ANNUAL REPORT - Department of Biotechnology

accessions of 15 high altitude species collected from
Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal. About 3000
plants of Picrorhiza kurrooa have been provided to
the field conservatory at Srinagar. Fifteen accessions
have been added to the seed bank. In vitro repository
has been enriched by adding various accessions of
Swertia chirayita spp (5), Picrorhiza kurrooa (5) and
Angelica archanglica (1). Somatic embryogenesis
has been developed in Aconitum heterophyllum.
Morphological characterization of various
accessions of Argyrolobium roseus (7), Podophyllum
hexandrum (2), Picrorhiza kurrooa (2), Jatropha
curcas (3), Aloe vera (20) and Silybum marianum (3)
have been carried out
Ex-situ conservation and characterization
A total of 1686 accessions belonging to 146 species
used in Ayurveda are being maintained in the field
gene bank at Arya Vaidya Sala (AVS), Kottakal. Seed
samples of 44 species have been stored in the seed
bank. An image library has been developed which
has 2294 plant images belonging to 811 species.
Morphological and phytochemical characterization of
various accessions of Adhatoda zeylanica, Coleus
aromaticus and Hemidesmus indicus have been
carried out. At National Bureau of Plant Genetic
Resources, New Delhi, in vitro repository of a total 30
accessions of Allium tuberosum, A. chinense,
Bacopa monnieri and Centella asiatica has been
established. Cryopreservation protocols of in vitro
shoot bases in Allium tuberosum using
encapsulation-dehydration and vitrification
technique have been established. In vitro bulblets in
A. chinense and encapsulated explants in A.
tuberosum and B. monnieri in cryovials were
successfully maintained without nutrient medium.
A rapid and highly reproduciable protocol for in vitro
propagation of Picrorhiza scrophulariflor,an
endangered medicinal plant of Eastern Himalayas
has been developed at North-Bengal Agricultural
University, Cooch Behar. About 350 in vitro raised
plantlets have been hardened with 90% survival rate.
A total of 162 accessions of Withania somnifera and
18 accessions of Gymnema sylvestre collected from
71
different geographical locations were chemically
analysed for withanolide and gymnemic acid content
, respectively at The Energy and Resources Institute,
New Delhi. Withaferin-A content varied in leaves from
0.22 to 3.38% and in roots from 0.002 to 0.75% in W.
somnifera. In 18 accessions of G. sylvestre, the
gymnemic acid content varied from 0.23 to 2.53%.
Eleven different populations of Nothapodytes
nimmoniana from the Western Ghats were
chemically profiled for camptothecin content jointly at
University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore and
University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. Out of
148 individuals assayed, 23 yielded more than 1%
camptothecin. These high yielding lines are being
multiplied clonally for re-introduction in to their
natural habitat. SSR markers are being developed to
assess the genetic variability of populations and also
to identify molecular marker tags for camptothecin.
Micropropagation
Multi-location field trials of tissue culture plantlets and
rooted cuttings of elite patchouli (Pogostemon cablin)
continued at five institutions; Kelkar's Scientific
Research Centre (SRC), Mumbai; Konkan Krishi
Vidyapeeth (KKV), Dapoli; NRC on Medicinal and
Aromatic Plants, Anand; Central Plantation Crops
Research Insititute (CPCRI), Kasaragod and
University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad.
Agrotechniques were standardized for cultivation of
patchouli in Gujarat, Konkan and Karnataka region. A
total area of 30 ha has been covered in different
locations with the patchouli crop in the farmers' field.
The biomass obtained from the nodal centres was
analyzed for oil yield and profile. The oil obtained
from different experimental trials have been found to
be similar to the parent plant with respect to the
composition. Based on the results, it is concluded
that cultivation of patchouli can be undertaken in
regions with high humidity as a single crop or in dry
regions as an intercrop with other crops. The design
of the mist bioreactor system for generation of
patchouli plantlets has been further improved at
Kelkar's SRC, Mumbai. The growth performance and
oil profile of bioreactor-generated plantlets of
Research and Development