Plants

Laceleaf Plant: Classification, Characteristics, Micropropagation, and Economic importance

Characteristics of Laceleaf Plant
1. Anthurium belongs to the Araceae family, which has 108 genera and about 3750 monocotyledonous species.
2. Araceae is a family of flowering plants that includes the species Anthurium andraeanum.
3. It is a perennial herbaceous plant that is grown for its showy, heart-shaped inflorescence, which lasts for a very long time.
4. The species is indigenous to Ecuador and Colombia. Several uses for Anthurium andraeanum species are landscaping plants, flowering potted plants, and cut flowers.
5. Slow-growing perennial Anthurium andraeanum needs damp, shaded environments like those found in tropical rainforests.
6. The vase life of an anthurium is between 14 and 28 days. It is a modified leaf (spathe) with several little botanical flowers on a pencil-like protrusion (spadix).
7. The cultivars of Anthurium andraeanum have long held a prestigious place in the world’s floriculture trade.
8. Both sexual and asexual methods can be used to spread Anthurium andraeanum. However, vegetative propagation strategies tried on these plants have not yielded positive results, and tissue culture techniques now appear to be an alternative to boost the output of anthurium, which is typically propagated by seeds.
9. Because of cross-pollination and heterozygous progeny, seed propagation is not preferred. Additionally, it is hindered by the seeds’ poor viability and low germination rate.
10. Anthurium has been successfully micropropagated using a variety of explants. Pierik et al. published the first report on the tissue culture of Anthurium (1974). Both direct shoot regeneration from lamina explants and adventitious shoot production from callus were successful in regenerating Anthurium andraeanum. Nowadays, there are many people doing floriculture all over the world.
11. Both potted plants and cut flowers made from anthurium are offered, but the cut flower market is substantially larger. Among tropical flowers, the trade value of anthurium is second only to that of spray tropical orchids, and the size of the global anthurium import market is believed to be greater than US$ 20 million yearly.
12. Micropropagation is a factor in the trade-in anthuriums’ consistent growth. Due to the relatively costly cost of micropropagation, anthurium flowers are out of the reach of the average person.

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Neem: Neem oil, Larvicidal Activity, Skin Disorders, Antiulcer and Antimalarial activity

Benefits of different Neem components
Neem oil: Beneficial for medications, cosmetics, and pest control.
Neem seed cake: Natural fertilizer and insecticide
Neem leaves: Neem leaves have several health benefits, including the ability to treat various foot fungus, prevent termites, boost immunity, reduce malarial fever, and relieve neuromuscular problems.
Neem bark and roots are used to cure a variety of illnesses, including diabetes, AIDS, cancer, heart disease, herpes, allergies, ulcers, hepatitis, and fleas and ticks on pets. They also battle against skin infections like acne, psoriasis, eczema, and scabies.

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Neem: Classification, Origin, Distribution, Characteristics,  and Application

Azadirachta has been classified into two species: Azadirachta excelsa Kack, which is only found in the Philippines and Indonesia, and Azadirachta indica A. Juss, which is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. In India, Bangladesh, Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, the former grows as a wild tree. Neem trees are currently observed flourishing in about 72 nations across Asia, Africa, Australia, North, Central, and South America.
An estimated 25 million trees are flourishing throughout the country, with Karnataka accounting for 5.5 percent of them. Tamilnadu (17.8 percent) and Uttar Pradesh (55.7 percent) take the first and second spots, respectively. Along with Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union territory, the other Indian states where neem trees may be seen growing are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, etc. India leads the world in the production of neem seeds, with an annual production of 4,42,300 tonnes of seeds that result in 88,400 tonnes of neem oil and 3,53,800 tonnes of neem cake.

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Suicide Tree: Classification, Characteristics, Extracts, and Toxicity

Plants are known to have anti-insect properties, including larvicidal properties, due to their chemical compounds. It was used as a homicide/suicide agent in India, with occasional accidental poisoning, notably among youngsters who mistook the fruit for food. According to Indian data, Cerbera odollam poisoning accounted for 50% of all plant-based poisoning incidents in Kerala, India between 1989 and 1999. C. odollam is a member of the Apocynaceae family, which includes yellow oleander (Thevetia sp.) and common oleander (Narium sp.). Both of them are toxic.
In the early nineteenth century, the first accurate descriptions of the toxin were written down (Gaillard et al., 2004). It is used by the Burmese for illumination, as a cosmetic, and as a pesticide or insect repellant when blended with other oils (Chopra et al., 1956). Guruswami et al. (1970) investigated the pharmacological effects of a crude ethanolic extract of C. odollam seed on 50 frogs’ hearts, finding that the predominant effect was to decrease the heart’s impulse-producing and conducing tissues. The leaves and bark are eaten in various areas for their cathartic qualities (Chopra et al., 1958).

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Rosemary Plant: Taxonomical position, Geographical distribution, Characteristics, Chemical Composition, and Uses

Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Family Lamiaceae) is an evergreen perennial shrub. It’s a Mediterranean plant that’s been developed as a common houseplant all around the world (Dong et al., 2012). Italy, Dalmatia, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, France, Portugal, and North Africa are the major producers (Svoboda and Deans, 1992). Rosemary essential oil is used as a spice for foods such as meat, salami, and sauces (Lo-Presti et al., 2005), but it is also utilized as an antioxidant (for food preservation), antibacterial, and antifungal agent against some spoilage organisms due to its chemical active components qualities (Rezzoug et al., 2005).

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Coconut (Cocos nucifera): Distribution, Requirements for Coconut Cultivation, Disease Control

A vast range of pests and illnesses impact the growth and development of Cocos Nucifera. Pestalotiopsis palmarum, Phytophthora spp., Ganoderma spp., Maramielliouus cocophilus, Pestalotiops Insects and oryctes are examples of pests.
Phytophthora spp., often known as bud rot and nutfall, is a disease that affects 14 to 40-year-old coconut palms. It may be found in all coconut growing countries and is encouraged by excessive rainfall. Oomycetes induce chlorosis in leaves, a terrible odour, pink lesions, and inflorescences that abort nuts. Its treatment control relies on proper sanitation and the application of systemic fungicides to remove infected waste from the plantation, as well as the habit of irrigating trees early in the morning to allow the surfaces to dry.
Ganoderma spp., commonly known as Ganoderma butt rot, is caused by fungi, and the symptoms range from old fronds turning yellow, wilting, and falling to fronds collapting and dying, the interior tissue of the lower stem becoming discoloured, and the plant’s general vigour being noticeable. Fungicides are used to control it.
Chalara paradoxa, also known as stem bleeding disease, is a fungus-caused soft yellow rot on the trunk, with darkened and blackened infected patches and a reddish-brown liquid oozing from the roots. Infected trees should be removed and burned, and the disease is treated using machinery and instruments to limit disease incidence and sprays of the fungicide benomyl (Plant village)

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Althernanthra sessilis: Classification, Distribution, Characteristics, Chemical Constituents, and Uses

Althernanthra contain hydrocarbons, esters, and sterols such as stigmasterol, campesterol, ß-sitosterol, a-and ßspinasterol, a-stigmasteanol, and sterol palmitates; it also contains 24-methylenecycloartanol and cycloeucalenol. Leaf saponins have been isolated. Lupeol can be found in the roots. Protein and iron can be found in young shoots. It also has 5-a -stigmasta-7- enol in it.

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Beefsteak (Perilla frutescens): Distribution, Description, and Uses

Perilla, Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton], is an annual herb that grows in Asia and is endemic to the hilly parts of China and India. Perilla is also known as Bhanjira in India, and it can be found in the tropical and temperate Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan. In China, Korea, and Japan, P. frutescens leaves are widely used for flavouring, food, medicine, and oil, as well as one of the most popular garnishes and food colourants. Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. (Lamiaceae) and its variations are popular food plants in Asian nations like China, Korea, Japan, and Thailand (Asif and Kumar, 2010; Heci, 2001).

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Ficus benjamina (Weeping fig): Classification, Distribution, Description, Use, and Management

The Ficus benjamina L. is a fig tree that is native to a large region that includes India, China, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the South Pacific, and the northern part of Australia (Riffle, 1998), and has been widely introduced as part of urban tree planting programs in many tropical and subtropical countries due to its ornamental value and adaptability to urban environments. F. benjamina is now found in a variety of cities throughout the world, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, Paraguay, Pakistan, the Dominican Republic, Singapore, Venezuela, mention a few.

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Synedrella nodiflora: Classification, Distribution Characteristics, Morphology, Germination, and Uses

Synedrella nodiflora is a little, annual weed of cultivation native to America that can also be found in India’s plains and the Andaman Islands. It is occasionally discovered in the Amravati district (M.S.). The leaves are used as a pollutice for rheumatism and the juice is used to treat earaches. Rathi and Gopalkrishnan (Rathi and Gopalkrishnan, 2005). A leaf infusion is used as a laxative in Ghana; leaf sap is used in Cango for oral affections and is put on gums to tighten them. In Malaya, it is used for poulticing painful legs and headaches after confinement, and in Indonesia, the sap is put in the ear for earache. In Tganyika, the roots are pounded and cooked, and the decoction is offered as a cough mixture (Burkil 1985). Rathi and Gopalkrishnan discovered that aerial parts of Synedrella nodiflora have insecticidal action against Sapodeptera latura ( 2005).

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