Cultivation Of Medicinal Plants Research Articles

Lavender plant: Farming and Health benefits.

Natural remedies from a range of sources, including plants, animals, microorganisms, and marine life, have made a significant contribution to the treatment of many ailments. Lavender is a Mediterranean shrub from the Lamiaceae family. Lavender flowers (Lavandula flores) include active ingredients (3%), anthocyanins, sugars, phytosterols, minerals, and tannins and are majorly used for herbal applications. Lavender essential oil's descriptive and analytical composition varies depending on genotype, growing region, climatic circumstances, propagation, and morphological characteristics. There are around 300 chemical components in essential oil. Linalool, terpinen-4-ol, linalyl acetate, ocimene, acetate lavandulol, and cineole are the most prominent constituents. Lavender oil has antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The lavender extract helps to prevent dementia and may slow cancer cell growth, while lavender oil is used to treat skin problems. This review will cover the recent medical, economic and regional advancements in levander propagation and how the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research Indian Institute of Integrative (CSIR IIIM) aroma mission is actively acting as a bridge between farmers and their economic improvement by attracting them to the field of medicinal plant cultivation.

Effect of Herbal Kunapajala and Different Organic Manures on Plant Growth, Quality and Yield of Withania Somnifera L. Dunal

Effect of Herbal Kunapajala and Different Organic Manures on Plant Growth, Quality and Yield of Withania Somnifera L. Dunal

Temperature and water stresses on antioxidant activity of selected medicinal plants have implications for sustainable use and global warming

Some traditional healers believe that herbal medicines derived from wild populations have higher activity than cultivated medicinal plants. This has important implications for the conservation of medicinal plants if traditional healers do not want to use cultivated plants. We have previously shown that water and temperature stresses have little effect on antimicrobial activity acetone leaf extracts of Leonotis dysophylla Benth., Bulbine frutescens (L.) Willd. and Tulbaghia violacea Harv. Antioxidant activity of plant extracts may be important in treating several different diseases. We have therefore investigated the effect of water and temperature stresses on the quantitative and qualitative antioxidant activity of these species in plants with limited genetic variation using 6‑hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox) and l-ascorbic acid as positive controls. Activity was measured against two free radicals, 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH). All plant extracts had some antioxidant activity following 182 to 240 days of exposure to temperature (15 °C and 30 °C) and water (50–500 ml/pot every second day) treatments. The IC50 values across water treatments did not show any clear patterns, which suggests that water stress had little influence on the antioxidant activity. On the other hand, the IC50 values under high temperature of 30 °C were statistically significantly higher than those under the temperature of 15 °C, which indicates that high temperature led to a reduced antioxidant activity. The effect of fluctuating temperatures higher than 30 °C because of prevailing global warming is more likely to lower the antioxidant activity of many important medicinal plants in nature. The results also indicate that plants in nature do not necessarily have higher activity to address concerns of traditional healers. Using cultivated plants may affect the quality and/or safety of medicinal properties to be used to treat different illnesses. As such, the establishment of optimal growth regimes for ex situ cultivation for important and especially threatened medicinal plants is recommended. It may help yield consistent supply of quality and quantity of bioactive material for self-medication and commercialisation. Cultivation may also contribute to conservation of species biodiversity.

Impacts of fertilization methods on Salvia miltiorrhiza quality and characteristics of the epiphytic microbial community.

Plant epiphytic microorganisms have established a unique symbiotic relationship with plants, which has a significant impact on their growth, immune defense, and environmental adaptation. However, the impact of fertilization methods on the epiphytic microbial community and their correlation with the yield and quality of medicinal plant was still unclear. In current study, we conducted a field fertilization experiment and analyzed the composition of epiphytic bacterial and fungal communities employing high throughput sequencing data in different organs (roots, stems, and leaves) of Salvia miltiorrhiza, as well as their correlation with plant growth. The results showed that fertilization significantly affected the active ingredients and hormone content, soil physicochemical properties, and the composition of epiphytic microbial communities. After fertilization, the plant surface was enriched with a core microbial community mainly composed of bacteria from Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria, as well as fungi from Zygomycota and Ascomycota. Additionally, plant growth hormones were the principal factors leading to alterations in the epiphytic microbial community of S. miltiorrhiza. Thus, the most effective method of fertilization involved the application of base fertilizer in combination with foliar fertilizer. This study provides a new perspective for studying the correlation between microbial community function and the quality of S. miltiorrhiza, and also provides a theoretical basis for the cultivation and sustainable development of high-quality medicinal plants.

Improving Household Income by Growing Medicinal Plants in Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam: A Case Study of Celastrus hindsii

The study focused on surveying and evaluating factors affecting the income of households growing medicinal plants in Hoa Binh province, Vietnam. To ensure the sample size, the expected number of samples was 120 to survey medicinal herb growers in Lac Thuy, Luong Son, Yen Thuy districts, and Hoa Binh City (it was expected that 30 samples were to be collected in each district or city). After screening the survey results, the collected data was reduced to 109 samples that met the requirements for providing all necessary survey information for analysis. These are good signs in the transformation of crop structure in Hoa Binh province, Vietnam. Factors affecting mixed income of farmer households growing medicinal plants include fertilizers and pesticide costs, selling prices, infield transportation, and propaganda – incentives. Therefore, necessary solutions in the coming period to improve household income of farmers growing medicinal plants in Hoa Binh province include: (i) Promoting training, propaganda and encouragement for farmers to grow medicinal herbs; (ii) Investing in upgrading the internal transport system in medicinal herb production areas; and (iii) Strengthening linkages in promoting the consumption of medicinal products. Developing the cultivation of medicinal plants is an effective solution for raising household income in Hoa Binh province, Vietnam.

Improving transformation and regeneration efficiency in medicinal plants: Insights from other recalcitrant species.

Medicinal plants are integral to traditional medicine systems world-wide, being pivotal for human health. Harvesting plant material from natural environments, however, has led to species scarcity, prompting action to develop cultivation solutions that also aid conservation efforts. Biotechnological tools, specifically plant tissue culture and genetic transformation, offer solutions for sustainable, large-scale production and enhanced yield of valuable biomolecules. While these techniques are instrumental to the development of the medicinal plant industry, the challenge of inherent regeneration recalcitrance in some species to in vitro cultivation hampers these efforts. This review examines the strategies for overcoming recalcitrance in medicinal plants using a holistic approach, emphasising the meticulous choice of explants, e.g. embryonic/meristematic tissues; plant growth regulators, e.g. synthetic cytokinins; and use of novel regeneration-enabling methods to deliver morphogenic genes e.g. GRF/GIF chimeras and nanoparticles, which have been shown to contribute to overcoming recalcitrance barriers in agriculture crops. Furthermore, it highlights the benefit of cost-effective genomic technologies that enable precise genome editing and the value of integrating data-driven models to address genotype-specific challenges in medicinal plant research. These advances mark a progressive step towards a future where medicinal plant cultivation is not only more efficient and predictable but also inherently sustainable, ensuring the continued availability and exploitation of these important plants for current and future generations.

Harnessing Nature's Pharmacy: Biotechnology Advances in Medicinal Plant Research

The integration of biotechnology into medicinal plant research has revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry, offering unprecedented opportunities for the development of novel therapeutics and healthcare solutions. By tapping into the vast biochemical diversity of plants, scientists have unlocked a treasure trove of potential drug candidates, many of which have been used in traditional medicine for centuries. Biotechnological tools such as genetic engineering, tissue culture, metabolomics, and bioinformatics have enabled the precise manipulation and optimization of plant-derived compounds, leading to the production of high-value pharmaceuticals with enhanced efficacy and safety profiles. Moreover, biotechnology facilitates sustainable practices by enabling the cultivation of medicinal plants under controlled conditions, reducing reliance on wild harvesting and alleviating pressure on endangered species. As our understanding of plant biology continues to deepen, the synergy between biotechnology and medicinal plant research holds tremendous promise for addressing global health challenges and improving patient outcomes.

Current Trends in the Study of Promising Medicinal Plant Species

This publication presents the views of Nikolay I. Sidelnikov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, on the current developments in the cultivation of medicinal plants, the search for and study of herbal drug sources, and the development of herbal medicinal products. The All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants carries out comprehensive studies of medicinal plants, including the evaluation of natural resources in the context of environmental management, the development of agricultural technologies, the search for biologically active substances, preclinical pharmacology and toxicity studies, and the development of technologies for the production of active substances and medicinal.

Metabolites from a co-culture of Trichoderma yunnanense and Paenibacillus peoriae improve resistance to corm rot disease in Crocus sativus

The stigmas of the medicinal plant Crocus sativus are utilized as an expensive traditional Chinese medicine to treat irregular menstruation, depression, postpartum thrombosis, and bruises. As one of the most severe diseases of C. sativus, corm rot has hindered development of the C. sativus industry. Synthetic microbial communities (SMCs) have shown significant promise for the control of plant diseases, but there are few reports on their use for control of C. sativus corm rot. In this study, we co-cultured pairs of C. sativus rhizosphere soil-isolated fungi and bacteria, performed compatibility experiments on them to obtain SMCs with good compatibility, and evaluated their ability to improve disease resistance against C. sativus corm rot induced by Fusarium oxysporum. The fermentation broth of the most effective SMC was partitioned into five fractions, and disease resistance activity assays were conducted to identify the fraction in which active metabolites were concentrated. Metabolomic analyses were carried out to analyze the chemical composition of this fraction and determine how it differed from that of single cultures. We constructed four SMCs and found that SMC03 (Trichoderma yunnanense SR38 + Paenibacillus peoriae SR235) showed the best disease resistance activity, which was significantly higher than that of SR38 or SR235 alone (P < 0.05). The active metabolites produced by SMC03 were mainly concentrated in the aqueous fraction, which contained abundant organic acids and their derivatives. Co-cultivation of SR38 and SR235 increased overall production of DL-3-phenyllactic acid, 3-hydroxydecanoic acid, and (2S)-2-isopropylmalate, and we speculate that these components can bind membrane receptors of plant cells, induce local resistance, and subsequently generate plant immune response, thereby enhancing C. sativus disease resistance. In summary, co-cultivation of a fungus and a bacterium from the C. sativus rhizosphere may enhance host resistance to corm rot by accelerating the synthesis of certain organic acids. This study demonstrates for the first time the feasibility of developing SMCs for control of corm rot in C. sativus, which is of great significance in guiding the development of efficient biocontrol agents against C. sativus corm rot, thereby promoting sustainable cultivation of C. sativus. These findings also provide reference for the biocontrol of fungal diseases in other field cultivated medicinal plants.

Exploring socio-psychological factors affecting farmers' intention to choose a low-water-demand cropping pattern for water resources conservation: Application of the health belief model

Water scarcity threatens food security and leads to various economic, social, and environmental challenges, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. As the agricultural sector consumes the most significant amount of water, conserving water resources in this sector is particularly important. Cultivation of low-water-demand (LWD) crops with high value-added is one of the effective measures to reduce agricultural water demand and improve farmers' livelihoods. However, changing water-intensive crops to LWD crops (e.g., medicinal plants) is voluntary pro-environmental behavior. Considering the role of psychological theories in understanding and explaining human behaviors, the main purpose of the current paper is to explore the socio-psychological determinants underlying farmers' intention to adopt an LWD cropping pattern using the Health Belief Model (HBM). In this regard, data were collected using face-to-face interviews with 184 farmers living in Zanjan province, Iran to examine their intention to cultivate LWD medicinal plants. Using structural equation modeling for data analysis, the HBM explained 49% of the variance in farmers' behavioral intentions. The structural equation modeling outcomes also revealed that self-efficacy, perceived barriers, cues to action, and perceived benefits are significantly related to farmers' intention to choose medicinal plants. Overall, the findings indicated the effectiveness and applicability of the HBM in illustrating farmers’ intention to change their cropping pattern. Applying some strategies such as providing the necessary facilities and training programs for farmers, as well as, advertisements aimed at promoting the cultivation of medicinal plants can significantly contribute to conserving water resources in the study area.

Checklist of medicinal plants used by traditional women for maternal health care in Lagos State, Nigeria

Traditional women in Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria have been using medicinal plants for maternal health care since time immemorial. However, there is no proper documentation of medicinal plants used in maternal health care, as information is passed from generation to generation orally. This study aimed at the identification and documentation of medicinal plants used in Lagos, Nigeria for maternal health care. Ethnobotanical studies were carried out in six local government areas namely, Agege, Alimosho, Badagry, Ejigbo, Mushin and Ojo. A Semi-structured questionnaire was designed to obtain information from 300 respondents, 50 from each local government area. The respondents included herbal merchants, herbal medicine practitioners, midwives, and traditional birth attendants. Information obtained included the names of the plants, plant parts used, mode of preparation and administration and dosage of the medicinal herbs. Forty-five (45) plants belonging to twenty-three (23) families were identified and documented in the study area. Most of the reported plants belong to the Fabaceae (13.52%), Malvaceae (8.41%) and Annonaceae (6.67%) families. Kigelia africana, Caliandra portoricensis, Nauclea latifolia and Securidata longepedunculata had the highest Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and Fidelity Level (FL) of 0.96; 100% and 0.82; 100%, 0.92; 100 % and 0.78; 100% respectively. Most of the reported plants (73.47%) were herbs and shrubs and about 62.68% of the surveyed plants were wild. Leaves were the most frequently used (72.74%) plant’s part. Most of the herbs (80.45 %) were prepared as decoctions and preparations were mostly administered orally (88.64%). Strategies suggested to conserve the surveyed plants include the cultivation of medicinal plants to prevent their extinction.

Organik Tarım Yöntemleri ile Yetiştirilmiş Lycium barbarum İnfüzyonunun Standardizasyonu ve Antioksidan ve Enzim İnhibitör Etkileri

The cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants with conventional and organic farming techniques in order to protect biodiversity due to depleted natural resources is becoming increasingly common. The expense of organic farming techniques necessitates more careful selection of the plants to be grown. Evaluation of the bioactivity and phytochemical contents of these plants is important for the pharmaceutical and food industry. In this study, the antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticholesterolemic and antiobesity activities of the extracts obtained from the fruit, root and leaves of Lycium barbarum grown with organic farming techniques using infusion and decoction techniques were evaluated in vitro. The phytochemical contents of the extracts were investigated by spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. In the study in which five different antioxidant activity methods were used, L. barbarum root decoction showed a strong antioxidant effect in almost all methods. While none of the extracts exerted an inhibitory effect on the α-glucosidase enzyme, the leaf infusion of the plant at 2 mg mL-1 concentration caused strong inhibitions especially on pancreatic lipase (62.16±3.33%) and pancreatic cholesterol esterase (93.98±0.54%) enzymes compared to the reference compounds. L. barbarum leaf infusion was standardized by RP-HPLC technique on the basis of chlorogenic acid (1.339±0.056 g 100g-1 dry extract) and quercetin-3-O-glucoside (1.801±0.042 g 100g-1 dry extract) as markers. The findings displayed that leaf infusions of L. barbarum grown with organic farming techniques could be the source of natural product development studies for hypercholesterolemia and obesity control, and the extract could be standardized using chlorogenic acid and quercetin-3-O-glucoside as markers.

Elevating morphology and essential oil in cumin genotypes through polyploidy induction

Polyploidy induction is a valuable tool for improving plant breeding outcomes, influencing key plant characteristics. This study investigates the effects of induced polyploidy on various traits in five genotypes of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.), contributing novel insights to the ongoing research in this domain. Employing varied colchicine concentrations (0.025, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 w/v) targeted at the apical meristem, successful chromosome doubling in tetraploid plants (2n = 4x = 28) is achieved, with the optimal induction observed at 0.05 % colchicine. Beyond conventional cytological assessments (chromosome counts, flow cytometry and cytological traits), the investigation extends to elucidate the impact of polyploidy on morphological characteristics and essential oil (EO) content across the cumin genotypic spectrum in the field. Tetraploid plants exhibit a noteworthy enhancement in EO yield (30–100 %) among the five cumin genotypes compared to their diploid counterparts, presenting a promising avenue for practical applications in medicinal plant cultivation. Chemical analysis by GC–MS reveals the role of induced polyploidy in modulating specific essential oil components. Cuminaldehyde, a key constituent, demonstrates heightened levels in tetraploid plants, shedding light on potential commercial implications for the pharmaceutical and spice industries. This study not only contributes to the scientific understanding of polyploidy induction in cumin genotypes but also introduces novel insights into optimization strategies, morphological alterations, and chemical composition.

A Review on Cost and Return of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Cultivation in India

The purpose of this paper is to review the cost and return of medicinal and aromatic plants cultivation. Relevant and scholarly articles of various researchers were reviewed. The articles were searched using the keywords "medicinal and aromatic plants" along with cost and return, cultivation. Scientific platforms such as Google Scholar and Scopus were searched, along with, annual reports, magazines, newspapers, medicinal plants board websites etc. The reviews compiled collective information on cost and return, benefit cost ratio. Medicinal and aromatic plants provide a higher return compared to traditional crops. However, marketing is an important constraint in cultivation. Understanding the economics of cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants is an important step in designing future policies. This paper tries to fill the gap and contributes literature on cost and return of cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, which may be helpful in improving the linkage of value chain of the sector.

Beneficial endophytic fungi improve the yield and quality of Salvia miltiorrhiza by performing different ecological functions.

Endophytic fungi can enhance the growth and synthesis of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge is frequently employed for treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular ailments, with the primary bioactive components being salvianolic acid and tanshinone. However, their levels in cultivated S. miltiorrhiza are inferior to that of the wild herbs, so the production of high-quality medicinal herbs is sharply declining. Consequently, the utilization of beneficial endophytic fungi to improve the yield and quality of S. miltiorrhiza holds great significance for the cultivation of medicinal plants. In this study, nine non-pathogenic, endophytic fungal strains were introduced into sterile S. miltiorrhiza seedlings and cultivated both in vitro and in situ (the greenhouse). The effects of these strains on the growth indices, C and N metabolism, antioxidant activity, photosynthesis, and content of bioactive ingredients in S. miltiorrhiza were then evaluated. The results showed that the different genera, species, or strains of endophytic fungi regulated the growth and metabolism of S. miltiorrhiza in unique ways. These endophytic fungi primarily exerted their growth-promoting effects by increasing the net photosynthetic rate, intercellular CO2 concentration, and the activities of sucrose synthase, sucrose phosphate synthase, nitrate reductase, and glutamine synthetase. They also enhanced the adaptability and resistance to environmental stresses by improving the synthesis of osmoregulatory compounds and the activity of antioxidant enzymes. However, their regulatory effects on the growth and development of S. miltiorrhiza were affected by environmental changes. Moreover, the strains that significantly promoted the synthesis and accumulation of phenolic acids inhibited the accumulation of tanshinones components, and vice versa. The endophytic fungal strains Penicillium meloforme DS8, Berkeleyomyces basicola DS10, and Acremonium sclerotigenum DS12 enhanced the bioaccumulation of tanshinones. Fusarium solani DS16 elevated the rosmarinic acid content and yields in S. miltiorrhiza. The strain Penicillium javanicum DS5 improved the contents of dihydrotanshinone, salvianolic acid B, and rosmarinic acid. The strains P. meloforme DS8 and B. basicola DS10 improved resistance. Various endophytic fungi affected the quality and yield of S. miltiorrhiza by regulating different physiological and metabolic pathways. This study also provides a novel and effective method to maximize the effects of beneficial endophytic fungi by selecting specific strains to design microbial communities based on the different ecological functions of endophytic fungi under varying environments and for specific production goals.

Conservation and development of floriculture diversity with special reference to Orchids in the Darjeeling Himalaya, India

Darjeeling Himalaya is a typical mountainous terrain composed of tropical, temperate, and alpine ecosystems and widely varying elevation ranges followed by a great diversity of flora and fauna. About 30% of the total geographical area (TGA) falls under forest cover, about one-third area as tea gardens and the rest is under agriculture and medicinal plants cultivation. There are no large floriculture gardens of public interest as yet, interestingly, aesthetic and commercial floriculture is almost wholly confined to individual home premises. In pursuance of the guidelines prescribed by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)-1992, this paper, reflects the outcomes of a three-year project, sponsored by the Govind Ballabh Pant ‘National Institute of Himalayan Environment’ (NIHE), Almora, India (formerly known as G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment &amp; Development), and would seek to address five main objectives, namely, survey and documentation of wild species including rare and endangered ones; identifying areas where R&amp;D is needed to safeguard and enhance the health of the plants and animals at the species, genetic and ecosystem level; conservation and rational utilization of natural resources as related to the process of sustainable development; generating mass awareness through education and training on scientific, economic, environmental, ecological and social dimensions of biodiversity; and, raising necessary manpower needed to promote sustainable growth and development of biodiversity resources on a long term basis.

The Financial Feasibility Of Rhizome Cultivation During Covid-19 Pandemic

The agricultural sector is one of the supporting sectors of the Indonesian economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Horticulture is one of the agricultural sub-sectors that contributes significantly to the national economy. Biopharmaceutical plants are part of the horticulture sub-sector and are used as raw materials for health products. Ginger, turmeric, galangal, kencur, and temulawak are five biopharmaceutical plants of the rhizome group that can be used as herbal medicines to anticipate some symptoms of Covid-19. One of the cultivators of these five biopharmaceutical plants is Taman Sringganis. The problem faced is that the cultivation of medicinal plants in the rhizome group is not optimal due to the many types of medicinal plants being cultivated. The financial feasibility of cultivation must be known To optimize the cultivation of rhizome plants. This research was conducted to determine the feasibility of cultivating medicinal plants in the rhizome group. As a result, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the cultivation of Taman Sringganis rhizomes was still feasible. Based on the calculation results of the four investment feasibility criteria, it is known that the Net Present Value (NPV) is positive or more than equal to zero, namely Rp. 258,213,256, the Net Benefit Cost Ratio (Net B/C Ratio) is more than one, namely 1.79, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is more than the predetermined social interest rate (10.1%), namely 36% and Payback Period (PP) is faster than the business age (5 years) which is 3 years 4 months. Rhizome, medicinal plant cultivation, supports the 8th SDGs.

Enriched soil amendments influenced soil fertility, herbage yield and bioactive principle of medicinal plant (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) grown in two different soils

High cost of chemical fertilizers and poor nutrient content in conventional organic sources (manure, compost, charcoal etc.) can be addressed through development of enriched organic amendments. However, there is a need to evaluate enriched organic amendments as a potential alternative of chemical fertilizers. Therefore, an effort was made to prepare enriched organic amendments through blending distillation waste of aromatic plant biomass (DWB) with naturally available low-grade rock phosphate (RP) and waste mica (WM). Enrich compost (ENC) was produced from DWB in a natural composting process, blended with mineral powder, whereas biochar fortified mineral (BFM) was prepared by blending biochar, derived from DWB through hydrothermal reaction, with mineral powder. The main aims of the present study were to investigate the impacts of ENC and BFM applications on soil properties, and herbage yield and quality of a medicinal herb Senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.). The performances of ENC and BFM at two different rates (2.5 and 5 t ha−1) were compared with the application of conventional farmyard manure (FYM, 5 t ha−1) and chemical fertilizers (CF, NPK 60-40-20 kg ha−1) in two different soils in a pot experiment. Both, ENC and EBC improved soil quality and fertility by increasing soil organic carbon, available nutrients, microbial biomass and enzyme activity. The ENC and BFM increased total herbage yields by 21 and 16.3 % compared to FYM. In both soils, the CF treatment produced the maximum dry herbage yields (32.7–37.4 g pot−1), which however were comparable to ENC (31.9–33.7 g pot−1) and BFM (30.7–35.1 g pot−1) treatments. Bioactive compound (sennoside) production in senna was significantly improved by ENC and BFM compared to CF. The present study indicates that ENC and BFM could not only help to overcome the limitation of conventional FYM, but also have the potentials to substitute costly chemical fertilizers, particularly in medicinal plant cultivation.

Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Melalui Budidaya Tanaman Obat Lokal di Gerai Toga Desa Dadapan

Dadapan is a village that has local plants that have potential as Family Medicinal Plants (TOGA). This activity aims to transfer information regarding the cultivation and direct practice of local medicinal plants through presentation, discussions, and implantation. This activity includes 1) preparation; 2) Socialization; 3) Toga Cultivation practices and 4) Mentoring. This activity was carried out on August 20, 2023. The results obtained after the activity were an increase in basic knowledge regarding cultivation techniques practiced for family medicinal plants (TOGA) and the establishment of the TOGA Center.

The Potential Use of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) for Medicinal Plant Cultivation in Meghalaya: A Review

Beneficial PGPR have been identified in a range of plant species, including those with medicinal properties. These PGPR have been shown to enhance the growth and development of medicinal plants through the improvement of nutrient availability in rhizospheric root systems. Some medicinal plants have been found to harbour specific strains of PGPR that are associated with increased medicinal properties and enhanced bioactive compound production. So, the use of PGPR can minimise the application of chemical fertilizer for the production of rare species of medicinal plants. This review highlights the future research works which are needed in many areas of Meghalaya by the use of various beneficial strains of PGPR to reduce the use of pesticide for commercial application in the cultivation of medicinal plants. The PGPR has the ability to increase the soil fertility be decreasing the concentration of inorganic fertilizer and thereby they are regarded as the potential strains to be used as biofertilizer which in turn will also improve the cultural practices of Meghalaya to conserve a large number of rare and endangered medicinal plants.