North East India is rich in natural resources including various plantâ€Âbased biomasses. The ... more North East India is rich in natural resources including various plantâ€Âbased biomasses. The plant biomass includes forests, energy crops, crop and agroprocessing residues, animal manures and algal biomass. Organic debris can be recycled and reused and have many possible uses depending upon size, quality, species and volume of the material. Biomass as an alternative energy source has received much importance in terms of future energy security. Biomass based energy technologies may be a viable option considering the availability of rich bioresources in North East India. The production of biodiesel from the seeds of oil bearing plants and microalgae is also one form of biomass utilization. Several species of microalgae are present in the wetlands of this region which however have hitherto remained untapped. Many microalgal strains have been collected and research has been undertaken to screen the biodiesel potential of isolated and identified strains of microalgae native to this r...
‘Bioprospecting’ accepts the significance of natural product discovery based on traditional knowl... more ‘Bioprospecting’ accepts the significance of natural product discovery based on traditional knowledge for the development of new nutraceuticals, bioactive principles and medicines. Bioprospecting has got two major goals, viz. ‘the sustainable use through biotechnology of biological resources and their conservation’ and ‘the scientific and socioeconomic development of source countries and local communities’. Megadiverse countries have a substantial picket in connecting the prospective of biotechnology and bioprospecting for realising sustainable economic development. A major concern in bioprospecting is benefit sharing, i.e. sharing of the benefit for biodiversity conservation and social development of the local ethnic populace. This is an area with much debate but of little consent. It is important to understand the reasonable cost of biodiversity, its bioprospecting and benefit sharing. Also, bioprospecting may have a significant negative impact on the bioresources and environment if keystone species are removed or biodiversity extinctions triggered through overharvesting of the resources.
Capsicum assamicum is illustrated and described as a new species, with a note on its 'interna... more Capsicum assamicum is illustrated and described as a new species, with a note on its 'internal transcribed spacer' based molecular phylogeny and differential proteomic analysis. It is closely related to C. frutescencs and C. chinense, but can be distinguished by its profusely branched habitat, yellow green corolla, pale blue anther, orange red and sub-conical to conical fruits with rough, uneven, dented skin, and anatomical details of the stem.
‘Bioprospecting’ accepts the significance of natural product discovery based on traditional knowl... more ‘Bioprospecting’ accepts the significance of natural product discovery based on traditional knowledge for the development of new nutraceuticals, bioactive principles and medicines. Bioprospecting has got two major goals, viz. ‘the sustainable use through biotechnology of biological resources and their conservation’ and ‘the scientific and socioeconomic development of source countries and local communities’. Megadiverse countries have a substantial picket in connecting the prospective of biotechnology and bioprospecting for realising sustainable economic development. A major concern in bioprospecting is benefit sharing, i.e. sharing of the benefit for biodiversity conservation and social development of the local ethnic populace. This is an area with much debate but of little consent. It is important to understand the reasonable cost of biodiversity, its bioprospecting and benefit sharing. Also, bioprospecting may have a significant negative impact on the bioresources and environment if keystone species are removed or biodiversity extinctions triggered through overharvesting of the resources. This chapter provides an exploration of the current and future scope of bioprospecting obtained from biologically diverse natural resources. Although not envisioned to be all-inclusive in its coverage, the chapter is aimed to describe certain possibilities and opportunities within Northeastern India while describing the global trends and the industries involved in bioprospecting. The chapter also discusses means in which new technological developments and new research tools have a direct beneficial role in findings, expansion and making of profits derived from bioresources, which need to be explored at its best while J. Purkayastha (*) Office of the Director General-Life Sciences, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Rajaji Marg, New Delhi-110011, India e-mail: purkayasthaj@gmail.com # Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016 J. Purkayastha (ed.), Bioprospecting of Indigenous Bioresources of North-East India, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-0620-3_1 3 minimising the harmful aspects of bioprospecting on nature and its resources.
Cyanobacteria from freshwater and also from marine sources produce a wide array of toxic chemical... more Cyanobacteria from freshwater and also from marine sources produce a wide array of toxic chemicals and secondary or bioactive metabolites. These are mainly nitrogen-rich alkaloids and peptides and are now identified as to pose threats both to human and environmental health as well as on aquatic and terrestrial plants. Irrigation of edible plants with Cyanobacteria containing water may pose threat of indirect exposure of human health to cyanotoxins via bio-accumulation of these toxins in plant tissues. Moreover, Cyanotoxins have been shown to inhibit plant growth and development. It has also been suggested that some of the compounds may have ecological roles as allelochemicals and can be used as potential biocides and even to combat malignant cells. In this review, we highlight the different naturally occurring Cyanobacterial toxins popularly known as cyanotoxins and their interaction with plants with special emphasis on phytotoxic effects of cyanotoxins. Also, existing evidence for the positive taxis of plant-cyanobacteria interaction and potential for development and application of bioactive molecules from Cyanobacterial toxins are highlited. Key words: Cyanobacteria, toxins, phytotoxicity, allelopathy, biocide Jubilee Purkayastha. Plant-cyanobacteria Interaction: Phytotoxicity of Cyanotoxins. J Phytol 2/7 (2010) 07-15.
The northeast region of India, considered as 'hot spot' of biodiversity, having u... more The northeast region of India, considered as 'hot spot' of biodiversity, having unique ecological environment with hot and high-humidity conditions, has given rise to the world's hottest chilli, 'Bhut Jolokia', which is at least two times hotter than Red Savina Habanero in terms of Scoville heat units (SHU). This study was undertaken to determine the distinctiveness of 'Bhut Jolokia' from Capsicum frutescens or Capsicum chinense through sequencing of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene-internal transcribed ((ITS) region along with its phylogenetic analysis. Although a compensatory base change (CBC) in the ITS2 region was not observed between the closely related species of C. frutescens and C. chinense when compared with Bhut Jolokia; phylogenetic analysis using ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 sequences indicated a distinct clade for all the accessions of 'Bhut Joloikia', while C. frutescens and C. chinense occupied discrete lineages. Further, a unique 13-base deletion was observed in all the representative accessions of 'Bhut Jolokia', making it distinct from all other members within the genus and beyond. The degree of genetic variations along with its extreme pungency might be related to ambient environmental factors of northeastern India.
Cowpea is one of the important grain legumes. Storage pests, Callosobruchus maculatus and C. chin... more Cowpea is one of the important grain legumes. Storage pests, Callosobruchus maculatus and C. chinensis cause severe damage to the cowpea seeds during storage. We employ a highly efficient Agrobacterium-mediated cowpea transformation method for introduction of the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) alpha-amylase inhibitor-1 (alphaAI-1) gene into a commercially important Indian cowpea cultivar, Pusa Komal and generated fertile transgenic plants. The use of constitutive expression of additional vir genes in resident pSB1 vector in Agrobacterium strain LBA4404, thiol compounds during cocultivation and a geneticin based selection system resulted in twofold increase in stable transformation frequency. Expression of alphaAI-1 gene under bean phytohemagglutinin promoter results in accumulation of alphaAI-1 in transgenic seeds. The transgenic protein was active as an inhibitor of porcine alpha-amylase in vitro. Transgenic cowpeas expressing alphaAI-1 strongly inhibited the development of C. maculatus...
Nitrogen is an essential component needed for the growth and multiplica-tion of green microalgae.... more Nitrogen is an essential component needed for the growth and multiplica-tion of green microalgae. An experiment was conducted to study the effect of different sources of nitrogen on the phototrophic growth of the green microalga Chlorella ellipsoidea. Sodium nitrate, Sodium nitrite, urea, ammo-nium sulphate, ammonium nitrate and ammonium nitrite were added to BG11 medium as the sole source of nitrogen and the cultures were main-tained under in vitro condition. Highest absorbance and cell density was ob-served in the medium containing sodium nitrate followed by sodium nitrite while the medium with urea sustained poor growth of the microalgae. Thus BG11 medium containing sodium nitrate added at a concentration of 1.5g/L was found to be suitable for the cultivation of C. ellipsoidea.
The book contains detailed information about medicinal and aromatic plants of North Eastern Part ... more The book contains detailed information about medicinal and aromatic plants of North Eastern Part of India. Much importance has been given to include all the important medicinal and aromatic plants present in the region and to provide information on local names, parts used, folk uses, traditional uses, chemical constituents and biological activities.Special emphasis have been given to the aromatic plants which are of immense importance to aroma industry by identifying the essential oil components through GC/GCMS.
North East India is rich in natural resources including various plantâ€Âbased biomasses. The ... more North East India is rich in natural resources including various plantâ€Âbased biomasses. The plant biomass includes forests, energy crops, crop and agroprocessing residues, animal manures and algal biomass. Organic debris can be recycled and reused and have many possible uses depending upon size, quality, species and volume of the material. Biomass as an alternative energy source has received much importance in terms of future energy security. Biomass based energy technologies may be a viable option considering the availability of rich bioresources in North East India. The production of biodiesel from the seeds of oil bearing plants and microalgae is also one form of biomass utilization. Several species of microalgae are present in the wetlands of this region which however have hitherto remained untapped. Many microalgal strains have been collected and research has been undertaken to screen the biodiesel potential of isolated and identified strains of microalgae native to this r...
‘Bioprospecting’ accepts the significance of natural product discovery based on traditional knowl... more ‘Bioprospecting’ accepts the significance of natural product discovery based on traditional knowledge for the development of new nutraceuticals, bioactive principles and medicines. Bioprospecting has got two major goals, viz. ‘the sustainable use through biotechnology of biological resources and their conservation’ and ‘the scientific and socioeconomic development of source countries and local communities’. Megadiverse countries have a substantial picket in connecting the prospective of biotechnology and bioprospecting for realising sustainable economic development. A major concern in bioprospecting is benefit sharing, i.e. sharing of the benefit for biodiversity conservation and social development of the local ethnic populace. This is an area with much debate but of little consent. It is important to understand the reasonable cost of biodiversity, its bioprospecting and benefit sharing. Also, bioprospecting may have a significant negative impact on the bioresources and environment if keystone species are removed or biodiversity extinctions triggered through overharvesting of the resources.
Capsicum assamicum is illustrated and described as a new species, with a note on its 'interna... more Capsicum assamicum is illustrated and described as a new species, with a note on its 'internal transcribed spacer' based molecular phylogeny and differential proteomic analysis. It is closely related to C. frutescencs and C. chinense, but can be distinguished by its profusely branched habitat, yellow green corolla, pale blue anther, orange red and sub-conical to conical fruits with rough, uneven, dented skin, and anatomical details of the stem.
‘Bioprospecting’ accepts the significance of natural product discovery based on traditional knowl... more ‘Bioprospecting’ accepts the significance of natural product discovery based on traditional knowledge for the development of new nutraceuticals, bioactive principles and medicines. Bioprospecting has got two major goals, viz. ‘the sustainable use through biotechnology of biological resources and their conservation’ and ‘the scientific and socioeconomic development of source countries and local communities’. Megadiverse countries have a substantial picket in connecting the prospective of biotechnology and bioprospecting for realising sustainable economic development. A major concern in bioprospecting is benefit sharing, i.e. sharing of the benefit for biodiversity conservation and social development of the local ethnic populace. This is an area with much debate but of little consent. It is important to understand the reasonable cost of biodiversity, its bioprospecting and benefit sharing. Also, bioprospecting may have a significant negative impact on the bioresources and environment if keystone species are removed or biodiversity extinctions triggered through overharvesting of the resources. This chapter provides an exploration of the current and future scope of bioprospecting obtained from biologically diverse natural resources. Although not envisioned to be all-inclusive in its coverage, the chapter is aimed to describe certain possibilities and opportunities within Northeastern India while describing the global trends and the industries involved in bioprospecting. The chapter also discusses means in which new technological developments and new research tools have a direct beneficial role in findings, expansion and making of profits derived from bioresources, which need to be explored at its best while J. Purkayastha (*) Office of the Director General-Life Sciences, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Rajaji Marg, New Delhi-110011, India e-mail: purkayasthaj@gmail.com # Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016 J. Purkayastha (ed.), Bioprospecting of Indigenous Bioresources of North-East India, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-0620-3_1 3 minimising the harmful aspects of bioprospecting on nature and its resources.
Cyanobacteria from freshwater and also from marine sources produce a wide array of toxic chemical... more Cyanobacteria from freshwater and also from marine sources produce a wide array of toxic chemicals and secondary or bioactive metabolites. These are mainly nitrogen-rich alkaloids and peptides and are now identified as to pose threats both to human and environmental health as well as on aquatic and terrestrial plants. Irrigation of edible plants with Cyanobacteria containing water may pose threat of indirect exposure of human health to cyanotoxins via bio-accumulation of these toxins in plant tissues. Moreover, Cyanotoxins have been shown to inhibit plant growth and development. It has also been suggested that some of the compounds may have ecological roles as allelochemicals and can be used as potential biocides and even to combat malignant cells. In this review, we highlight the different naturally occurring Cyanobacterial toxins popularly known as cyanotoxins and their interaction with plants with special emphasis on phytotoxic effects of cyanotoxins. Also, existing evidence for the positive taxis of plant-cyanobacteria interaction and potential for development and application of bioactive molecules from Cyanobacterial toxins are highlited. Key words: Cyanobacteria, toxins, phytotoxicity, allelopathy, biocide Jubilee Purkayastha. Plant-cyanobacteria Interaction: Phytotoxicity of Cyanotoxins. J Phytol 2/7 (2010) 07-15.
The northeast region of India, considered as 'hot spot' of biodiversity, having u... more The northeast region of India, considered as 'hot spot' of biodiversity, having unique ecological environment with hot and high-humidity conditions, has given rise to the world's hottest chilli, 'Bhut Jolokia', which is at least two times hotter than Red Savina Habanero in terms of Scoville heat units (SHU). This study was undertaken to determine the distinctiveness of 'Bhut Jolokia' from Capsicum frutescens or Capsicum chinense through sequencing of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene-internal transcribed ((ITS) region along with its phylogenetic analysis. Although a compensatory base change (CBC) in the ITS2 region was not observed between the closely related species of C. frutescens and C. chinense when compared with Bhut Jolokia; phylogenetic analysis using ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 sequences indicated a distinct clade for all the accessions of 'Bhut Joloikia', while C. frutescens and C. chinense occupied discrete lineages. Further, a unique 13-base deletion was observed in all the representative accessions of 'Bhut Jolokia', making it distinct from all other members within the genus and beyond. The degree of genetic variations along with its extreme pungency might be related to ambient environmental factors of northeastern India.
Cowpea is one of the important grain legumes. Storage pests, Callosobruchus maculatus and C. chin... more Cowpea is one of the important grain legumes. Storage pests, Callosobruchus maculatus and C. chinensis cause severe damage to the cowpea seeds during storage. We employ a highly efficient Agrobacterium-mediated cowpea transformation method for introduction of the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) alpha-amylase inhibitor-1 (alphaAI-1) gene into a commercially important Indian cowpea cultivar, Pusa Komal and generated fertile transgenic plants. The use of constitutive expression of additional vir genes in resident pSB1 vector in Agrobacterium strain LBA4404, thiol compounds during cocultivation and a geneticin based selection system resulted in twofold increase in stable transformation frequency. Expression of alphaAI-1 gene under bean phytohemagglutinin promoter results in accumulation of alphaAI-1 in transgenic seeds. The transgenic protein was active as an inhibitor of porcine alpha-amylase in vitro. Transgenic cowpeas expressing alphaAI-1 strongly inhibited the development of C. maculatus...
Nitrogen is an essential component needed for the growth and multiplica-tion of green microalgae.... more Nitrogen is an essential component needed for the growth and multiplica-tion of green microalgae. An experiment was conducted to study the effect of different sources of nitrogen on the phototrophic growth of the green microalga Chlorella ellipsoidea. Sodium nitrate, Sodium nitrite, urea, ammo-nium sulphate, ammonium nitrate and ammonium nitrite were added to BG11 medium as the sole source of nitrogen and the cultures were main-tained under in vitro condition. Highest absorbance and cell density was ob-served in the medium containing sodium nitrate followed by sodium nitrite while the medium with urea sustained poor growth of the microalgae. Thus BG11 medium containing sodium nitrate added at a concentration of 1.5g/L was found to be suitable for the cultivation of C. ellipsoidea.
The book contains detailed information about medicinal and aromatic plants of North Eastern Part ... more The book contains detailed information about medicinal and aromatic plants of North Eastern Part of India. Much importance has been given to include all the important medicinal and aromatic plants present in the region and to provide information on local names, parts used, folk uses, traditional uses, chemical constituents and biological activities.Special emphasis have been given to the aromatic plants which are of immense importance to aroma industry by identifying the essential oil components through GC/GCMS.
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