Medicinal Crops Research Articles

Об’єднання виробників як інструмент стратегічного розвитку лікарського рослинництва в Україні

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the feasibility of introducing various forms of associations of producers of medicinal crops the context of the strategic development of medicinal plant growing. Research methods. General scientific methods of empirical research were applied, such as comparative-historical and descriptive - to study the development trends of forms of management, primarily cluster, as well as to record the results of their implementation; a systematic approach - to assess the field of medicinal plant growing as a system and determine the dependencies between its elements; general logical methods of analysis and synthesis - to determine the stakeholders of the region and their opportunities for the development of medicinal plant growing in Ukraine; abstract-logical - for generalization and formation of conclusions. Research results. he relationship of the strategy for the development of medicinal plant growing in Ukraine with the directions of the National Economic Strategy-2030, especially with the vector of potential improvements in the spheres of health and education, is revealed. The main characteristic features of the forms of associations of producers as clusters and cooperatives are analyzed. It is proposed to use them as tools to create a profitable model for the development of medicinal plant growing. Scientific novelty. Theoretically, the feasibility of introducing various types of economic associations in the field of medicinal plant growing, primarily cluster and cooperative ones, as guarantors of the economic development of stakeholders has been confirmed. Practical significance. The introduction of various forms of associations of manufacturers is proposed to accelerate the implementation of the strategy for the development of the medicinal plant growing industry in Ukraine. Tabl.: 1. Refs.: 17.

EFFICIENCY OF VOLINIK SMART, WS HERBICIDE APPLIED DURING THE AFTER HARVEST PERIOD

The paper presents the results of the assessment of the efficiency of Volnik Smart, WS herbicide (glyphosate, 545 g/l), Frandesa Co., Ltd applied in the fields for different crops (spring cereals, potato, vegetables, industrial, oil and medicinal crops and others).
 Volnik Smart, WS herbicide applied in a dose of 1,3–1,8 l/ha was effective against annual cereal and dicotyledonous weeds; when applied in a dose of 2,2–2,6 l/ha it destroyed effectively perennial cereal and dicotyledonous weeds. When the herbicide was applied in a dose of 1,3–1,8 l/ha the number of weeds decreased from 85,6 to 95,7 % and their vegetative mass – from 77,8 to 95,8 % in a month after the treatment. When it was applied in a dose of 2,2–2,6 l/ha the number of weeds decreased from 94,0 to 99,3 % and their vegetative mass – from 88 to 100 %.

The Biochemical and Genetic Basis for the Biosynthesis of Bioactive Compounds in Hypericum Perforatum L., One of the Largest Medicinal Crops in Europe.

Hypericum perforatum L. commonly known as Saint John’s Wort (SJW), is an important medicinal plant that has been used for more than 2000 years. Although H. perforatum produces several bioactive compounds, its importance is mainly linked to two molecules highly relevant for the pharmaceutical industry: the prenylated phloroglucinol hyperforin and the naphtodianthrone hypericin. The first functions as a natural antidepressant while the second is regarded as a powerful anticancer drug and as a useful compound for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. While the antidepressant activity of SJW extracts motivate a multi-billion dollar industry around the world, the scientific interest centers around the biosynthetic pathways of hyperforin and hypericin and their medical applications. Here, we focus on what is known about these processes and evaluate the possibilities of combining state of the art omics, genome editing, and synthetic biology to unlock applications that would be of great value for the pharmaceutical and medical industries.

Selection of elite germplasms for industrially viable medicinal crop Bacopa monnieri for bacoside A production: An HPTLC-coupled chemotaxonomic study

BackgroundBacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst., commonly known as Brahmi or water hyssop is an age old Ayurvedic nootropic and cognitive booster used as a medicinal food and also in an array of pharmaceutical and healthcare products as a memory enhancing tonic. It is a high value medicinal crop in modern healthcare industry owing to a number of bioactive pharmaceuticals of which bacoside A is of prime neuropharmacological importance. The bacosides-enriched standardized extract of Bacopa is being used and investigated for clinical purpose. ObjectivesThe objectives of this study are to analyze the intrinsic intra-specific variation in bacoside A in B. monnieri populations, to identify the elite (high bacoside A yielding) chemotypes of B. monnieri, to investigate the in vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-inhibitory activity of the B. monnieri elite chemotypes and to find out the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of B. monnieri employing Allium cepa root tips.Material and methods: This present work describes a quick, validated and reproducible high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method to estimate bacoside A content from 25 chemotypes of B. monnieri procured from 25 districts of 8 states of India. Further, an evidence-based approach was followed to validate the reported nootropic activity of the aqueous extracts of the plants by assessing their AChE inhibitory activity. Finally, the genotoxicity of an elite (high bacoside A producing) chemotype was assessed using Allium cepa root tip meristematic cells. ResultsB. monnieri chemotype BM1 (collected from North 24 Pgs, West Bengal) (7.55 μg) was found to possess the highest amount of bacoside A followed by BM3 (6.43 μg) and BM6 (6.02 μg) chemotypes collected from Jalpaiguri, West Bengal and Ranchi, Jharkhand respectively. Chemotype BM 25 (2.17 μg) exhibited least amount of bacoside A. Bacoside A content ranged between 2.17–7.67 μg across 25 chemotypes of B. monnieri. The strongest AChE inhibitory activities (IC50 values of 259.45 and 267.89 mg/mL respectively) were showed by the highest bacoside A containing chemotype BM1 (259.45 mg/mL). Allium cepa root tip meristematic cell assay also revealed the lack of mitotoxic and cytotoxic property of the plant extract. ConclusionThe present rapid, reproducible and validated HPTLC provides an efficient tool to determine the quantitative variation in the bacoside A content in naturalB. monnieri chemotypes. This method may be applied to select high bacoside A producing elite genotypes for further propagation and commercialization of this significant neuro protectant for pharmacological industry. Besides, it’s in vitro AChE inhibitory property directly supports the popular use of the plant as a nootropic agent. Lack of genotoxicity of the plant extracts evidences its age old use as a medicinal food and commercial memory booster.

Diversity and Management Strategies of Plant Parasitic Nematodes in Moroccan Organic Farming and Their Relationship with Soil Physico-Chemical Properties

Organic farming has been increasing steadily over the last decade and is expected to grow drastically in the future. Plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are known as one of the most important pests attacking various plants in conventional and organic farming systems. A survey was conducted in January 2019 to determine the occurrence and diversity of PPNs, their associations with soil properties, and to assess their management methods in organically farmed fields in Southern Morocco. Twelve genera of PPNs were identified in soil and root samples collected from 53 organic fields, including Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus, Helicotylenchus, Tylenchus, Tylenchorynchus, Criconemoides, Trichodorus, and Xiphinema. The root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) and the root-lesion nematode (Pratylenchus spp.) were the most prevalent PPNs. Vegetable crops (bean, onion, and tomato) had high nematode diversity indices compared to some aromatic and medicinal crops, including the Shannon, Evenness, and plant parasitic index (PPI). Our study underlined that several PPN genera were significantly correlated with soil physico-chemical properties, in particular, soil structure and organic matter. Therefore, it was concluded that soil properties have a considerable impact on PPN communities in organic farming systems located in Southern Morocco. There are numerous strategies for the control of PPNs in organic farming systems.

Phytohormone signaling pathway for eliciting leaf phenolic synthesis in honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica Thunb.) under coastal saline environment

To date, it remains unclear how saline stress induces leaf phenolic synthesis in honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica Thunb.), a traditional Chinese medicinal crop. This study was to investigate hormone signaling for salt-induced leaf phenolic synthesis in honeysuckle from molecular, physiological and ecological levels by pot experiments and field trials. As a major ingredient of soil salinity in coastal land, NaCl was used in salt treatment for simulating coastal saline environment. NaCl stress significantly increased leaf abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA) concentrations, potentiated leaf phenolic synthesis by elevating phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity and PALs transcription, and enhanced leaf phenolic accumulation. Under NaCl stress, tungstate and paclobutrazol pretreatments inhibited leaf ABA and SA accumulation, respectively, and lowered PAL activity, PALs transcription, and phenolic accumulation. Thus, ABA and SA participated in transducing salt-induced leaf phenolic synthesis. Paclobutrazol pretreatment hardly influenced leaf ABA concentration in salt-treated plants, but tungstate pretreatment abated salt-induced leaf SA accumulation, indicating that ABA was an upstream signal of SA. Under NaCl stress, SA application restored leaf SA level with no effect on ABA level but incompletely restored PAL activity and phenolic accumulation in tungstate-pretreated plants, confirming the downstream role of SA and implying the existence of other downstream signals. Leaf ABA and SA concentrations were higher in plants in coastal saline plots than non-saline plots, and the roles of ABA and SA in mediating salt-induced leaf phenolic synthesis passed ecological test, according to a significant positive correlation of leaf ABA and SA levels with phenolic concentration. In conclusion, ABA acted as an upstream signal of SA to elicit leaf phenolic synthesis in honeysuckle under coastal saline environment.

Valorization of unexploited artichoke leaves dust for obtaining of extracts rich in natural antioxidants

This study has developed an improved and fast microwave-assisted procedure for extraction of high yields of natural antioxidants from artichoke leaves dust. The material is derived as an abundant residue remained after processing for the industrial tea blends preparation, having no commercial value.A key factors for optimization of the total polyphenolic (TPC) and flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activities have been determined by using single factor experiments along with a response surface methodology. The optimal conditions for maximizing the combination of TPC/TFC and antioxidant activity were obtained as follows: ethanol concentration 67.81%, extraction time 50 s, liquid/solid ratio 41.78 mL/g, microwave power 180 W, whereas the corresponding responses resulted in: TPC − 205.59 ± 7.30 mg GAE/g dw, TFC − 79.75 ± 1.12 mg QE/g dw, and FRAP −1008.14 ± 37.15 mmolFe2+/g dw. Only 14.7 µg/mL of the extract concentration is required to inhibit 50% of DPPH free radicals.A comparative study confirmed that the proposed procedure yielded higher TPC, TFC and antioxidant activities than available extraction methods. It highlights a several fold reduced extraction time, caring an eco-friendly principle for obtaining of antioxidants from industrial, medicinal crop residues, which would be further easily valorized in food and pharmaceutical industry.

Exploring Flowering Genes in Isabgol (Plantago ovata Forsk.) Through Transcriptome Analysis

Flowering is one of the major developmental processes that govern the economic yield of crop plants. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying flowering in Isabgol, an important high-value medicinal crop. Here, we analyzed the leaf transcriptome of early and late flowering genotypes by high throughput next-generation sequencing to uncover the genes and pathways involved in flowering time and flower development. Illumina paired-end sequencing of Isabgol leaves at the stem elongation stage, generated 8,976,119 and 4,282,684 reads respectively in DPO-14 (early flowering) and DPO-185 (late flowering) genotypes. The sequence assembly resulted in 40,175 and 39,533 transcripts respectively in early and late genotypes. A total of 17,768 (95.50) in DPO-14 and 21,255 (94.10) in DPO-185 CDS were annotated. There were 8981CDS were differentially expressed of which 1220 (13.58%) were significantly upregulated while 1485 (16.53%) CDS were significantly downregulated in DPO-185 compared with DPO-14. In total, 229 genes were identified belongs to distinct flowering pathways in Isabgol. A putative schematic network of flowering pathway regulation in Isabgol was proposed. Significant DEGs (60 genes) related to flowering time and flower development were detected between the early and late flowering genotypes. Significant differences in fold change expression of 17 genes were observed in early and late flowering genotypes. Many differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in flowering time and flower development were identified. The expression data will serve as a resource for unraveling the functions of specific genes involved in flower development in Isabgol and other plants. These findings are significant for further understanding of the molecular basis for flowering time regulation, breeding, and molecular biology in Isabgol as well as other crop plants.

GC-MS analysis of Hemidesmusindicus(L.) R. Br. roots and quantification of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzaldehyde through RP-HPLC

Hemidesmus indicus is a commercially important medicinal crop thatcatches the attention of both pharmaceuticals as well as the food andflavoring industry. The current investigation intends to reveal the possibilitiesassociated with the morphologically distinct H. indicus plants. The GC-MSanalysis carried out with broad-leafed H. indicus root extracts resulted in theidentification of 40 various compounds. Among all the compounds 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzaldehyde (MBALD) was found to be the major chemical entity.Further, RP-HPLC analysis was carried out to decipher the amount of MBALDpresent in roots of two morphologically distinct H. indicus plants were foundto be 0.1827 and 0.1537 mg/gram of tissue of slender and long leafed andbroad-leafed plants, respectively.

Comprehensive identification and analyses of the Hsf gene family in the whole-genome of three Apiaceae species

Apiaceae is a major family from Apiales and includes many important vegetable and medicinal crops. Heat shock transcription factors (Hsf) play important roles in heat tolerance during plant development. Here, we conducted systematic analyses of the Hsf gene family in three Apiaceae species, including 17 Apium graveolens (celery), 32 Coriandrum sativum (coriander), and 14 Daucus carota (carrot). A total of 73 Hsf genes were identified in three representative species, including Arabidopsis thaliana, Vitis vinifera, and Lactuca sativa. Whole-genome duplication played important roles in the Hsf gene family's expansion within Apiaceae. Interestingly, we found that coriander had more Hsf genes than celery and carrot due to greater expansion and fewer losses. Twenty-seven branches of the phylogenetic tree underwent considerable positive selection in these Apiaceae species. We also explored the expression patterns of Hsf genes in three plant organs. Collectively, this study will serve as a rich gene resource for exploring the molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance. Additionally, this is the first study to report on the Hsf gene family in Apiaceae; thus, our research will provide guidance for future comparative and functional genomic studies on the Hsf gene family and others in Apiaceae.

A Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of Garlic (Allium sativum) Provides Insights into Genome Evolution and Allicin Biosynthesis

Garlic, an economically important vegetable, spice, and medicinal crop, produces highly enlarged bulbs and unique organosulfur compounds. Here, we report a chromosome-level genome assembly for garlic, with a total size of approximately 16.24 Gb, as well as the annotation of 57 561 predicted protein-coding genes, making garlic the first Allium species with a sequenced genome. Analysis of this garlic genome assembly reveals a recent burst of transposable elements, explaining the substantial expansion of the garlic genome. We examined the evolution of certain genes associated with the biosynthesis of allicin and inulin neoseries-type fructans, and provided new insights into the biosynthesis of these two compounds. Furthermore, a large-scale transcriptome was produced to characterize the expression patterns of garlic genes in different tissues and at various growth stages of enlarged bulbs. The reference genome and large-scale transcriptome data generated in this study provide valuable new resources for research on garlic biology and breeding.

MEDICINAL PLANTING — ONE OF THE DIRECTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

The article defines the role of medicinal plant growing in agriculture. The functions of medicinal plants are: meeting the needs of the body in nutrients; suppression of pathogenic microflora of the body; increased blood flow to certain organs; strengthening of secretory (secretory) functions of the body; antiallergic action; cessation of bleeding; effects on the central nervous system. The most common in rural areas and profitable for growing are chamomile — the average yield is on average 5–10 kg/ha, can bring income up to 300 thousand UAH; Oregano — a good honey plant with a productivity of up to 100 kg/ha; lemon balm — with a yield of 220–250 kg/ha of raw weight, or 35–40 kg/ha of dry grass, you can get about 35 kg/ha of essential oil and an income of about $ 8000 per 1 quintal of dry weight; valerian — yield is from 7–9 to 15–20 kg/ha, you can get up to 240 thousand UAH/100 kg; peppermint — with a yield of 15–20 kg/ha, the total income will be from 60 to 80 thousand UAH; Echinacea purpurea — yield is about 4 t/ha of dry grass and up to 2 t/ha of roots, profit up to 80 thousand UAH/1 ha per grass and up to 200 thousand UAH per root. In the production of medicinal plant raw materials should be based on socioecological and economic factors, which include: qualitative and quantitative state of natural resources, the possibility of increasing income from the cultivation of medicinal raw materials; income in the form of wages, job creation; strengthening the physical and moral health of the population. It is established that medicinal crops are more profitable to grow than agricultural crops.

KARAKTER MORFOLOGI DAN FISIOLOGI TAPAK DARA (Vinca rosea L.) PADA BEBERAPA CEKAMAN AIR

<p><strong>Morphological and physiological characteristics of Vinca at di fferent water stress levels</strong></p><p>Vinca (Vinca rosea L.) is one of the important medicinal crops as the sources of raw materials for traditional medicines. Its alkaloid is believed can reduce the risk of cancer, blood tension and diabetes diseases. Recently, vinca is only grown as ornamental plant in the garden, therefore, its cultivation methods is limited, especially its water stress tolerance, lite purpose of this experiment was to study the effect of water stess on the morphological and physiological characteristics of vinca. A pot experiment was conducted in the plastics house of the Research Institute for Spice and Medicinal Crops from November 1997 to March 1998. Factorial experiment consisted two factors and three replications was arranged in a randomized block design. Ihe irst factor consisted of two vinca varieties, those wee white flowers (WFV) and red flowers of vinca (RFV). While 4 different levels of water stress i.e., (I) 100% ield capacity (FC), (2) 80% FC, (3) 60% FC, and (4) 40% FC were used as the second factor. Parameters used for evaluating the effect of teatment consisted of morphological characteristics such as (I) plant height, (2) number of primary branches, (3) number of leaves, (4) leaf area (5) dry weight of stem, (6) dry weight of leaf, (7) dry weight of flowers and (8) dry weight of roots, and physiological characteristics observed including: (I) percentages of opened stomata and (2) free proline content of leaf. Results showed that interaction between varieties and water stress did not significantly affect the morphological nor physiological characteristics. Varieties significantly affected the morphological characteristics (except plant height), however they did not signiicantly affect physiological characteristics. Water stress significantly affected the morphological (except dry weight of roots) and free proline contents. Under 80% FC, vinca produced the highest growth and dry weight of plant however, the plant growth and dry weight wee inhibited under 60 and 40% FC. Under 40% FC, percentages of opened stomata deceased signiicantly. Moeover, proline content in the leaves signiicantly increased by water stess treatments.</p>

PENGARUH CEKAMAN AIR TERHADAP PRODUKSI DAN MUTU SIMPLISIA TEMPUYUNG (Sonchus arvensis L.)

<p><strong>Effect of water stress on the production and quality of Sonchus arvensis L.</strong></p><p>Study on water stress in Sonchus arvensis L was conducted to improve the quality and production of leaves. Pot experiment was conducted at geen house Bogor Research Institute for Spice and Medicinal Crops from July to November 1996, with 7 kg latosol dry soil of Cimanggu Bogor per pot. Randomized block design with four replications were used. Eight treatments of water stess and casting were applied i.e. (I) 100% field capacity (FC) no casting, (2) 100% FC + casting, (3) 80% FC + casting with water stress started at 30 days alter planting (dap), (4) 60% FC + casting with water stess started at 30 dap, (5) 40% FC + casting with water stress started at 30 dap, (6) 80% FC + casting with water stress started at 50 DAP, (7) 60% FC + casting with water stress started at 50 dap, (8) 40% FC + casting with water stress started at 50 dap. Results showed that chlorophyl content leaf aea, fresh and dry weight of leaves deceased at a water stress of 60% FC strated al 30 dap the higher the water stress the lower the measurement of those parameters, but the higher the content of K and Na. The highest yield of fesh and dry leaves, respectively 53.22 and 4.58 g/plant was produced by the plants treated in 100% PC + casting. The plant treated in 40% FC started at 30 dap resulted in the highest quality of simplisia indicated by the highest content of K (8.2%) and Na (0.227%). With the treatment, K and Na conlent increased by 13.6 and 95.7% espectively and the dry weight of simplisia decreased by 62.9%.</p>

PENGARUH KEPADATAN TERNA DAN LAMA PENYULINGAN TERHADAP RENDEMEN DAN KARAKTERISTIK MINYAK Melaleuca bracteata

<p><strong>The influence of material bulk density and duration of distillation on the yi eld and characteristic of Melaleuca bracteata oil</strong></p><p>Melaleuca bracteata belongs to Myrtaceae family which is grown wildly in Australia and Quensland. The oil is produced from Ihe leaves and (wigs by distillation and is used in fragrances industry. The oil content of leaves and twigs range between 0.4 to 1.0% with metil eugenol as the major component (70-80%). Because of its high metil eugenol content M. bracteata oil can be used to control fruil flies The experiment was carried out to evaluate the influence of material bulk density in the distillation vessel and duration of distillation on the yield and charac¬ teristic of the oil produced. Material used was (he leaves and twigs of M bracteata from the experimental garden of the Research Institute for Spice and Medicinal Crops. Manoko, Lembang (1200 in above the sea level). The experiment at 1993 was designed as completely randomized design, arranged factorially with three replications. The result showed that the optimum distillation condition was 1 56 g/l material bulk density in the vessel and 3 hours distillation. Such distillation condition produced 1.09 % oil yield with (he characteristics as follow speciic gravity I 0263, refractive index 1 5296, optical rotation -3.3°, solubility in 70% cthanol 1 : 1, methyl eugenol content 86.1%, acid number 0.56, ester number 15.4 and ester number after acetylation 39.3. Referring to Australia oil, the Indonesian M bracteata oil has higher value of esther number both before and after acetylation.</p>

KONSERVASI TANAMAN LADA (Piper nigrum L.) SECARA IN VITRO

<p><strong>In vitro conservation of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.)</strong></p><p>Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is one of the economically im¬ potant spices. The major constraint in black pepper cultivation and conservation in ield is foot rot disease caused by Phytopthora capsici which could cause plants die. Conservation of black pepper germplasms as living collections in ield is risky due to pests and natural disaster. The experiment on in vitro cop ervation of black pepper var. LDL was conducted al the laboratory of Plant Genetic Resources and Breeding, Research Institute for Spice and Medicinal Crops (RISMC) Bogor from April 1998 to Maret 1999. Single node cuttings from sterile culture were used as explains. The explains were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium on full and half strength concentration supplemented with paclobutrazol (paclo) (0, 1, 3 and 5 mg/1). The experiment was performed in a randomized complete block design arranged factorially with 10 replications. The result showed that the medium supplemented with paclo on both full MS and MS A medium could suppress vegetative growth until 12 months. There was no signiicant interaction between medium and paclo on shoot initiation. The effect was signiicant on shoot height, number of leaves and culture performances. Increasing paclo concen¬ tration caused higher suppression of plant growth. MS A medium supplemented with paclo 5 mg/1 showed the slowest growth with shool height 2.10 cm and number of leaves 9. Culture performance was fresh, with green leaves and vigorous. Advcntive shoots were able to regenerate on the medium supplemented with BA 0.3 mg/1. In vitro conservation of black pepper with paclo did not change plant regeneration ability. Therefore, this technique may be used as an altenative method for black pepper conservation.</p>

POTENSI BAKTERI ANTAGONIS DALAM MENEKAN PERKEMBANGAN PENYAKIT LAYU BAKTERI JAHE

<p><strong>Potency of antagonist bacteria in inhibiting the bacterial wilt disease progress ginger</strong></p><p>Bacterial wilt disease caused by Pseudomonas solanacearum is an important disease in ginger plant (Zingiber oicinale Rose.) in Indonesia. The objective of this research was to study the effectiveness of biological agents in inhibiting the progess of bacterial wilt on ginger. The research was conducted at the geenhouse of Research Institute for Spice and Medicinal Crops in 1997-1998 then was followed with a ield experiment at Sukamulya Experimental Garden in 1998/1999. At the greenhouse experiment seven kinds of antagonists bacteria were formulated either individually or combination. Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF), P. cepacia (PC) and Bacillus sp. (BC), mixtue of PF + PC, mixtue of PC + BC, mixture of PF + BC, and mixtue of PF + PC + BC were tested in the geenhouse on ginger plant cultivars putih besar grown in the pot containing soil formerly used for growing P. solanacearum infected tomato. I he results of this experiment indicated that the combination of PF+PC+BC significantly suppressed the progress of bacterial wilt disease compaed to control and other tested combination. In the ield experiment carried out at the bacterial wilt disease endemic area the combinations of PF+PC+BC, Trichoderma harzianum (Bit-1) and combination of PF+PC+BC+BII-I were tested with two levels of application, i.e. two applications with two months interval and 4 application with one month interval. The results showed that the application of antagonists bacteria inhibited Ihe bacterial wilt disease progress and signiicantly increased ginger rhizome yield. The yield of the rhizome from the plants teated with different intervals were not different. However, the application of the antagonist bacteria were not able to eradicate ginger infection by Pseudomonas solanacearum thoroughly.</p>

RANCANG BANGUN ALAT PERONTOK LADA MODEL AKSIAL

<p><strong>Design of axialflow thresherfor pepper</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The pepper threshing practice has been carried out using traditional method in which the pepper berries are usually trampled. This method is neither efficient nor higienic, and it also causes high losses of the berries. To overcome those problems, an experiment was carried out to make an axial flow thresher. The experiment was conducted at Research Institute for Spice and Medicinal Crops from April to December 1999. The experiment consisted of three steps, namely designing, constructing and testing. The objective of testing was to determine the optimum operation condition of the thresher. The testing was designed as a completely randomized complete design with three replications. The raw material for testing was pepper berries (Lampung Daun Lebar variety) of 8 - 9 month old. The result showed that the optimum condition for threshing process was 300 rpm cylinder rotation, with the spike separation process using 7.5° sieve angle. The performance of pepper thresher on that condition was : threshing eficiency 98.55%, spikes separation eficiency 89.22%, berries on spikes outlet 5.20% and berries damage 6.30%. The capacity of thresher was 260.56 kg raw material/hour. The operational cost was Rp 27.28/kg raw material, lower than that of the traditional threshing method (Rp 50/kg raw material).</p>

PENGARUH DIAMETER PIRINGAN DAN ELASTISITAS KARET PENGUPAS TERHADAP KINERJA ALAT PENGUPAS LADA TIPE PIRINGAN

To produce while pepper using traditional method, the ripe berries are soaked in a river or a pond for 10-14 days prior to decorticating. To improve the traditional method. Research Institute for Spice and Medicinal Crops has designed pepper decorticator to support the white pepper processing. This decorticator has a good function, hut its performance still need to be improved, as it still produces high percentage of white pepper damage. This experiment was aimed to at improving (he performance of the pepper decorticator. The experiment was conducted from July to Ocktobcr 1999 and divided into two steps i.e. preliminary and main experiment. The treatments applied on Ihe main experiment were (I) disc diameter (18, 20, and 22 cm) and (2) rubber elasticity (5.34, 7.74, 9.79, and 15.02 N/mm). The experiment was designed as a completely randomized, arranged factorially in three replications. The pepper variety used for the experiment was Lampung Daun Lebar. The disc distance of pepper decorticator in this experiment was set at 3.5 cm based on the preliminary experiment. Results showed that the optimal disc diameter and nibber elasticity was 20 cm and 7.74 N/mm respectively. Decorticator performance on the optimal condition were : decorticated pepper 97.25%, white pepper damage as pepper defect 2.46% and as broken pepper 1.98% respectively and the capacity of decorticator was 42.27 kg/hours. In general, the quality of while pepper produced met the National Standard of Indonesia.

STATUS LOGAM BERAT KADMIUM DAN HASIL RIMPANG TEMUIRENG (Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb.) PADA BEBERAPA DOSIS PEMUPUKAN FOSFAT

<p><strong>Status of cadmium and rhizome yield l/temuireng (Cur¬ cuma aeruginosa Roxb.) at by d fferent dosages phos¬ phatefertilizer</strong></p><p>Cadmium is a heavy metal which is for human being. The concentration of Cd in the soil will increase if phosphate fertilizer is applied, because Cd is available in the sediment rock of phosphate as a raw material for phosphate fertilizer. Recently it is said that simplicia of medicinal crops originated from Asia is contaminated with heavy metals. That contamination mainly derives from Ihe environmental growth. Theefore, the research on the status of Cd in rhizomes Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb. due phosphate fertilizer is essential to be conducted. The experiment was conducted in the experimental garden of Research Institute for Spice and Medicinal Crops from August 1997 - June 1998. The experiment used polybags which were illed with 25 kg Bogor dry latosol soil mixed with I kg of rice husk and 2 kg cattle manue It used randomized block design (RBD) with four replications and ive samples each treatment. The treatments were (I) no NPK; and 8 dosages of TSP, (2)0; (3)2.5; (4)5; (5)7.5; (6)10.0; (7)12.5; (8)15.0; and (9)20.0g/ polybag respectively. Each TSP treatments was added with 1 5 g uea and 19 g KCI/ polybag. The plant wee harvested at 8.5 month after planting. The results of experiments showed that application of2.5; 5; 7.5; 10; 12.5; 15; and 20 g/polybag of TSP increased dry weight of simplicia from 24.3- 40%. The content of Cd in rhizomes, produced by plant with 5 up to 20 g TSP fertilizer was 1.181 - 2.756 ppm. The Cd content was higher than tolerance limited value as determined by laws of heavy metal in Japan (I ppm) and WHO (0.24 ppm). While fertilizer teatments of 0 and 2.5 g TSP produced rhizomes with Cd content 0.630 - 0.945 ppm, and it is still under tolerance limited value by Japan, but, higher than WHO laws. Due to high Cd content in rhizomes (1.181 - 2.756 ppm), those simplicia can not be used as row material for medicine.</p>