Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-d8cs5 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-10T23:59:04.975Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ex situ conservation of Aconitum heterophyllum Wall.—an endangered medicinal plant of the Himalaya through mass propagation and its effect on growth and alkaloid content

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2007

Subedar Pandey ,
Rekha Kushwaha ,
Om Prakash ,
Amita Bhattacharya  and
P.S. Ahuja
Subedar Pandey
Affiliation:
Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur-176061, H. P., India
Rekha Kushwaha
Affiliation:
Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur-176061, H. P., India
Om Prakash
Affiliation:
Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur-176061, H. P., India
Amita Bhattacharya*
Affiliation:
Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur-176061, H. P., India
P.S. Ahuja
Affiliation:
Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur-176061, H. P., India
*
Corresponding author: E-mail: amitabhatta@yahoo.co.uk
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The endangered alpine plant Aconitum heterophyllum was conserved under ex situ conditions (greenhouse and open) of Palampur by overcoming seed dormancy and plant establishment through hot water treatment (40–60 °C for 30–120 s) of seeds. High seed germination (88 and 76%) was obtained when seeds were treated with hot water at 45 and 50 °C for 90 s. Correlation studies also revealed that treatment enhanced vegetative growth and reproductive yield of the plants. The total alkaloid content of the roots and rhizomes of the plants growing under ex situ conditions was lower than the ones collected from the natural habitat in the 1-year-old plants. However, in the 2-year-old plants, it was almost at par with the ones collected from nature. The life cycle of the plants growing under ex situ conditions also did not vary largely from the plants growing under in situ conditions. Therefore, the present study indicates the successful adaptation of A. heterophyllum plants in conditions other than their natural habitat and hence its potential for sustainable commercialization.

Keywords

aconitinAconitum heterophyllumex situ conservationhot water treatment of seedsseed germinationseedling growth
Type
Research Article
Information
Plant Genetic Resources , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , August 2005 , pp. 127 - 135
Copyright
Copyright © NIAB 2005

References

Beadle, CL (1993) Growth analysis. In: Hall, DO, Scurlock, JMO, Bohar-Nordenkampf, HR, Leegood, RC and Long, SP (eds) Photosynthesis and Production in a Changing Environment. A Field and Laboratory Manual. London: Chapman and Hall 36–46.Google Scholar
Gomez, KA and Gomez, AA (1984) Statistical Procedure for Agricultural Research. New York: John Wiley and SonsGoogle Scholar
Khorana, MK and Murthy, BSR (1968) Identification of aconites and estimation of alkaloids. Indian Journal of Pharmacology 23: 212Google Scholar
Khorana, MK and Murthy, BSR (1990) Identification of aconites and estimation of alkaloids. Indian Journal of Pharmacology 23: 212Google Scholar
Körner, C (2003) Alpine Plant Life, Berlin: SpringerCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mori, T, Oshawa, T and Murayama, M (1989) Studies on Aconitum species. Components of ‘Kakobushi-Matsu’ Heterocycles 2: 873–884.Google Scholar
Nayar, MP and Sastry, APK (1990) Red Data Book of Indian Plants. Calcutta: Botanical Survey of IndiaGoogle Scholar
Nautiyal, MC, Rawat, AS and Bhadula, SK (1985) Germination in two Aconitum species. Seed Research 14: 133–139.Google Scholar
Pandey, H, Nandy, SK, Nadeem, M and Palni, LMS (2000) Chemical stimulation of seed germination in Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. and A. balfourri Stapf.: important Himalayan species of medicinal value. Seed Science & Technology 28: 39–48.Google Scholar
Pawlowski, T and Szczotka, Z (1997) Qualitative changes in protein content during cold and warm stratification of Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) seeds. Seed Science Research 7: 385–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prasad, P (2000) Impact of cultivation on active constituents of the medicinal plants Podophyllum hexandrum and Aconitum heterophyllum in Sikkim. Plant Genetic Resources Newsletter 124: 33–35.Google Scholar
Remington, JP and Wood, HC (eds) (1918) The Dispensatory of the United States of America. Acontum U.S. (BR) Preparation Extract of Aconite Other Tones. Philadelphia JB Lippincott. Also available at http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/usdisp/aconitum.htmlGoogle Scholar
Ross, JD (1984) Metabolic aspects of dormancy. In: Murray, DR (ed.) Seed Physiology. Sydney: Academic Press, 44–76.Google Scholar
Stocklin, J and Favre, P (1994) Effect of plant size and morphological constraints on variation in reproductive components in two related species of Epilobium. Journal of Ecology 82: 735–746.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, SK (1992) Sampling. New York: John Wiley and SonsGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tran, VN and Cavanagh, AK (1984) Structural aspects of dormancy. In: Murray, DR (ed.) Seed Physiology. Sydney: Academic Press, 2–43.Google Scholar
Weiner, J (1988) The influence of competition on plant reproduction. In: Lovett Doust, J and Lovett Doust, L (eds) Plant Reproductive Ecology New York: Oxford University Press, 228–245.Google Scholar