VARIABILITY STUDIES IN NOTHAPODYTES NIMMONIANA (GRAHAM.) MABBER - AN IMPORTANT MEDICINAL TREE
Loading...
Date
2008-06-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
Abstract
Variations within a species develop in response to evolutionary forces such as
natural selection that vary in different parts o f the natural range o f a species.
Identification and exploitation o f natural variability is the cheapest and fastest way o f
accomplishing gain in the forest tree improvement programme. Vast range of herbal based
drugs are the base for pharmaceutical industry which are either of forest origin or derived from
the plants that came from forests. Camptothecin (CPT) is one o f the potential anticancer plant
based drug. Among the various plant sources, Nothapodytes nimmonicina could be one of the
potential source o f CPT which is extracted from the wood and bark of the tree. The study was
carried out in Western Ghats (12°08 N to 16°21’ N latitude and 76°30’ E to 75°55’ E longitude)
of Karnataka with stratified random sampling method.
The species was found to have considerable variation with respect to growth traits. Seeds
of different regions locations and individual trees varied considerably in seed weight and
germination. Survival rate, seedling height, collar diameter o f seedlings at nursery were also
found to differ considerably between regions, locations and trees. CPT content of seedlings of
different regions and locations were also differed significantly. The prevalence o f wide range of
variability is common in highly cross-pollinated species and it is true in the case of N.
nimmoniar.a as well. Quantitative estimation of the magnitude o f variability in each charactcr
would suggest the scope for improving the desirable traits through selection. Initiation of tree
improvement program based on sounn principles is needed in order to exploit the species
commercially, there by reducing the pressure on the natural population. Selection of genotypes
with higher alkaloid content and its mass multiplication need to be undertaken and while
formulating the long term stra'egies.
Description
Keywords
null