Fibers and Dye Yielding Plants of North East India

Abstract

India has been considered as a rich biodiversity and havens of wealth for useful germplasm resources and there is no doubt that the plant kingdom with treasure house of diverse natural product. The Northeast region of India comprising of the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim can be physio-graphically categorized into the Eastern Himalayas, Northeast hills (Patkai-Naga Hills and Lushai Hills) and the Brahmaputra and Barak Valley plains. The region has been identified by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) as a centre of rice germplasm while the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), India, has highlighted the region as being rich in wild relatives of crop plants. Fibers and dyes both are derived from plants using by human society. Natural dyes are use in the colouring textile, drugs, cosmetics etc. Because of its non-toxic effects, it is also used for colouring various food products. Due to lack of availability of precise technical knowledge on the extraction, dying technique, it has not commercially succeeded like the synthetic dyes. Natural fibers are getting increasing significance as renewable and environmental friendly raw material for technical applications as well as civil engineering and building, construction materials. In this chapter, we discussed the fiber and dye yielding plans in North East India, its extractions, uses, mordants, characterization, advantage and disadvantages in details.