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Withania somniferaL. is an important medicinal plant, well renowned for its immense therapeutic potential. The increasing concern and awareness for natural products has enforced the growers to maintain a proper balance between demand and supply without compromising with the quality and quantity. The major constrain faced by W. somniferacultivation is through southern root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita,which inhabits the plant roots causing heavy crop loss, both in terms of quality and quantity. Keeping in concern the management problems, the present experiment was designed to evaluate the influence of native rhizospheric microbes for the efficient management of M. incognitain W. somniferacv. Poshita under greenhouse conditions. The rhizospheric microbes viz. RPN2, MTN RK-1, identified as Bacillus tequilensis(KF157960) and Trichoderma harzianum(KF157964) along with Glomus aggregatum(arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) were evaluated in single and combined treatments. All treatments significantly (P≤ 0.05) improved plant growth yield and reduced nematode populations, thus maintaining the quality and quantity of Indian ginseng without adversely affecting the environment.

Ocimum, an important commercial aromatic crop, is well known for the industrially acclaimed essential oil. In the present study, a comparative analysis was performed between Trichodermaharzianum(ThU) and its secondary metabolites on plant growth, essential oil and phytochemical parameters in O. basilicumand O. sanctum. A significant enhancement in biomass and essential oil content (2.37 and 2.16 fold, respectively) was observed in the live culture of ThU (TH_CC) treatment of O. basilicum, whereas its metabolites (TH_CF) enhanced biomass (1.25 folds) and essential oil (2.17 folds) in O. sanctumas compared to their respective controls. The present study first time highlights species dependent response in plants by the application of TH_CC and TH_CF to enhance plant growth, antioxidants and oil content of Ocimum.The present results thus provide a better understanding of the host specific response to ThU and its metabolites which can be used to develop effective biofertilizers for crop improvement.

The use of herbs in the form of dietary supplements and medicine is fascinating the world, owing to their safety and protective effects against oxidative stress. The elevation in oxidative stress promotes aging and age related disorders. To this end, the authors evaluated in vivo antioxidant activity and anti-aging potential of Trachyspermum ammiL. (TA) oil in Caenorhabditis elegansfor the first time. This medicinally important herb is commonly known as carom seed, ajwain, Bishop’s weed and traditionally used as spice in food preparations in India and other parts of world. The authors evaluated three doses of TA oil (10, 100 and 1000 ppm) and 10 ppm dose demonstrated maximal lifespan extension (12.45 %, P≤ 0.0001) in C. elegans. The 10 ppm dose of TA oil demonstrated in vivo antioxidant activity as it was able to extend lifespan in oxidative stress sensitive mev-1mutant by 9.53 % (P< 0.0001). Furthermore, TA oil treatment elevated expression of SOD-3 and GST-4 and conferred oxidative stress resistance in worms. This study broadens current perspectives concerning antiaging potential of TA oil. The present study has implications in the development of natural antioxidant based therapy for treating age related disorders which can be subjected to future investigations.

Plant-associated rhizospheric microflora has been vastly explored for its vital function in maintaining plant health. A better understanding however, for its impact on the root-knot disease management and enhancement of antioxidant potentials, especially in medicinal plants viz. Matricaria recutitaL. (Chamomile) is yet seldom investigated. The present investigation evaluates selected potential of rhizospheric microbes viz. Bacillus megaterium,Trichoderma harzianumThU and Glomus intraradices, singly as well as in consortia for the management of Meloidogyne incognita(Kofoid and White) Chitwood and augmentation of phytochemical contents in Chamomile. A significant reduction (2.50 fold) in root-knot indices was observed in the triple microbe treatment of B. megaterium, T. harzianumand G. intraradicesas compared to control plants. Antioxidant potential at various levels viz. total phenolics and flavonoids, free radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power, total antioxidant capacity and reducing power was significantly higher in consortia treated M. recutitaplants as compared to their single application. The results from the present experimentation indicate a possible new function of compatible interaction among microbe’s that can effectively cope with the root-knot nematode menace and is capable of enhancing antioxidant values of M. recutita.