Search

Survey and collection was done during the year 2005 and 2006 to collect accessions and domesticate at experimental farm at Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Centre, Purara. A field experiment was conducted during 2005-2009 to evaluate the 18 accessions of Indian Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) collected from western Himalaya region of Uttarakhand. All the accessions collected were screened for herb yield and essential oil yield. The highest herb yield was recorded in 'OV7' (926.40 gm) followed by 'OV4' and 'OV9' with 671.40 and 635.00 gm, respectively. The essential oil yield was found to be highest in accession 'OV7' (1.83 ml). The 'OV4' accession dominated by thymol as the major compound yielded 1.40 ml followed by 'OV9' with carvacrol as major compound yielding 1.26 ml. The result of the experiment evaluated accession 'OV7' for high herb and essential oil yield. While accessions 'OV4' and 'OV9' can be domesticated as high thymol and carvacrol rich lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of intercropping of fodder crops on growth and yield attributes of the essential oil-yielding multi-harvest aromatic plant geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L. Her. ex. Ait) under field conditions during 2005-2007. In addition aggressivity, land equivalent ratio (LER), area time equivalent ratio (ATER) and land use efficiency % (LUE%) as an index of intercropping advantage were determined to assess the resource use efficiency of intercropping systems. The main crop geranium was intercropped with oat (Avena sativa L.) and berseem or Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrum L.) in different combinations. All crops were also grown in pure stands. The study indicated that the growth and yield of geranium was affected at first harvest compared to sole. But the second harvest in different intercropping systems compared to sole did not affect biomass and oil yield of geranium. Intercrops produced bonus yields over and above that of geranium. The resource use efficiency values were higher in intercropping systems over sole geranium. The study clearly showed that geranium-based intercrop treatments might provide the highest total yield as well as resource use efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnifying the productivity of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) ultimately relies on the ability to scale from Farm to Laboratory and Laboratory to Industry. Cymbopogon martini (Roxb.) W.Watson (Poaceae), popularly known as palmarosa, Indian geranium, ginger-grass, and rosha-grass is rich in volatile secondary metabolites having an industrial perspective. In this review article, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the industrial application of C. martini and its potential in the pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, food industries, and its agriculture perspective in terms of its potential in phytoremediation and land restoration. We have attempted to put all the material accessible in the literature about C. martini and its volatile metabolites for various industrial applications. Electronic databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Ethnobotany, Academic Journals, and library searches were used to assemble the available data. According to the published literature, the essential oil of C. martini is rich in cyclic and acyclic monoterpenoids which has a wide range of pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, food additive, and agricultural applications due to anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, wound healing, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, anthelmintic, insecticidal, larvicidal, acaricidal, nematicidal and herbicidal activities. The cultivation of C. martini has shown additional benefits in terms of restoration of productivity and functions of wasteland through the phytoremediation process. This review article provides first-time updated information about C. martini as a potential bio-resource for utilization of wastelands with special reference to its industrial potential. [Display omitted] • Cymbopogon martini is a promising essential oil-bearing crop. • Industrial perspectives of C. martini from Farm to Lab and Lab to Industry discussed. • Cultivation of C. martini is also helpful to restore the productivity and functions of wasteland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss various aspects of aromatic plants in perfumery, cosmetic products, flavouring agents, drugs, cancer treatment and in defining intraspecific taxonomy. The diversity and classification of genus Origanum vulgare by several botanists are reported. It is stated that morphological variations in population of Origanum vulgare sensulato helps in chemodiversity study.