Annual Report - IHBT

CSIR-IHBT Annual Report 2010-11Fig. 28 HPTLC analyses of P. hexandrum samplesIn a study on female gametophyte development in Berberidaceae, the ovule was found tobe anatropous, crassinucellate and bitegmic with polygonum type embryo sac development.Archesporial cell developed directly into megaspore mother cell followed by meiotic divisions.In mature embryo sac, a small chamber is present above egg apparatus towards micropylar end.The synergid cells have filiform apparatus and endostomic condition which is considered asprimitive.In the genus Podophyllum, however, the ovule is pseudocrassinucellate with sub-hypodermal andsingle celled archesporium. The primordia for outer integument develops first and the contributionof outer integument (5 to 6 cell-layer thick) in the formation of micropyle is more than the innerintegument (2 cell-layer thick). These distinct features of the plant indicate it to be more evolvedthan its counterparts.WILD TURMERIC (Curcuma aromatica)The essential oil of turmeric rhizomes is used in pharmaceutical applications. The plant is alsoreported to possess antifungal, antimicrobial, mosquito repelling and anti-inflammatory properties.Distillation of about 1246 (2-year old) and 300 kg (1-year old) fresh rhizomes produced 4280 and980ml oil with a recovery of 0.343 and 0.327%, respectively.In a program on evaluation of non-commercial crops for value addition, the essential oil fractionscollected from rhizomes at different time intervals at lab and pilot scales were analysed using GC-MS and 13 C NMR. The last fraction (IV) showed marked reduction in camphor and increasedlevel of high boiling compounds (Table 7). In another study, three molecules were isolatedfrom the chloroform fraction of rhizomes, of which, two were characterized as β-sitosterol andcurdione (Fig. 29). A new economic process was also developed for production of value addedfragrances from the essential oil.33