more centers were created one at Chaudhary Charan Singh University of Agriculture and Technology at Hisar and another at Dr. Punjab Rao Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya at Akola. In the ninth five year plan the ICAR sanctioned a total outlay of Rs 593.01 lakh out of which Rs. 445.00 lakh as ICAR’s contribution. In the tenth five year plan the project has been converted to All India Networking project as per the recommendations of Dr. Jain Committee without changing the funding ratio as proposed (50:50 per cent). In tenth five year plan JNKV, Indore center has been closed and two new centers one at GBPUA&T, Pantnagar and other at UBKV, Cooch Bihar were created as per the recommendation of the QRT to strengthen the research activates of temperate species.

At present a total of 45 Scientists of various disciplines are working on Aswagandha, Isabgol, Liquorice, Mentha, Palmarosa, Patchouli, Vetiver, Babchi, Guggal, Lemongrass, Safed musli, Aloe, Asparagus, Kalmegh, Opium poppy, Guduchi, Ocimum, Geranium, Long pepper, Kacholam, Mucuna, Rosemary, Solanum, Gentiana, Holostema, Jasmine, Lavender, Melissa, Salvia, Adhatoda, Gymnema, Indigofera, Vernonia, Gloriosa and Matricaria crops in the project. The project organized 14 Workshops/Group meetings held at IARI, New Delhi; GAU, Anand (November 1-4, 1976); JNKVV, Indore (December 21-24, 1978); TNAU, Madurai (August 31- September 3, 1981); HPKVV, Solan (October 4-7, 1983); IIHR, Bangalore (December 22-25, 1985); RAU, Udaipur (November 2-5, 1987); NDUA&T, Faizabad (December 4-7, 1989); GAU, Anand (December 12 -15, 1991); KAU, Trichur (January 17 –20, 1994); RAU, Udaipur (July 8-11, 1996); CCS HAU, Hisar (October 27-30, 1998); YSPUH&F, Solan (September 7-9, 2000) and NDUA&T, Faizabad (September 2-4, 2002). In addition, group meetings for Opium poppy were also organized time to time to streamline and to direction to the Opium poppy research in the country.

AINP on MAP Centres:

CENTRE -WISE SCIENTIFIC MANPOWER

Research Achievements

q                   Studies revealed that in Gymnema sylvestre (Madhunashini), semi hard wood laterals characterized by 50% browning of the stem, was excellent for vegetative propagation.
 

q                   Riboflavin, a cheap vitamine source was found to be effective in increasing rooting in cuttings of Gymnema.
 

q                   In Commiphora wightii (Guggal), a very easy and effective air layering technique has been developed and demonstrated. Also, a simple hard wood cutting technique has been developed through which the rooting and new flush of leaves were observed after 7-10 days of planting.
 

q                   In Sacred lotus, The National flower of India (Nelumbo nucifera), 42 accessions from different districts of Kerela and Tamil Nadu collected showed wide variability in flower colour, petal number, presence of transitional whorls, carpels in the torus.
 

q                   In Glory lily (Gloriosa superba), controlled selfing between different flowers of the same plant increases fruit setting percentage. This method has also increased seed yield and colchicine content (0.80%) (Production).
 

q                   Reproductive biology of Indian Gentian (Gentiana kurroo) in detail has been worked out at Solan. Higher fruit set has been observed in open pollination (80.57%) compared to the controlled selfing (7.25%).
 

q                   In Gentiana kurroo (Indian Gentian), commonly known as karu or kutiki, Solan centre of AINRPMAP has successfully domesticated and standardized propagation techniques for large scale cultivation (Productivity).
 

q                   In Opium poppy, an increase of about 104 % latex yield in hybrid opium poppy was recorded by crossing inbred lines (ND-20 x NOP-4) suggesting that the current yield barrier could be removed and making available hybrid varieties for cultivation. (Hybrid Production).
 

q                   In Valeriana jatamansi, the phenomenon of gynodioecium i.e. occurrence of hermaphrodite and female flowers on different plants have been observed.
 

q                   In vitro multiplication of Sarpagandha (Rauvolfia serpentina) has been developed by Hisar Centre for the micro-propagation and conservation of this valuable threatened plant species (Sustainability).
 

q                   In Arjuna (Terminilia arjuna), an important medicinal tree, a successful air layering technique has been developed by application of IBA (6000 ppm) which has increased number of primary and secondary roots per layer as well as mean length of longest root.
 

q                   Morphological and biochemical characterization have been done in two species of Safed musli viz. Chlorophytum borivilianum, and Chlorophytum tuberosum. Chlorophytum borivilianum contain higher amount of saponin (4%) and sapogenin (0.18%) as compared to Chlorophytum tuberosum (1.6% and 0.05%, respectively).
 

q                   In Chlorophytum borivilianum, in a study it has been established that elimination of inflorescence increased the number of fleshy root and as a result 41% increase in yield has been recorded compared to non-topped plants.
 

q                   In safed musli, it was established that harvesting should be done according to the usage of the fleshy root. And for drug purposes, early harvesting should be practised to avoid loss in active principle. Whereas, fleshy roots meant for propagation should be harvested later to avoid loss due to drying (Crop Production).
 

q                   Cultivation of Muskdana (Abelmoschus moschatus) proved to be a better option as rainfed crop in the shallow black soils of Malwa plateau of Madhya Pradesh. (Location specific work).  
 

q                   Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) has been successfully grown as rainfed crop in medium black soil of Indore region. (Location specific work).
 

q                   Cultivation of Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) has also been recommended during kharif as profitable crop which has yielded highest biomass (4017 kg/ha) of good quality (1.95% andrographoloid) at Anand condition. (Location specific work and Production).
 

q                   In Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata), it has been established that application of castor cake to provide 40 kg /ha Nitrogen could produce highest herbage yield (3740 kg/ha) and 96.8 kg/ha of Andrographolide yield. (Organic cultivation).
 

q                   In Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), it has been established that inorganic fertilisers affect alkaloid content suggesting that to what extent application of inorganic fertilisers affect quality of the produce which is very important in medicinal plants.
 

q                   In Opium poppy, a study to determine the dynamics of morphine content in the flower petals of the variety Chetak revealed that petals contained lowest morphine (0.26%) at bud opening stage.
 

q                   Extraction and estimation of podophyllotoxin (active principle of Podophyllum) has been done. It was separated from the mixture of lignans extracted by soxhelating the rootstock (roots and rhizomes) in methanol followed by acidification and TLC.